Dear friends around the world,

Happy New Year.

When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace.

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.

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.

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.

30 October 2017 – Levels of carbon dioxide (C02) surged at record-breaking speed to new highs in 2016, the United Nations weather agency announced on Monday.

Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), issued the warning in Geneva, at the launch of the organization's Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), is now accepting applications from volunteers to assist in the organization and facilitation of the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference, COP 23, which will take place from 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany. 

Applicants are invited to apply online now at: http://www.cop23volunteers.com

15 September 2017 – The number of people hungry around the world is up for the first time in more than a decade, says a new United Nations report issued today, pointing to violent conflicts and climate change as the major drivers.

The third consecutive failed rainy season in East Africa has seriously eroded families' resilience, and urgent and effective livelihood support is required, the United Nations agricultural agency has warned.

According to an alert released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), poor rains have worsened hunger and left crops scorched, pastures dry and thousands of livestock dead.

With the theme of this year's World Environment Day – 'Connecting People to Nature' – aimed at highlighting the well-documented physical and mental health benefits of being in nature, the United Nations is today flagging the vast benefits of such engagement, from food security and improved health to reliable water supply and climatic stability.

The spotlight will be on the ocean at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017. The Ocean Conference puts Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 on use of the oceans, seas and marine resources at the center of attention. In particular, the Conference aims to be a turning point regarding maritime pollution and its negative effects for people, animals and nature.