The four-day meeting at UN Headquarters began with discussions on international debt architecture, feminist fiscal policy for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global tax reform.
“The SDGs have stalled,” Ms. Mohammed said, emphasising that their revival depends on “unlocking the scale...
UN data reveals that reports of conflict-related sexual violence increased shockingly by 50 per cent last year compared to 2023, and women and girls accounted for 95 per cent of verified cases.
These numbers, however, “represent a small fraction of the reality” as many cases go unreported, the...
28 November 2024 Economic Development
Pay packets around the world rose 1.8 per cent in 2023 and continued their positive trajectory in this first half of this year, rising by 2.7 per cent on the back of a strong post-COVID global recovery, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said...
By Eileen Travers in Cascais, Portugal
27 November 2024 Culture and Education
The message, from second graders and octogenarians to imams, rabbis, young changemakers and the King of Spain, was clear: “we need peace and mutual understanding now more than ever before”, according to more than...
27 November 2024 Culture and Education
In an age when social media dominates global information sharing, an alarming two-thirds of digital content creators are publishing unverified information to millions of followers, a landmark survey by UN educational and cultural agency UNESCO revealed on...
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and combatting hate speech and mis- and disinformation are part of the plan to bolster peace and mutual understanding as Heads of State and Government, including kings, presidents and prime ministers from Cabo Verde, Senegal and Spain...
Mafalda, the inquisitive and sharp-witted creation of the late humorist Quino, also fulfilled a long-held dream on her birthday: “to learn languages to be a UN interpreter” and “to help people understand each other”.
A statuette of the eternal six-year-old, sculpted by the Argentine artist...
Kicking off day one was the Youth Forum, where more than 150 youth delegations gathered at the 16th century military Forte de São Julião da Barra, spreading messages of peace, unity and multicultural understanding.
“As young people, you have to revolt and to spread your dreams,” said Miguel...
Here’s what you need to know:
An alliance for humanity
The UN Alliance of Civilizations has had a long-held motto: Many cultures, one humanity. Based on this, it was created by then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2005 to embrace and promote cultural diversity, religious pluralism and...
This call follows the release of the agency’s Global Outlook 2025, which assesses global food security needs.
According to WFP, hunger continues to rise, with 343 million people across 74 countries experiencing acute food insecurity – a 10 per cent increase from last year.
This includes 1.9...
Announced earlier this week, the agency’s Global Appeal comes amid escalating humanitarian crises, as conflict, persecution and the growing impacts of climate change continue to force millions from their homes.
“We live in an era of relentless emergencies. Of crises without end,” High...
“One’s success is everyone’s success” is not just a phrase – it is the core principle behind the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, which is transforming the development landscape for countries in the Global South.
Established in 2017 with an initial pledge of $150 million, the Fund is...
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Midway point press conference in Baku on Monday, 18 November, with COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev (far left), and the Executive Director of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell (second from left).
In July 2022, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake shook the northwestern Philippines, killing 11 people and injuring nearly 600 others. The quake and its aftershocks caused an estimated 1.6 billion pesos ($27.3 million) in damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
Among the hardest hit areas was the...
Concerned parties from around the world gathered on Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton in the Red Sea city ahead of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on AMR for a session focused on non-state actors – non-governmental organizations, private sector, academia and others – to work across sectors to...
Ahead of the closing ceremony, UN-Habitat Executive Director, Anaclaudia Rossbach, emphasised the Forum’s timely emphasis on local action.
“Over half of the world’s population now resides in urban areas,” she said, as she highlighted the pivotal role of local governments in shaping cities and...
The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report confirmed that hidden costs of getting food from farm to table amount to approximately $12 trillion annually.
Of this number, roughly 70 per cent – $8 trillion – arises from unhealthy dietary patterns and are linked to NCDs, which far exceeds the...
Goal 8
Rebuilding beyond bricks: World Urban Forum focuses on housing, community support in war-torn cities
The penultimate day of the Forum’s twelfth biennial session, or WUF12, examined the situation in the Gaza Strip, where the urban fabric and urban life in the enclave are in ruins following a year of intense bombardment and the war is now affecting the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria.
Participants...
6 November 2024 Migrants and Refugees
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called for “urgent international support” as the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reaches 123 million, with ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Sudan and other areas driving further...
The agency is calling for pupils to be better protected from physical, verbal and psychological aggression in a report published on the eve of the International Day against Violence and Harassment in Schools, including Cyberbullying.
Learning in safety
“At school, every child should feel...