Task of eradicating poverty must be met 'with a sense of urgency,' says deputy UN chief

Eradicating poverty remains the greatest global challenge, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said today, calling for a collective and comprehensive approach that recognizes the multidimensional nature the issue and its interaction with other aspects.

Addressing poverty, inequality, climate change, food insecurity and a sluggish and unpredictable global economy requires integrated responses and engagement by all actors, Ms. Mohammed said at the opening of the 2017 Integration Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Central African Republic: UN cites 'dire' situation for children; amid threats, some aid work suspended

Four international humanitarian organizations have temporarily suspended activities in northern Central African Republic (CAR) after dozens of attacks on aid workers in the region, the United Nations humanitarian office today said.

Korean Peninsula: Conflict prevention 'our collective priority' but onus also on DPRK, says UN chief

Preventing armed conflict in north-east Asia is the international community's collective priority while the onus is also on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from further nuclear testing and explore the path of dialogue, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today.

'Broadly positive' outlook for Asia-Pacific threatened by rising global uncertainty, warns UN report

The Real United Nations

Across the globe, Model United Nations (Model UN) simulations are popular ways for students to learn more about the UN. But they tend to focus solely on the work of diplomats. That's why the Education Outreach Section of the Department of Public Information (DPI) launched a new interactive lecture series called The Real United Nations – to allow UN staff to share their stories with Model UN participants and explain what they actually do to achieve UN mandates. 

Girls worst affected as conflict keeps more than 25 million children out of school – UNICEF

Conflict and violence has driven more than 25 million children between 6 and 15 years old – about 22 per cent of children in that age group – from schools in warzones across 22 countries, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said.

At no time is education more important than in times of war, Josephine Bourne, the Chief of Education at UNICEF, said in a news release issued today.

Without education, how will children reach their full potential and contribute to the future and stability of their families, communities and economies?

Scale of civilians fleeing Iraq's Mosul 'staggering' – senior UN relief official

Noting that nearly half a million people have fled Mosul since the start of military operations to retake the city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, a senior United Nations humanitarian official in Iraq warned that the scale of the displacement has stretched relief efforts to their operational limits.

Our worst case scenario when the fighting started was that up to one million civilians may flee Mosul. Already, more than 493,000 people have left, leaving almost everything behind, Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, said in a news release issued by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The sheer volume of civilians still fleeing Mosul city is staggering […] we are doing everything we can but this has been a long battle and the assault on the old city hasn't started, she added.

WFP 'outraged and heartbroken' by killing of three workers in South Sudan city

Expressing horror at the killing of three workers contracted by its office in Wau, South Sudan, during violence that wracked the city earlier this week, the United Nations emergency food relief agency has called on the authorities to bring those responsible for the unspeakable violence to justice.

In a news release today, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that the three men – Daniel James, Ecsa Tearp and Ali Elario, all citizens of South Sudan – appeared to have been killed on Monday as they tried to make their way to the UN agency's warehouse, where they worked as porters.

UN refugee agency urges EU States to suspend transfers of asylum-seekers to Hungary

10 April 2017 – Warning that deepening food insecurity in Iraq could leave more than half the population facing unprecedented levels of vulnerability, the United Nations emergency food relief agency today called for improving nutrition awareness and strengthening social safety nets and livelihoods in rural areas, to avoid a hunger crisis in the country.

In its Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis, prepared jointly with the Iraqi Government, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) also underlined the need to improve access to education, especially for girls, as an important component in the fight against hunger.

'Learn the lessons of Rwanda,' says UN chief, calling for a future of tolerance, human rights for all

Marking the twenty-third anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres today said the only way to honour the memory of the victims is to ensure such events never happen again.

The 1994 genocide in the East African country saw the systematic murder of more than 800,000 people. The vast majority were Tusi, but moderate Hutu, Twa and other groups also suffered during the 100 days of violence.

UN calls for recognizing the rights of people with autism to make their own decisions

Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day, the United Nations today called for recognizing the rights of people with the spectrum neurological condition, which is believed to affect 70 million people around the world.

Let us ensure that we make available the necessary accommodations and support to persons with autism, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the Day.

With access to the support they need and choose, they will be empowered to face the key milestones in every person's life, he added, making decisions such as where and with whom to live, what type of work to pursue and how to manage their personal finances.

Supporting Syrian refugees not only an act 'of generosity' but also of 'enlightened self-interest' – UN chief

28 March 2017 – Visiting the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan that is hosting about 80,000 Syrian refugees, the United Nations chief urged the parties to the conflict in Syria and the countries that have influence over them to realize that the crisis is not only a tragedy for Syrian people but also a threat to regional stability and global security. This is the moment for all countries that are involved, directly or indirectly in the conflict, to put aside their differences and understand […] the common interest from the fact that they are all threatened by the new risk of global terrorism, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters at a press conference at the camp.Solidarity with Syrian refugees is also a way to be able to express our capacity to guarantee global security. It''s not only an act of generosity.

Building peace requires culture, education – message of historic UN Security Council resolution

Univocally condemning unlawful destruction and pillaging of cultural heritage such as religious sites and artefacts, the United Nations Security Council today adopted an historic resolution that is expected to strengthen protections for such heritage during armed conflicts where they are most vulnerable.

The deliberate destruction of heritage […] has become a tactic of war to tear societies over the long term, in a strategy of cultural cleansing, said Irina Bokova, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) following the resolution's adoption.

New York City Students' Art and Writing to be exhibited at The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, together with the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, will open the third annual New York City Scholastic Art & Writing Awards exhibition at The Met's Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education on Friday, March 24, 2017. This special exhibition is free and open to the public during regular Museum hours from March 24 through May 29, 2017.

The 600 original works of art and writing were created by New York City-based Gold Key recipients in the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the United States' most prestigious award and recognition program for creative teenagers. The displayed art works stood out from almost 11,000 entries in 29 categories, submitted by students in grades seven to 12 from more than 300 New York schools.

UN disability rights committee opens with a call to spotlight gender issues

20 March 2017 – The United Nations committee monitoring efforts to protect rights of persons with disabilities today opened its spring session today in Geneva with a call to pay special attention to gender issues.We do urge you to ensure a strong gender basis is built in to your agenda this year, and we urge you to take special care to ensure that the voice and experience of girls and women resonates within your deliberations, the UN's Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore told the 17th session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which runs 12 April.Ms.