UN News @news-un-org

1 week ago • global •

Violations of women’s reproductive health rights trigger rise in preventable deaths

African women are 130 times more likely to die due to pregnancy or childbirth complications than women in Europe and Northern America, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) said in a new report published on Wednesday.

1 week ago • global •

$2.8 billion appeal for three million people in Gaza, West Bank

UN and partner agencies insisted on Wednesday that “critical changes” are needed to improve aid access into Gaza, as they launched a $2.8 billion appeal to provide urgent assistance for millions of people in the devastated enclave, but also in the West Bank, where Palestinians have been targeted by increasing settler violence.

1 week ago • global •

Transform landmark Indigenous rights declaration into reality: UN General Assembly President

Despite important achievements over the past decade to improve the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, safeguard their cultures, and expand their participation at the UN, “deep chasms” endure between commitments made and reality on the ground, the President of the General Assembly said on Wednesday.

1 week ago • global •

Women in Afghanistan: The future ‘depends on them’

Despite facing formidable challenges, women-owned and run businesses in Afghanistan continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience, serving as vital pillars of economic stability and hope amidst adversity, a new UN report has found.

1 week ago • global •

Gaza: No let up in deadly toll as rights chief demands end to suffering

Nearly 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since war erupted six months ago and one child is injured or dies every 10 minutes, UN agencies warned on Tuesday, amid spiralling violence in the West Bank and concerns over a regional escalation of the conflict following Iran’s missile and drone strike on Israel.

1 week ago • global •

Humanitarians locked in aid delivery ‘dance’ to avert famine in Gaza

Scaling up assistance in Gaza remains a challenge in the face of continued access denials, delays and other impediments, the head of the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories said on Tuesday.

1 week ago • global •

Indigenous Kalinago lead the way towards making Dominica ‘climate resilient’

Dominica aims to become the world’s first “climate-resilient nation, and the indigenous Kalinago people are playing a leading role in developing the country and helping its people to thrive in the face of the climate emergency.

1 week ago • global •

Let youth lead, urges new advocacy campaign

With the ‘promise of a better world’ in mind the UN Youth Office has launched an new advocacy campaign – “World Leaders: It’s Time to Let #YouthLead” – calling for greater youth representation in decision-making roles in both the public and private sector, civil society, academia, and the UN.

1 week ago • global •

Yemen’s plight echoes broader Middle East crisis, says UN Envoy

As tensions worsen across the Middle East region, Yemen’s plight has become increasingly intertwined with wider geopolitical dynamics, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Monday.

1 week ago • global •

UN leaders urge ‘wholesale reform’ of global financial architecture

The Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly on Monday led the clarion call for urgent reform of the global financial system, notably how to approach debt relief on behalf of the billions of citizens living in the developing world.

2 weeks ago • global •

‘Step back from the brink,’ to avert full-scale Middle East conflict, says UN chief

The people of the Middle East are facing a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict, António Guterres said on Sunday, urging “maximum restraint” across a region “on the brink”, hours after Iran launched attack drones and missiles against Israel overnight Saturday.

2 weeks ago • global •

First Person: ‘I no longer amount to anything’ – Voices of the displaced in Haiti

People affected by gang wars in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, have been describing to the UN how their lives have been violently changed, with one person saying he feels that he has lost his identity and “no longer amounts to anything”.

2 weeks ago • global •

Guterres welcomes creation of transitional council in Haiti to choose new leaders

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the establishment of a transitional council in Haiti tasked with choosing new political leadership and setting up elections in the crisis-torn Carribean country.

2 weeks ago • health •

Nigeria first country to introduce ‘revolutionary’ meningitis vaccine

Nigeria has become the first country to roll out a “revolutionary” five-in-one vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Friday.

2 weeks ago • global •

Colombia serves as ‘a model’ for countries using dialogue to forge peace

Colombia has reached an “important juncture” in advancing peace after decades of war, but efforts to sustain the current momentum must be redoubled, the head of a UN mission in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.