These are the exact sort of urban initiatives which the UN Global Road Safety Week – kicking off on Monday – aims to celebrate and promote. First established in 2007, this year’s week is dedicated to the theme “Make walking and cycling safe.” “Walking and cycling should be the most...
According to the World Social Report 2025 launched on Thursday, the sobering sentiment indicates a widespread lack of confidence in the future. Despite people living longer, being better educated and more connected than ever before, many believe that life today is worse than it was 50 years ago. Close to...
The UN health agency registered almost 810,000 cases and 5,900 deaths from the preventable disease in 2024; that’s about 50 per cent higher than the previous year, according to Dr Philippe Barboza, who leads WHO’s cholera team. He said the latest reported cases are almost certainly underestimates and that the...
The findings reveal that global efforts to ensure universal education have hit a concerning plateau, with the out-school population reducing by only 1 percent in nearly 10 years. Progress and challenges “Education is the key driver of prosperous, inclusive and peaceful societies,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “Yet, quality education...
Speaking at the awards ceremony of the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2023, Mr. Guterres stressed that rights defenders themselves were in need of greater protection. “The world needs leaders of countries, corporations, political parties, religious and civil organizations and beyond, to speak out against antisemitism,...
The event, organized by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the New York City Mayor’s Office, was a call to action to youth. “Positive change is possible when we unite in action. By being here, you’re responding to the call for action,” Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human...
An estimated 13.4 million babies were born early in 2020, with nearly one million dying from preterm complications, UN agencies and partners said in a new report on Thursday. The data is equivalent to around 1 in 10 babies born early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy worldwide. Health experts blame...
The findings show that 333 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty – a decrease of almost 50 million over the course of the past decade. However, the report’s authors say that millions more should have been lifted out of extreme poverty had it not been for three years...
Pride Month provides an opportunity to celebrate the resilience, diversity, and achievements of LGBTQI individuals, UNAIDS said in a press release, while also reflecting on continuing struggle for full equality, dignity and recognition. This momentous occasion also serves as a reminder of the important collective commitment to human rights, equality,...
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk appealed to the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and of the Rapid Support Forces, locked in conflict since 15 April, to “issue clear instructions” to those under their command that sexual violence will not be tolerated, and to ensure that all...
The appeal comes in his message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on 3 May, in line with a 1993 UN General Assembly resolution. The focus this year is on the connection between press freedom and overall human rights. A global problem “Freedom of the press is...
Participants in a panel headlined, Challenges and Opportunities in Creating an Early Warning System for Global Pandemics, on Tuesday warned that we are witnessing the dismantling of essential infectious disease monitoring programmes, at a time when climate change is driving greater risks to public health. “Any platform will need to include...