You are here

UN News Centre

Subscribe to UN News Centre feed UN News Centre
Global perspective, human stories
Updated: 3 weeks 6 days ago

Myanmar: Shocking toll on children must be spur to action, says UN rights expert 

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 20:56
Myanmar’s military junta is responsible for shocking violence against children caught up in the bloody aftermath of last February’s coup, a top independent Human Rights Council-appointed investigator said on Wednesday. 

Syria’s needs are at their highest ever, says top rights probe 

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 20:36
Syria’s humanitarian needs are at their highest ever and any move to block aid from reaching the war-torn country should be resisted strongly, a top UN Human Rights Council probe said on Wednesday. 

Human rights under threat in DR Congo and beyond, Security Council hears

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 19:19
The resurgence of the M23 armed group has “broad repercussions” for the security, human rights and humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and for the wider region, the UN Special Representative there told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Flight from cities due to COVID-19 short-lived, says flagship UN-Habitat report

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 18:12
A new United Nations report says that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global urban population back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion people by 2050.

Belarus ‘engulfed in fear’, Human Rights Council hears

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 17:00
The deterioration of human rights in Belarus continues to engulf the country in a climate of fear and arbitrary rule, a UN-appointed independent human rights expert warned on Wednesday.

A visionary ‘blue transformation’ strategy to enhance underwater food systems

Wed, 29/06/2022 - 16:15
Record levels of fisheries and aquaculture production are making a critical contribution to global food security, the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon, Portugal, heard on Wednesday.

Ukraine: Cycle of death, destruction, dislocation, and disruption ‘must stop’ 

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 23:51
The “horrific conflict,” in Ukraine shows no signs of abating, the UN political and peacebuilding chief told the Security Council on Tuesday, pointing out that since her last update on 5 April, “countless Ukrainian civilians” have been killed in indiscriminate attacks, cities and towns levelled, and much of the country’s arable land “horribly disfigured by shelling”.  

Rise of disinformation a symptom of ‘global diseases’ undermining public trust: Bachelet

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 21:42
Societies everywhere are beset by “global diseases” including systemic inequality which have helped fuel a rise in disinformation, or the deliberate spreading of falsehoods, said the UN human rights chief on Tuesday, addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Sustainable blue economy vital for small countries and coastal populations

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 19:18
With the livelihoods of about 40 per cent of the world’s population living at or near a coast, the second day of the UN Ocean Conference under way in Lisbon focused on strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, managing coastal ecosystems.

UN rights office in probe call, after Morocco-Spain migrant deaths, Texas tragedy, show need for safer pathways

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 18:06
The deaths of at least 23 migrants seeking to reach Spanish territory from Morocco should be investigated urgently by both countries, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, reacting also to reports overnight of of least 50 migrants found dead in a truck in southern Texas.

Syria: Decade of brutal war left nearly 307,000 civilians dead

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 17:59
Between 1 March 2011 and 31 March 2021, 306,887 civilians were killed in the on-going war in Syria - the highest estimate yet of conflict-related deaths in the country, according to a new report published by the UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday.

More than 70 grave violations against children caught up in war, being recorded daily: UNICEF

Tue, 28/06/2022 - 16:26
A “staggering” average of 71 verified grave violations a day, are committed against children by parties to conflict in more than 30 settings across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.

Libya: UN highlights need to speed up progress towards national elections

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 22:57
Leaders in Libya must resolve outstanding issues so that long-awaited presidential and parliamentary elections can finally be held, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Monday. 

UN drug report shines light on cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine trends

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 22:25
Legalized cannabis use in some countries and states appears to have accelerated daily use and related health impacts, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed in a new report released on Monday.

Ukraine: Dozens dead and injured as UN condemns ‘utterly deplorable’ shopping centre attack

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 20:56
At least ten people have reportedly been killed by what Ukrainian authorities have said was a Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping centre, and attack which the UN condemned on Monday as “utterly deplorable”.

Tackling marine pollution: Individual action, key to ocean restoration

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 19:22
On Monday, thousands of people gathered at Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, for the first day of the long-awaited UN Ocean Conference. Riding on the global momentum generated by the event, experts are pushing for a new international commitment to combat pollution, including at sea.

Middle East: Mounting violence leaving ‘scores of Palestinian and Israeli casualties’

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 18:23
“High level” violence has resulted in “scores of Palestinian and Israeli casualties”, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council on Monday.

Put women’s rights ‘front and centre’ of climate policies: Bachelet

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 18:21
Although climate change threatens everyone, women and girls often suffer its harshest and most violent consequences, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday. 

Inclusive cities critical to post-pandemic recovery: Guterres

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 16:06
A UN conference on transforming the world's urban areas is underway in Poland this week, which will include a dialogue on urban crisis recovery and reconstruction, centered on neighbouring Ukraine.

Guterres outlines four recommendations to help us all ‘Save Our Ocean’

Mon, 27/06/2022 - 13:51
At the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to commit and unite around the protection and preservation of our seas.

Pages