UN News

Afghanistan facing ‘epic humanitarian crisis' UN chief warns neighbouring countries. COVID-19 pandemic impact on jobs, worse than feared: ILO Russian Wagner Group, intimidating, harassing civilians in Central African Republic, independent rights experts warn

Planet still on track for catastrophic heating: new Emissions Gap report UN rights chief to Israel: Reverse terrorist designations Pakistan eases passage across border with Afghanistan

•    UN chief, top officials, condemn Sudan coup •    Sudan progress on democracy and human rights at risk: Bachelet  •    Half the population in Afghanistan facing acute hunger  

Messages of solidarity rang across Expo 2020 in Dubai as participants celebrated UN Day on Sunday. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called on the world “to hold on to the hopefulness of the future of mankind and its home, the planet”. EXPO 2020, which runs through March, includes a UN Hub where visitors can learn about the Organization's mission for peace, development, human rights and human dignity. UN News's Jessica Jiji spoke to the deputy UN chief about the significance of commemorating UN Day at Expo 2020.  

A new UN publication sheds light on the ways in which victims of human trafficking are accommodated during different stages of their trafficking ordeal. This process known as ‘harbouring' constitutes an act of human trafficking in the internationally recognised definition of this crime and is used by prosecutors and judges to secure convictions. Martin Hemmi, a UNODC Associate Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, who coordinated the production of the report, says he hopes the new study will be used by investigators, prosecutors and judges to lead to a better understanding of this crime and support measures to effectively protect victims and punish traffickers.

Libyan Government plan needed to end ‘dire situation' of asylum seekers, refugees  Fears grow for the lives of 5 Palestinians on hunger strike in Israeli prisons   Over 10,800 Haitians assisted by IOM on their return 

In this week's show, the “Jimi Hendrix of the Sahel”, also known to his fans as Vieux Farka Touré, sings his message of peace, in a region on the frontlines of climate change, mass displacement and violent extremism; we also hear the latest stories from the UN News team, covering Afghanistan, COVID-19 and a radical weather forecasting initiative from the World Meteorological Organization. With closing comments too, from regular guest Solange Behoteguy-Cortes. 

More than one million people in southern Madagascar are going hungry in what the World Food Programme (WFP) believes could become the first-ever famine brought on by climate change.  Successive years of drought have forced people in rural communities to eat locusts, fruit and cactus leaves because they have been unable to plant or harvest sweet potatoes, tomatoes and other crops.  Alice Rahmoun, WFP Communications Officer in the capital, Antananarivo, was in the region recently. She said families have been selling prized assets, such as cattle, farmland and even homes, to survive.    Ms. Rahmoun spoke to Dianne Penn about the UN agency's support to some 700,000 people, with plans to reach more, and hopes for the COP26 climate change conference which opens later this month in Glasgow, Scotland. 

$667 million funding call to help Afghans through economic crisis  COVID-19 responsible for up to 180,000 health worker deaths: WHO   UN weather agency approves sweeping initiatives to boost forecasting data 

‘Overzealous' security services undermining South Sudan peace: rights experts  Humanitarian assistance stepped up on Yemen's west coast  Freedom of thought increasingly violated worldwide by technology: UN expert 

‘Shameful milestone' in Yemen as child deaths, injuries, pass 10,000   Airstrikes in Tigray mark new intensification in Ethiopian conflict: OCHA  700,000 affected by South Sudan's worst flooding in decades- UNHCR 

Polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November - WHO  Syrians agree to start drafting new constitution, says UN negotiator   Salt-affected soils cause increasing problems for agriculture, FAO warns 

For more than two years, a UN-appointed team of 59 people has been collecting and analyzing more than two million pieces of evidence about possible human rights violations in Myanmar. The team of professionals are formally known as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, (IIMM) or Myanmar Mechanism, and was created in 2018 by the Human Rights Council. In an extensive interview with UN News, the head of the Mechanism, Nicholas Koumjian, explains the importance of preserving this evidence before it is potentially lost.

Displaced in northeast Nigeria ‘knocking on door of starvation': WFP  Yemen ceasefire needed urgently to gain access to thousands in need  Rights experts lead tribute to slain French teacher Samuel Paty 

In this week's show, just one in seven COVID cases is detected in Africa while deaths from another deadly disease – tuberculosis – rise for the first time in a decade, the World Health Organization tells us. An update too from Afghanistan, where the UN refugee agency is desperately worried about a lack of funds for lifesaving aid work – and plunging winter temperatures…We'll also meet the team behind The Walk, an ambitious project to raise awareness about Syrian refugees, which involves walking a huge puppet across Europe.

COVID-19 caused rise in TB deaths for first time in a decade  Africa's COVID-19 diagnosis gap; just 1 in 7 infections detected  Mali maestro's message of peace to Sahel region's youngsters drawn to extremism  

It's not very often at the UN that we get the chance to talk to talented musicians whose work can help to promote the Organization's goals of peace, human rights and development; but that's exactly what happened when Mali songwriter Vieux Farka Touré agreed to tell us all about his brand new composition, A Song For The Sahel.  In partnership with the humanitarian coordination office OCHA, Mr. Touré set out to write a message of hope to the people of the Sahel, a region where spreading violence has left almost 29 million people in need of life-saving assistance and protection; that's five million more people than last year.   Here he is now, talking - and singing - to UN News's Daniel Johnson. 

When disaster strikes, developing countries are still too vulnerable  China pledges $230 billion to global biodiversity fund  UN rights committee finds Paraguay did not respect indigenous rights 

When he went to school for the first time, five-year-old Kailash Satyarthi saw a child cobbler, sitting outside the school gate.   Seeing the impoverished boy having to work and unable to go to class, gave him a new perspective, and set him on the road to becoming a passionate child rights advocate.   Kailash Satyarthi has been at the forefront of the global movement to end child slavery for decades now.   The human rights activist from India won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 and was recently appointed to serve as one of four new UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocates.  Mr. Satyarthi spoke to UN News's Anshu Sharma in New Delhi.

Afghanistan crisis worsening as temperatures drop: UNHCR  Alert over spike in security operations against Libya migrants   European countries commit to restore millions of hectares of land by 2030    

The most important action the world can take to tackle the climate crisis is to quickly decarbonize every mode of transportation on earth, according to one determined expert, starting with buses.  Alex Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Unlocking Innovation at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, and author of the newsletter, Sustainable Mobility, says that carbon is an existential threat that the world has an obligation to remove from transport.  For Mr. Mitchell, electric buses are a “Swiss army knife solution” to the problem because, as ridership grows, there is less dependency on private car, and because they are equally applicable in both emerging and developed markets.   Ahead of the upcoming UN Sustainable Transport Conference, which takes place between 14 and 16 October, Mr. Mitchell shared with UN News's Liz Scaffidi, some of the ways the world can shift to safe, accessible and environmentally friendly transportation.

Yemen's future still fragile, warns senior aid official Deadly new Ebola virus outbreak confirmed in DR Congo Countries bear cross-border responsibility for harmful climate impacts, says UN Child Rights Committee 

‘Post COVID' clinical definition aims to boost treatment: WHO  Troop and weapons deployment in Myanmar, spark attack fears Peace prize winners recognised for efforts to safeguard democratic rights 

In this week's show, a UN-led push to get more COVID vaccines into lots more arms all over the world, Afghanistan reaches a new ‘depth of destitution' and an alert in northern Mozambique over the indoctrination of children by insurgents. Plus, the latest on the situation inside Syria, from Paolo Pinheiro, chair of the UN-appointed International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which reports to the Human Rights Council. 

Guterres backs UN health agency's global COVID-19 vaccine strategy  Ethiopia humanitarian aid paralysed, Guterres tells Security Council  World food prices 33 per cent higher than 12 months ago 

Afghanistan: ‘Depth of destitution' must be met with urgent aid scale-up   COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to decline  UN envoy urges commitment to peace in Yemen on first visit 

One in three people impacted by water stress, says UN  Children ‘indoctrinated' to fight for insurgents in Mozambique  Hurricane forecasts: Storm season naming conundrum 

Kaylee Werner was a teenager when a gunman attacked the Tree of Life Synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, on October 27, 2018. It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the nation's history, with 11 people killed and nine injured. Kaylee, who is Jewish, wasn't at the synagogue that day, but she bears the scars: one of her relatives was killed, and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She now campaigns for religious tolerance and gun control. In this episode of The Lid Is On, we look at how the attack has changed Kaylee's life, and how to combat antisemitism and other form of religious hatred.  

Climate change message of solidarity, as UN chief addresses UNCTAD15 Libya: War crimes likely committed since 2016, UN probe finds Yemen: Children killed in Marib city flare-up

Three years after being appointed by the Secretary-General, the Force Commander for the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) ended his tour of duty just a few days ago.  Lieutenant General Dennis Gyllenspore, from Sweden, led over 13,000 women and men, often in challenging conditions.  Among the difficult tasks he faced were securing the north and the centre of the country, supporting the implementation of the Peace Agreement, and enforcing the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of former combatants.  As he shares in this interview with Nadege Digne Sinarinzi, from Mikado FM, he leaves with a sense of accomplishment and proud of the partnerships made.  

When David Gressly, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, called for $3.85 billion from international donors to avoid a point of no return in March, he said that “Yemen can't wait”. Five months on, some $2 billion has been received, averting the immediate risk of famine, but leaving significant gaps in desperately needed areas, such as healthcare. During a recent visit to UN Headquarters, Mr. Gressly spoke to UN News's Conor Lennon about the current humanitarian situation in Yemen, and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have across the war-torn nation.  

Ethiopia expulsions could affect aid operation, warn UN humanitarians  UN rights chief Bachelet shocked by killing of Rohingya activist   2.5 million face ‘dire situation' as drought persists in Kenya: OCHA 

In this week's show, the UN's top humanitarian official says that famine is likely happening in Ethiopia's Tigray, while food waste and poor diets continue to handicap millions of children worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organization says. We'll also hear from an Afghan political activist who's speaking up for women's rights after the Taliban takeover, as well as bleak prospects for recovery in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from UN economists UNCTAD...and, a global initiative to tackle meningitis, with the help of the World Health Organization.   

Conditions on the ground are dire for the thousands of Haitian migrants being forced to return to their homeland from the Americas, many of them “empty handed”, and bewildered.  That's according to Giuseppe Loprete, chief of the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Mission in Haiti, who told UN News that around 5,500 people have been forcibly returned since 19 September, with thousands more expected in the days ahead.   Those being expelled from the US border area and flown home, often after spending years away, are returning to a land facing multiple crises, Mr. Loprete told Leda Letra, including a recent devastating earthquake, rampant gang violence and the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Urgent' international response needed in Myanmar after coup - UN chief  Comprehensive support needed for Haitians facing expulsion in Americas  COVID-19: 15 African nations meet 10 per cent vaccination threshold  

Famine likely happening in Tigray, warns UN's emergency relief chief   COVID-19, annexation, compounded crisis of Palestine occupation  Yemeni humanitarian organization wins Nansen Refugee Award  

Food waste: A global problem that undermines healthy diets - FAO  New global meningitis strategy aims to save 200,000 lives a year   COVID-19: Indigenous children and those with disabilities hit hard   

Global tourism slump is an emergency for many nations: Guterres  Yemen: Endless suffering of children after years of conflict and aid crisis  Iran not allowing full monitoring access, says UN nuclear watchdog  

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty opened for signature 25 years ago this month but hasn't yet entered into force.   In his first UN News interview, the new head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) notes that prior to 1996, when the Treaty opened for signature, around 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted, but since then, only three countries have crossed the line - only one of those, this century.   For Robert Floyd, nuclear testing remains an existential threat for humanity, with some 13,400 nuclear weapons still primed for use.   He spoke in New York to UN News's Alexandre Soares, who started by asking him how CTBTO helps make the world a safer place.  

COVID19 virus ‘blocker' treatment gets WHO green light  Situation in Belarus has continued to worsen in 2021, says UN rights chief  Taliban can't rule Afghanistan without us women, says mayor who fled Kabul 

Afghan political exile Zarifa Ghafari fled Kabul shortly after the Taliban takeover on 15 August; she'd already survived three attempts on her life as one of the country's few female mayors – and she feared the worst if she stayed. Today, the 29-year-old activist is determined not to let the gains made by women over the last 20 years, go to waste. She spoke in Geneva to UN News's Daniel Johnson, who started by asking her for her assessment of the country's new de facto rulers.

In this week's show, UN Secretary-General António Guterres talks about Afghanistan and other big problems that require international cooperation to fix them; details from UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Myanmar's continuing spiral of violence, and corruption in South Sudan that's impacting terribly on the country's people – although there is a little bit of good news from there too, thanks to a UN mission UNMISS initiative, as we'll hear.

Myanmar crisis escalating towards civil war, warns UN rights chief   G20 need to scale up food aid to Afghanistan's rural population  South Sudan plagued by violence and corruption, Human Rights Council hears 

Afghanistan's health care system on brink of collapse: Tedros  US-China commitments on climate action welcomed  Children's diets did not improve in last decade, ‘could get much worse' 

Guterres: ‘common responsibility' to save planet for future generations  UN rights office seriously concerned over Haiti migrant returns from US  UNHCR welcomes US plan to increase refugee resettlement 

UN Secretary-General's address to the Opening of the General Debate of the 76th Session of the General Assembly, on Tuesday, 21 September 2021. Full remarks here. 

Getting sustainability back on track, only way to save planet: Guterres Guterres condemns Yemen executions by Houthis   R&D investment rose in many areas during COVID: UN report 

For UN Secretary-General António Guterres, this is a pivotal moment for mankind, which is on the brink of global catastrophe, but has the tools to create a fairer, cleaner world, if the political will can be found. In September, Mr. Guterres outlined his vision of how international cooperation needs to develop over the next 25 years, in “Our Common Agenda”, which lays out a pathway for a sustainable future. For this special episode of The Lid Is On, Assumpta Massoi from UN News sat down for an exclusive interview with the UN chief, to talk Afghanistan, gender equality, and why world leaders need to “wake up, change course, and unite”. Music credit: Music credit: Ketsa, Within the Earth

Paris climate deal could go up in smoke without action: Guterres Lebanon crisis needs international assistance urgently: WHO chief  Refugees face dire consequences from COVID-19 underfunding 

In this week's show, an appeal for support for Afghanistan's people from António Guterres, who also warns that we're at a “tipping point” for climate action; we also hear from the fifth and final Commission of Inquiry report on Burundi – it's still talking of crimes against humanity…. And an interview with UN-appointed independent human rights expert Dr Ardi Imseis, on Yemen's unrelenting conflict and its impact on the country's most vulnerable people.

World at ‘tipping point' for action on emissions and climate change  Torture, killings, lawlessness, still blight Burundi's rights record  Venezuela: judiciary's independence ‘deeply eroded', warns rights probe