UN News

• UN General Assembly: Here are the 5 big summits to watch for
  It’s that time again, when the eyes of the world turn to New York, as world leaders fly into the city to take part in the General Debate that marks the opening of the latest session of the UN General Assembly, or UNGA.
• Guterres calls for ‘maximum restraint’ following drone assault on key Saudi oil facility
  The UN Secretary-General appealed on Sunday for “maximum restraint" following a wave of drone attacks claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen, against a huge Saudi Arabian State-owned Armco petroleum processing facility, which threatens to disrupt global oil supplies. 
• UN chief urges ‘active, substantive and meaningful participation’ on International Day of Democracy
  On the International Day of Democracy, the United Nations chief urged each Government to respect its citizens’ right to “meaningful participation” in the political process.
• In The Bahamas, Guterres sees impact of ‘Category Hell’ hurricane, ‘powered by climate change’ 
  The UN chief saw for himself the deadly power of Hurricane Dorian on the shattered islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama on Saturday, describing it as more like a “Category Hell” disaster, than the official Category 5 designation used by meteorologists. 
• In visit to hurricane-ravaged Bahamas, UN chief calls for greater action to address climate change
  World leaders attending the upcoming UN Climate Action Summit are being urged to show up armed not with speeches but with plans to achieve carbon neutrality, reduce emissions and improve adaptation.
• UNESCO food and culture forum dishes up fresh serving of SDGs
  Strengthening cultural heritage and culture-related food practices boosts social inclusion, economic development and well-being, the UN’s deputy culture chief told participants at the UNESCO agency’s World Forum on the matter, on Friday.
• UN General Assembly celebrates 20 years of promoting a culture of peace
  Just as the greatest global challenges cannot be solved by a single country, peace cannot be pursued in isolation, outgoing UN General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa said on Friday.
• Friday’s Daily Brief: 12 million may miss school, Bangladesh and Mali updates, Kenya’s malaria vaccine, land degradation pact
  A recap of Friday’s top stories: 12 million children may never go to school; Monsoon rains crush Rohingya shelters; 3.9 million Malians in need of humanitarian aid; Kenya launches malaria vaccine; and agreement made to neutralize land degradation.
• Delhi Declaration: Countries agree to make ‘land degradation neutrality’ by 2030, a national target for action
  A major UN conference on fighting desertification agreed on Friday to make the Sustainable Development Goal target of achieving “land degradation neutrality” (LDN), a national target for action.
• Around 12 million children may never see a classroom, UN data reveals
  New data published by the United Nations cultural agency on Friday, reveals that without taking urgent measures, around 12 million young children will never set foot inside a school, with girls facing “the greatest barriers”.
• Monsoon destroys Rohingya shelters, sparking record UN emergency food agency response in Bangladesh
  Unusually heavy monsoon rains have inundated shelters in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh creating “havoc”, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday, as it launched its biggest emergency response of the year for displaced Rohingya families.
• Thursday’s Daily Brief: Religious site protection, South-South Cooperation, ‘UNComplicated’ airs, West Bank threat, vaccination, Hong Kong update
  A recap of Thursday’s top stories: UN Chief’s global call to safeguard religious sites; South-South Cooperation ‘accelerates’ towards SDGs; Guterres on West Bank annexation threat; WHO says one in 10 children not getting proper vaccines; Protestor protection call over Hong Kong; New ‘UNComplicated’ podcast launches.
• Annexing Jordan Valley would end ‘illusion’ of a meaningful two-State solution: UN rights expert
  Israel’s intention to annex the Jordan Valley is illegal and threatens chances for a meaningful two-State solution with the Palestinians, a UN independent human rights expert has said.
• UNcomplicating the UN: a new podcast is born over coffee in New York
  This week, just in time for #UNGA74, UN News is launching a brand-new podcast which grew out of a conversation in a coffee shop, between our hosts, Sinduja Srinivasan, and Jason DeWall.
• ‘Reaffirm the sanctity’ of religious sites, says Guterres, launching new plan to ‘counter hate and violence’
  Amidst a global call by Secretary-General António Guterres to “reaffirm the sanctity” of religious sites and keep worshippers safe, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) on Thursday launched a new plan of action to “counter hate and violence around the globe”.
• South-South Cooperation ‘accelerates’ us toward 2030 goals, UN Chief says on International Day
  Collaboration among countries of the global south offers a “unique pathway” that accelerates us towards the key 2030 sustainable development targets, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, told a commemorative event for South-South Cooperation (SSC) on Thursday.
• Wednesday’s Daily Brief: ‘Appalling’ conditions in Syria camp, precarious SDG progress, South Sudan, Palestine refugees and mining in Mongolia
  A recap of Wednesday’s top stories: ‘Inhumane conditions’ in Syria’s Al Hol camp worsening; SDG progress risks going backward; food insecurity in South Sudan; Arab League petitioned to support Palestine refugees; and mining in Mongolia should boost development.
• Climate crisis could see ‘collapse’ of some economies without diversification, warns UN trade chief
  Climate change poses an “existential threat to commodity-dependent developing countries”, the United Nation’s trade chief said on Wednesday, pointing to a newly released report highlighting the need to diversify economies and exports.
• SDG progress ‘in danger’ of going backwards without change in direction, new UN report reveals
  The current worldwide sustainable development model is threatening to reverse years of progress, if strategies don’t drastically change, an independent group of scientists has concluded in a major new report launched on Wednesday.
• UN report on Syria conflict highlights inhumane detention of women and children
  As the people of north-west Syria face intensifying violence, tens of thousands of women and children continue to be kept in “inhumane conditions” in a remote camp on the other side of the country, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Wednesday.
• Is the world living up to its climate commitments?
  As the United Nations gears up for the September Climate Action Summit in New York, one of its most high-profile climate conferences in recent times, what progress is the world making in tackling the climate crisis, and how is that progress being measured?
• UN health agency spotlights stalled effort to close health divide across Europe, in new report
  Progress on equal access to a healthy life for all, is at a standstill across Europe, a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Tuesday, despite their being a clear path to close gaps in national care.
• ‘All efforts must be made’ to ensure peaceful elections for Guinea-Bissau, Security Council hears
  Since the inauguration of Guinea-Bissau’s new Government in July, the political arena has been dominated by preparation for presidential elections, the assistant chief for UN peacekeeping operations in Africa told the Security Council on Tuesday, briefing members on the state of the nation, and the UN peacebuilding office there (UNIOGBIS).
• Tuesday's Daily Brief: Afghanistan ‘direct talks’ needed, Nicaragua rights crisis, Bangladesh monsoon and Libya detainees latest, Dorian update
  A recap of Monday’s top stories: All Afghans must participate in peace process; Nicaragua’s rights crisis can be resolved says Bachelet; Rohingya refugees impacted by monsoon rains; Libya detainees to be evacuated to Rwanda; and multiple donors show solidarity with the Bahamas.
• More funds needed to counter ‘persistent and multi-faceted humanitarian problems’ in Ethiopia
  Ethiopia is beset by “persistent and multi-faceted humanitarian problems”, the United Nations relief chief said on Tuesday, calling for more international funding as well as support for the Government-led response to the country’s displacement crisis.