“Lots of good news” but much more needs to be done for the planet, says UN environment chief

6 August 2018 (UN News) – Calling 2017 “the first year in human history” that more electricity was generated globally from the sun, than oil, gas and coal combined, Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has told UN news that “we are on track” but “we really need to speed up”.Southern […]

UN migration agency tackles floods and landslides to support Rohingya refugees during monsoon

Cox’s Bazar, 27 July 2018 (IOM) – UN Migration Agency (IOM) staff have been working round the clock this week, as monsoon downpours caused flooding and landslides in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, where almost one million people are living in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters after fleeing violence in Myanmar. IOM health teams waded through […]

One-third of global fisheries operating at biologically unsustainable levels

20 July 2018 (Mongabay) – About 3.2 billion people around the world currently rely on fish for nearly 20 percent of their animal protein. That means that humans eat more than 150 million metric tons of fish every year — and as the global population increases by a couple billion over the next few decades, […]

Civilian deaths in Afghanistan hit record high despite ceasefire – UN

15 July 2018 (UN News) – The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of the year, despite last month’s unprecedented ceasefire between the Afghan Government and the Taliban, the United Nations reported on Sunday.According to the latest figures released on Sunday by the UN Assistance Mission in […]

“Historic moment” for people on the move, as UN agrees first-ever Global Compact on migration

13 July 2018 (UN News) – For the first time ever, United Nations Member States have agreed an all-encompassing Global Compact to better manage international migration, address its challenges, strengthen migrant rights and contribute to sustainable development.After more than a year of discussions and consultations among Member States, local officials, civil society and migrants themselves, […]

Forests “essential” for the future, UN agriculture chief spells out in new report

6 July 2018 (UN News) – Time is running out for the world’s forests, warns a new report by the United Nations agriculture agency, urging governments to foster an all-inclusive approach to benefit both trees and those who rely on them.Halting deforestation, managing forests sustainably, restoring degraded forests and adding to worldwide tree cover all […]

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg pledges to donate $4.5 million to the UN Climate Change Secretariat to make up for Trump’s shortfall – “America made a commitment”

15 June 2018 (Second Nexus) – When President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, he didn’t just damage the global environment. He damaged the country’s reputation. Since World War II, the United States has pledged to be a global leader, using its wealth, power and influence to make decisions that impact […]

Resettlement needs set to rise to 1.4 million people in 2019, UN refugee agency reports – Europe will need to shelter almost 40 percent more people

25 June 2018 (UN News) – Close to 1.4 million people will need resettlement in countries free from war and persecution in 2019, the UN refugee agency, said on Monday, citing growing forced displacement across the globe.Resettlement – the transfer of refugees from the country where they have claimed asylum to a safe “third country” […]

From drought to floods in Somalia – Displacement and hunger worsen, reports UN Children’s Fund

8 June 2018 (UN News) – After four consecutive poor rainy seasons that brought Somalia to the brink of famine, the country is now seeing near-record rainfall, and with it, flooding that has already displaced hundreds of thousands of people, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.According to the agency, about 230,000 people, over […]

Women’s rights face global pushback from conservativism, fundamentalism – “Polygamy, child marriage, female genital mutilation, so-called honour killings, and criminalizing women for sexual and reproductive behavior have no place in any society”

22 June 2018 (UN News) – Women’s rights are under threat from a “backlash” of conservatism and fundamentalism around the world, a United Nation panel warned on Friday.“Alarming pushbacks have been progressing across regions of the globe”, through what the Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice described as “alliance of […]

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