Category: Development

 Human Rights Day celebrates ‘tremendous activism’ of world youth Activists, students and UN officials came together on Tuesday to pay tribute to young people’s “tremendous activism” in promoting human rights for everyone.  Speaking at UN Headquarters during an event to mark Human Rights Day, the Secretary-General António Guterres urged governments to “invest in progress and hope” by paying attention to youth and engaging with them.  Read our full… Read More

Measles epidemic continues to grip Samoa, as WHO figures show impact of social media ‘misinformation campaigns’   In Samoa, the UN is leading efforts to counter a massive outbreak of measles which continues to spread, mainly among babies and children. Since a state of emergency was declared on 15 November, there have been more than 4,200 cases on the tiny… Read More

In a warning over dangerously low vaccination levels and large outbreaks in several countries – spurred on by social media “misinformation campaigns” – the UN health agency insisted that anything less than 95 per cent coverage risked sparking an outbreak. Samoa epidemic In the Pacific island nation of Samoa, just 31 per cent of the island’s people have immunity against… Read More

“We’re seeing encouraging signs, but the burden of suffering and death caused by malaria is unacceptable, because it is largely preventable”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the agency behind the World malaria report 2019. Progress stalled The report notes a significant increase in the number of pregnant women and children in sub-Saharan Africa… Read More

Only one in five countries has a healthcare strategy to deal with climate change Protecting people’s health from climate change dangers such as heat stress, storms and tsunamis has never been more important, yet most countries are doing too little about it, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. In its first global review of more than 100 countries,… Read More

In its first global review of more than 100 countries, the UN agency found that while around half of them have developed a strategy on the issue, fewer than one in five is spending enough to implement all of their commitments. “Climate change is not only racking up a bill for future generations to pay, it’s a price that people… Read More

More people than ever rely on fisheries and aquaculture for food, and income, but the seafood industry is facing a “dangerous” sustainability divide when comparing trends in the developed world versus those in poorer regions, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed on Monday. Read More

COP25: Guterres calls for ‘path of resolve, sustainable solutions’ Resolve, sustainable solutions and zero carbon emissions by 2050, are essential to stop the world “sleepwalking past the point of no return”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday in Madrid. Speaking at the opening of the UN Climate Summit in Madrid, the UN chief warned that failing to act risked… Read More

The violence killed four workers responding to the Ebola outbreak and injured five others, at a camp in Biakato Mines, and an Ebola response coordination office, WHO said in a statement.  For the UN agency, which appealed for the “constant” attacks to stop, the development risks reversing significant progress made against the epidemic, with  infections falling to just a handful… Read More

UN Mission in Afghanistan supports child sex abuse allegations The UN Mission in Afghanistan is calling for an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse committed against children. International media have published claims that a paedophile ring has been operating in schools in Logar province, allegedly involving more than 500 boys. Reportedly, the two civil society activists who exposed the abuse,… Read More