Sustainable Development Goals

He emphasised the damage that war leaves on young learners’ bodies, minds and spirits, “from injuries and loss of life to abduction, forced displacement, sexual violence, recruitment to the fighting, and lost opportunities”. From 2022 to 2023, there were 6,000 attacks against students, professionals and educational institutions, including 1,000 cases of military use – an average of eight per day, according to a study by the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack, of which the...

John Marks, interim UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, issued a renewed appeal for schools to be protected as war rages on. “During the first week of the new academic year, educational facilities in areas including Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, Lviv and Sumy were reportedly damaged in attacks,” he said. “Evacuations across areas closer to the frontline are also ongoing with education once again disrupted as children flee their homes.” Young lives cut short Mr. Marks’ statement centred around...

“Global labour income share, which is the proportion of total global income that goes to workers, is shrinking,” said Celeste Drake, Deputy Director-General. “This means that even as workers contribute to a growing global economy, they’re taking home a smaller share of that growth. This needs to be changed, because it’s increasing inequality, which will have a disproportionate effect on working people”. Trillion-dollar question In a scheduled update on world employment, the ILO cited data...

In December 2013, the UN General Assembly declared the International Decade for People of African Descent to address issues of recognition, justice, and development. The decade beginning in 2015 aimed to promote the rights of people of African descent, increase awareness of their cultural contributions, and strengthen legal frameworks to combat racial discrimination. In 2021, 31 August was recognised as the international day. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Member States...

29 August 2024 Health Condom use among sexually active adolescents has declined significantly since 2014, with rates of unprotected sex worryingly high, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe. This is putting young people at greater risk of sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortions and unplanned pregnancies. The new data was published as part of the multi-part Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, which surveyed...

António Guterres is there to take part in celebrations to mark 25 years on Friday since the country’s vote for independence, which was organised by the UN mission in what was then East Timor. Independence duly came in 2002 following months of violence and destruction that ended years of rule by first Portugal and then Indonesia, which annexed the country in 1975. Tribute to Timorese leader On the second day of his official visit to Timor-Leste, the UN Secretary General held a meeting with...

According to UNHCR, 42 suspected mpox cases have been detected in the South Kivu Province of the DRC – the war-ravaged central African country which is the epicentre of the outbreak. There have been other suspected and confirmed cases among refugee populations in the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Caseload grows On 14 August, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the rise in mpox cases constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), with...

26 August 2024 Migrants and Refugees With only two days to go until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, this year’s Refugee Paralympic Team is gearing up to shine as an “inspiration to us all,” says the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. His view is shared by Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, who described the team as “one of the great stories of the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Each of these athletes has overcome tremendous odds to get here...

“The needs are huge in Sudan; we are talking about people dying of hunger, we have conflict, we have protection issues, we have displacements on a daily basis; the needs are just huge,” compounded by several weeks of heavy rainfall, said Kristine Hambrouck, UNHCR Representative in Sudan. Famine ‘ongoing’ In addition to cholera, famine is still “ongoing” in Zamzam camp near El Fasher town, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). It said that 658 cases have been reported since...

The aim is to help nations around the world boost economic growth and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals. Here’s what you need to know about the UN tax convention now and what it means to people around the world: Why does a new convention matter? A UN tax convention represents a major shift in how international taxation is approached, with the potential to significantly impact the architecture of global financial systems and how tax dollars are used for...