“The pain is indescribable” on the anniversary of the “abhorrent” attacks, said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher. “I renew my call for the unconditional, immediate release of all the hostages – and until then, they must be treated humanely,” he continued. “Civilians everywhere have to be protected.” Mr. Fletcher underscored the...
In the days leading up to the commemoration on Monday 22 September, UN Women, the agency responsible for overseeing gender equality and women’s empowerment, and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) sounded the alarm: none of the gender equality targets are on track. Their report, 2025 Gender...
More than 700,000 of them fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after armed attacks by a militant group against Myanmar security forces sparked a brutal military crackdown that began on 25 August 2017. They joined thousands of others who had escaped earlier waves of violence and discrimination now living in refugee camps...
Four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul on 15 August 2021, gender equality agency UN Women is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is increasingly untenable. And without urgent action, this untenable reality will become normalised and women and girls will be fully...
While the city has been rebuilt, nuclear conflict remains a global threat, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said in remarks at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. It was the only structure left standing near the hypocentre of the bomb, which marked the first use of an atomic weapon...
This is just one way that the de facto authorities have restricted women and girls’ fundamental rights. Today, Afghanistan has the second largest gender gap in the world after Yemen. “Sometimes I wonder how to remain hopeful in these dark circumstances,” said Fariba, whose name was changed to protect her....
“I have survived a genocide,” said Munira Subašić, whose youngest son – her favourite – and 21 other family members were murdered in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre. “And the world and Europe was just watching in silence.” Now president of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa, Ms. Subašić spoke...
Originally conceived in 1963 at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Convention entered into force in 1975, as the first global agreement of its kind. It continues to serve as a vital tool to help prevent the rapid decline of species. Why CITES matters?...
The UN Charter “is more than parchment and ink; it is a promise – of peace, dignity and cooperation among nations,” the Secretary-General said. Almost 80 years after it was signed, Mr. Guterres underlined that the Charter was just the beginning, enshrining ideas and principles which the world works to...
According to the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, the planet is predicted to experience temperatures between 1.2°C and 1.9°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900) over the next five years. Breaching critical thresholds In 2024, the WMO estimated that the average global temperature was between 1.34°C and 1.41°C higher than pre-industrial...
Developed after over three years of negotiations under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), the draft outlines a framework for strengthening international collaboration, equity and resilience in the face of future global health threats. “The nations of the world made history in Geneva today,” said WHO Director-General Tedros...
Ten years. That’s how long Yemenis have been putting their lives on hold – through airstrikes, through hunger, through loss. A decade of war has left Yemen’s infrastructure in ruins and its people exhausted. And yet, as the eleventh year begins, the world seems not to notice Yemen’s plight. Today,...