Make digital world safer for children, increase online access to benefit most disadvantaged – UNICEF
11 December 2017 - UNICEF released Monday its annual flagship report, the State of the World's Children. This year's report focuses on children in the digital age. UNICEF pointed out that digital technologies can be key to changing the fate of vulnerable children, providing them with new opportunities for learning, socializing and expressing their opinions, yet millions of children are being abandoned by an increasingly connected world.
UN designates 2021-2030 'Decade of Ocean Science'
On the 6th of December 2017 the United Nations designated the years 2021 to 2030 as the 'Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development' to boost international coordination and cooperation in research and scientific programmes for better management of ocean and coastal zone resources and reducing maritime risks.
Paramount that civilians are protected in Yemen, underscores UN
4 December 2017 – Voicing concern over the dramatic escalation in fighting in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and surrounding areas, that have reportedly killed about one hundred people and injured many more, the United Nations called on the parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that civilians are not harmed.
It is paramount that civilians are protected, that the wounded are afforded safe access to medical care, and that all sides facilitate life-saving humanitarian access, Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told reporters Monday at a regular press briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York.
We remind all parties to the conflict that deliberate attacks against civilians and against civilian and medical infrastructure are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes.
Antalya: Solutions to today's development challenges exist in the Global South, stresses UN official
27 November 2017 – Solutions to today's critical development challenges exist in the Global South, and every country – large or small, emerging economy or least developed – has something to offer to the world, a senior United Nations official said today, as the 2017 Global South-South Cooperation Expo opened in Antalya, Turkey.
The advantage and beauty of South-South cooperation is that this modality of international relations relies on solidarity expressed in concrete and demonstrable sharing of technical know-how, experience and resources among developing countries, said Jorge Chediek, the Secretary-General's Envoy on South-South Cooperation and Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), at the opening ceremony.
UN chief 'horrified' at buying and selling of African migrants in Libya
20 November 2017 – Expressing horror at news reports and videos showing African migrants in Libya allegedly being sold as slaves, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on the authorities to urgently investigate the situation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Slavery has no place in our world and these actions are among the most egregious abuses of human rights and may amount to crimes against humanity, Mr. Guterres told reporters at a press stakeout at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Monday.
He added that he has asked the relevant UN actors to actively pursue the matter.
Desperate Rohingya refugees use home-made rafts to get to Bangladesh – UN
17 November 2017 – Over the past 10 days, dozens of makeshift rafts carrying more than a thousand people have floated into Bangladesh, proof that Rohingya refugees are resorting to increasingly desperate means to flee to Myanmar, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday.
Unable to pay for the crossing, refugees are building rafts from whatever material they can get their hands on – mostly bamboo poles and empty jerry cans tied together with rope and covered with plastic sheets, William Spindler, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters at the regular press briefing in Geneva.
Peace is ... Solidarity
13 November 2017 — The fifth instalment of Peace is … took place on Monday at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations in collaboration with the Department of Public Information, Peace is … Solidarity featured an artistic performance by the COBU collective entitled Dance Like Drumming, Drum Like Dancing. Led by Yako Miayamoto, the COBU female artists combined tap dancing with traditional Japanese Taiko drumming.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, Mr. Koro Bessho, said the event represented a way to provide an opportunity for all of us to think about how we can show solidarity for women's empowerment in a unique way. The Deputy Executive Director of UN-Women, Ms. Lakshmi Puri, expressed her hope that the performance would symbolize the drumming of peace that ought to replace the beating of war drums.
In Manila, UN chief tells South-east Asian summit cooperation is vital to address shared challenges
13 November 2017 – Addressing the ninth Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)-United Nations Summit in Manila, the Philippines, Secretary-General António Guterres called for collective global and regional action to combat the challenges facing the world, in particular, those related to climate change.
Unhealthy diets could undo progress on food security in Asia-Pacific, warns UN report
10 November 2017 – Urgent action is needed to tackle malnutrition and promote consumption of healthier foods in the Asia-Pacific region – home to most of the world's undernourished people – the United Nations food security agency said Friday.
Good nutrition depends on raising awareness about healthy foods and choices, as well as efficient, affordable and sustainable systems to deliver that food, said Kundhavi Kadiresan, the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Asia-Pacific region, announcing findings from the agency's regional report on food security and nutrition.
If we are to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of [ending hunger] in the region, we must invest to improve our food systems and pool our knowledge and resources to meet our current food and nutrition challenges head on.
Accelerating Action on the SDGs: A Guide for Universities
Universities across the world are aware of the crucial role they play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but very little guidance has been available on how to incorporate these goals into academic life and work. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Australia/Pacific, however, has recently issued a new guide that helps bridge this gap.
Use antibiotics wisely to combat rising drug resistance
9 November 2017- In the lead-up to World Antibiotic Awareness Week (13-19 November 2017), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are together calling for responsible use of antibiotics in humans and animals to reduce the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world and threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases.
Infections affecting people - including pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning and gonorrhoea - and animals alike are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective.
3D chalk painting for International Day of the Girl inspires
8 November 2017 - The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Manama commemorated the International Day of the Girl Child and United Nations Day by partnering with talented chalk artist Jincy Babu to create a 1240 square foot 3D chalk piece on the importance of empowering girls as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Babu started the artwork on 11 October - to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child - at the Ramli Mall in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It depicts a refugee girl immersed in water holding the earth as though raising it from the water while being surrounded by six floats, each representing a Global Goal that is crucial to the well-being of girls. The intended effect of the artwork can be enjoyed by viewing it from a certain angle, either through a 3D lens or one's mobile phone camera.
Bonn: UN climate conference aims for greater ambition as 2017 set to be among top three hottest years
6 November 2017 – The United Nations Climate Conference opened on Monday in Bonn, Germany, with the aim of a greater ambition for climate action, as the world body's weather agency issued a stark warning that 2017 is set to be among the three hottest years on record.
The Bonn Conference of the State Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNTCC), informally known as COP 23 and which runs until 17 November, is chaired by Fiji, an island State particularly affected by the impacts of our warming climate.
The need for urgency is obvious. Our world is in distress from the extreme weather events caused by climate change – destructive hurricanes, fires, floods, droughts, melting ice, and changes to agriculture that threaten our food security, said COP 23 President and Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, at the opening of the conference.
A first atlas on rural migration in sub-Saharan Africa
2 November 2017, Rome – A first atlas to offer a better understanding of complex rural migration patterns in sub-Saharan Africa has been published today.
The atlas – Rural Africa in motion. Dynamics and drivers of migration south of the Sahara – also highlights the important role rural areas will continue to play in shaping the continent's migration for decades to come.
People without nationality face 'stark realities' of discrimination and persecution – UN report
3 November 2017 – Discrimination, exclusion and persecution are stark realities for many of the world's stateless minorities, the United Nations refugee agency warned in a new report, calling for immediate action to secure equal nationality rights for all.
Stateless people are just seeking the same basic rights that all citizens enjoy. But stateless minorities, like the Rohingya, often suffer from entrenched discrimination and a systematic denial of their rights, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Friday on the launch of the report, This Is Our Home: Stateless minorities and their search for citizenship.