23 August 2019 — A surge in “deliberate” attacks against students, teachers and schools in West and Central Africa has led to a tripling in school closures in the last year and left almost two million youngsters “robbed of an education”, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
22 August 2019 — UN chief António Guterres called for an end to the persecution of religious groups on Thursday, the first ever International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion and Belief.
22 August 2019 — Changing patterns and worsening impacts of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific, coupled with environmental degradation and climate change, are not only making efforts to predict such catastrophes more difficult, but are also a “sign of things to come”, the United Nations development arm in the region has warned.
21 August 2019 — The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it is being forced to close down several humanitarian programmes in Yemen because money pledged by Member States to pay for them has “failed to materialize”.
21 August 2019 — The scars of terrorism “run deep”, and while they may fade with time, “they never disappear”, the United Nations chief said on Wednesday, in his message for the second International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
20 August 2019 — Briefing the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, Maria Luiza Viotti, said on Tuesday that “restraint and genuine dialogue are urgently needed”, in order to avoid a major confrontation, which would have disastrous consequences, even well beyond the region.
20 August 2019 — Deteriorating water quality worldwide is slashing the economic potential of heavily polluted areas, according to a new World Bank report, released on Tuesday. It also warns that the “invisible crisis of water quality” is threatening human and environmental well-being.
20 August 2019 — One month ago, the United Nations top Yemen envoy told the Security Council the country was facing “a crucial moment” in the course of its long and bloody conflict, and on Tuesday, he again urged members to acknowledge that recent infighting around the Government stronghold of Aden were “a clear sign” that the conflict must be brought to a swift, peaceful end.
Since nuclear weapons testing began on 16 July 1945, nearly 2,000 have taken place. The history of nuclear testing is one of suffering, with victims often from the most vulnerable communities of the world. Devastating consequences are not confined by international borders and they encompass impacts on the environment, health, food security and economic development. On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the UN General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests. It is our hope that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe this International Day as the world works towards promoting peace and security.
According to new data from the World Meteorological Organization and the Copernicus Climate Change Programme, July 2019 was on par with, and possibly marginally warmer than the previous warmest July, in 2016, which was also the warmest month ever. The latest figures are particularly significant because July 2016 was during one of the strongest occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon, which contributes to heightened global temperatures. Unlike 2016, 2019 has not been marked by a strong El Niño.
The 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18) takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, 17-28 August 2019. Decisions taken in Geneva will have a real and immediate effect on the legislation, regulation, and operating practices across the globe for international trade in species listed on the CITES Appendices.
An aspiring journalist and literature student, Alexandra Tomasevic, 25, who has cerebral palsy, has advocated for children and youth with disabilities since she was a young girl. Ms. Tomasevic is a participant in UN Women’s mentoring programme. "I am one of ten mentors at the [...] programme where we get paired with other women with disabilities. Our job is to be a support system for our mentees and help them make their ideas come to life, improve the quality of their lives, and claim their rights to education and employment." It’s important for women with disabilities to realize that they are not alone. The objective of the project is empowerment of women with disabilities by women with disabilities.
Plastic is so prevalent in our lives, we don’t even notice it anymore. It is convenient, cheap, ubiquitous. The truth is, more than 70% of the plastic we use doesn't get recycled. Much of it gets swept into our oceans from beaches or gets washed into rivers from our streets. An estimated 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently float in our oceans. There is another kind of plastic infiltrating our ecosystems: microplastics. Microplastics have already been found in various types of human food (drinking water, beer, honey and table salt). Turn the tide on plastic! Our daily choices matter. From FAO, here are 5 ways to cut our dependence on macro- and micro-plastics.
Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals
