28 August 2019 — After a two-week sail across the Atlantic, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday to take part in two major climate summits to be held at UN Headquarters next month.
28 August 2019 — African nations have made ‘significant progress’ in developmental efforts in the last few years, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, kicking off the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), taking place in Yokohama.
28 August 2019 — At-risk wildlife that is facing a “growing extinction crisis” received a boost on Wednesday, as countries wrapped up a marathon meeting in Geneva, by agreeing to increased protection measures and more sustainable trade in animals and plants across the globe.
27 August 2019 — Tangible steps “can, and must, be taken” to urgently reverse the “negative trajectory” of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and revive the peace process, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council on Tuesday.
26 August 2019 — People all over the world are calling for a shift towards a greener, cleaner future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, stressing that “we have the tools to address the climate emergency, but we need more political will.”
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.
The United Nations Civil Society Conference (UNCSC) is the premier event in the civil society calendar at the UN. It typically attracts more than 3,000 participants representing over 700 civil society organizations from over 100 countries. The 68th UNCSC theme is Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities with a focus on sustainable solutions for challenges of urban life. The UN Secretary-General welcomed the focus of this year’s conference, noting that cities are well placed to help combat the global climate emergency and point the way towards sustainable, low-emission development. At a time when civic space is shrinking worldwide and intolerance is on the rise, Mr. Guterres said civil society plays a vital role in solving all global challenges. #UNCSC2019
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.
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
