UN News

Mexico's 100,000 ‘disappeared' is a tragedy, says UN rights chief Bachelet COVID-19 outbreak in DPRK sparks UN rights office warning over impact on population UN refugee agency chief Grandi highlights dangers for LGBTIQ+ on international day

WHO and UNICEF urge improved access to assistive products Guterres deplores deadly ‘vile' racist attack in Buffalo, NY South Africa conference to speed up action to end child labour by 2025

Ukraine: Concerns growing for TB and HIV patient care Top rights expert to report on Maldives' efforts to reintegrate foreign fighters All countries united in push for greater space security at UN-led talks

This week we spotlight the Human Rights Council's special session on atrocities happening in Ukraine, post Russia's invasion. We'll also be heading to Afghanistan for the latest alarming UN assessments on food insecurity there, and to the Occupied West Bank - after the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh - and to DPR Korea, where health agency WHO, is committed to do help stop the spread of COVID-19. We also have some good news about successful malaria vaccine trials in Africa, which could save tens of thousands of children's lives.

Russia in spotlight over Ukraine atrocities as Human Rights Council meets UN chief adds voice to condemnation Al Jazeera journalist killing UN health agency ‘committed' to helping DPR Korea after first admitted COVID-19 outbreak

As if there weren't enough problems to worry about down here on earth, there is a growing number of threats to global peace in outer space too, which is why UN-led talks are underway all this week in Geneva to find common ground on cosmic security. Chairing the first open-ended working group on reducing space threats, veteran Chilean diplomat Hellmut Lagos explained to UN News's Daniel Johnson why space matters to us all, and what Member States are most concerned about.

Ukraine war has ‘inflamed' food, energy and finance crisis: Guterres 4.8 million jobs lost in Ukraine since Russian invasion: ILO Pledging conference on oil tanker in Yemen

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the work of UN investigators has continued, with the harrowing task of gathering testimonies and evidence of potential war crimes. To date, the deaths of more than 3,300 civilians have been painstakingly confirmed by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which readily admits that the actual number will likely be many thousands more. In an interview with UN News, the Head of the mission, Matilda Bogner, gives an overview of the investigation's progress since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. 

Ukraine: UN human rights office probe highlights civilians' harrowing plight Afghanistan's hunger crisis is deepening, action is needed now, warns WFP Sri Lanka: Bachelet urges restraint, dialogue as violence escalates  

Ukraine: UN chief begins solidarity tour of Moldova to meet refugees and host families Ethiopia's worst drought in 40 years may derail gains in maternal and newborn health Space talks get under way to manage new threats to global security  

UNICEF highlights devastating mental health dangers for Ukraine children Already reeling from COVID-19, Africa now at risk from Ukraine escalation World food prices fall slightly in April after previous month's spike

In this week's show, two in three children in Ukraine have now had to flee the war since the Russian invasion, UNICEF takes no pleasure in telling us, while UN humanitarians have confirmed they're now helping some 300 evacuees who've been bussed out of the devastated Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. And as refugee numbers rise globally, we'll be finding out what soul legend Dionne Warwick thinks about this growing global emergency. Also, to mark World Press Freedom Day earlier this week, we got in touch with pencil-sharp political cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, for his assessment of the dangers facing journalists. As ever, co-host Solange Behoteguy Cortes will be on hand to wrap things up, with a little help from Roger Rabbit.

7.7 million people displaced inside Ukraine, warns UN emergency relief chief Collective bargaining in workplace is essential for global recovery: ILO Cameroon women's activist scoops award for land rights fight

Ukraine: journalists targeted and in danger, warn top rights experts Soul diva Dionne Warwick joins UNHCR and TikTok, in boost for refugee solidarity WHO warns of worsening obesity ‘epidemic' in Europe

If you like political cartoons, chances are that you've come across the work of Patrick Chappatte, in leading international newspapers and journals. In addition to his prolific output, Mr. Chappate is also president of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation; to coincide with World Press Freedom Day 2022 on 3 May, it's unveiled a new exhibition in Geneva, featuring drawings by other top illustrators who take great risks to stand up to authority. Here he is now, explaining to UN News's Daniel Johnson how the challenges to a free press seem to be proliferating – and why it's so important to push back against those who would stifle free speech.

Niger needs all our help as bulwark against terrorism, urges UN's Guterres Mariupol steel works convoy: UN humanitarians aid arrivals after harrowing journey UN's Bachelet hails courage of journalists on World Press Freedom Day

UN migration agency appeals for $514 million to support Ukraine response Investigations continue into cause of liver failure outbreak in kids Mali Press shutdowns reflect growing regional intolerance: OHCHR

In a week that's seen the UN chief push for peace and justice in Ukraine with visits to Moscow and Kyiv, the Security Council has also been hearing that fighting in Syria is still raging – and that we mustn't forget it. We'll also highlight the UN's work to help stop a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while in Afghanistan, it's never been more urgent to unblock billions of dollars of assets, top rights experts say. And, we hear from Sri Lankan pop star and advocate for children's rights Ridma Weerawardena, who's lent his talents to the UN International Labour Organization, to help end child labour.

UN chief in Ukraine: war is ‘evil' and unacceptable, calls for justice Lula trial in Brazil violated due process, says UN rights panel Africa sees surge in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases

Choc shock as 11 countries report salmonella outbreak Girls' performance in mathematics starting to add up to boys', says UNESCO Ebola vaccination campaign underway in DR Congo

“We can't afford not to invest in prevention and peacebuilding” – that's the view of newly-minted UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Elizabeth Spehar. In an interview with UN News, she gave the example of the effectiveness of the Peacebuilding Fund in the Gambia, where UN agencies have supported nationwide consultations on truth and reconciliation. One beneficiary testified that Gambians “now aspire to live in peace in this country.” Ms. Spehar spoke at length to Liz Scaffidi, about the critical importance of building peace and her role in making that happen.

Ukraine war: UN chief arrives for talks in Moscow as ‘messenger of peace' Healthcare attacks continue in Ukraine amid growing needs Sand is not an infinite resource, countries' development is at stake: UNEP

Demonstrating the wide-ranging consequences of the climate crisis, the UN Human Rights Council has appointed the first-ever Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the context of Climate Change. Ian Fry, who is of Australian and Tuvalu heritage, teaches environmental policy at the Australian National University in Canberra. As UN Special Rapporteur, he will be tasked with studying how climate change affects the full enjoyment of human rights, and recommend ways to prevent these effects. In an interview with the UN's Julia Dean, Mr. Fry explained why the Human Rights Council created his new role.

The war in Ukraine is having a “ripple effect” in South Sudan, where the World Food Programme (WFP) is working to feed millions of people battered by conflict, unprecedented flooding, and displacement.   Food prices in the world's youngest nation were already increasing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the war has disrupted supply chains, resulting in rising costs for staples such as sorghum, maize and vegetable oil.  Fuel prices have also skyrocketed, and WFP is now spending $1 million dollars more each month to keep its trucks on the road.  Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director in South Sudan, explained to UN News's Dianne Penn why the agency is being forced to make some tough decisions around aid distribution. 

Ukraine: UN chief pushes for peace, 5.2 million flee country Top rights experts urge US to ease Afghanistan assets freeze UN rights office calls for Singapore stay of execution

How can we tackle the lack of digital access that many developing countries face? And how can we use digital tools to save our environment, fight inequality and help all nations benefit from the online economy? These are some of the challenges that the UN trade and development body, known as UNCTAD, is focusing on during this year's eCommerce Week, from 25 to 29 April. To find out more, UNCTAD's Sarah Toms speaks with her colleague Torbjorn Fredriksson and Andy Yen, founder of Proton Technologies, about the latest innovative solutions that could help us achieve more inclusive development in our digital world.

Yessie Mosby is best known as one of the “Torres Strait Eight”, the activists from the islands north of the Australian mainland, who complained to the UN Human Rights Council that the government was not doing enough to protect them from the effects of the climate crisis. In this interview with the UN's Julia Dean, recorded earlier this month, Mr. Mosby described the devastating effects of the rising sea levels and extreme weather events in recent years, and his fears for the future. He started by describing the deep connection that he and his community have to the islands, which have been home to his people for some 70,000 years.

UN's Bachelet condemns ‘horrors' against Ukrainian civilians  African nations gear up for boosted malaria vaccine roll-out WHO  Israeli Defence Forces in rights spotlight for ‘unnecessary, indiscriminate' violence 

Hello, as reports emerge that four busloads of civilians managed to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, we hear from UN humanitarians who continue to plead for safe and sustained access to the besieged city. Also in this week's show, we visit the UN Satellite Centre UNOSAT, which is tracking the devastation caused by shelling across Ukraine – how does it fit into the international calls for accountability, following Russia's invasion on 24 February? Away from Europe, the Horn of Africa needs all our attention too, say aid agencies, who've raised the alarm – once again – over the many millions of people who face catastrophic food insecurity after three failed rainy seasons. Stay with us too for closing comments about defiant poets in Spain, Russia and in space – sort of - from our regular guest, Solange Behoteguy-Cortes.

More women needed in disarmament: UN rights chief   Ukraine impacts South Sudan  COVID19: global deaths and infections continue to fall: WHO   

Ukraine: refugee numbers pass five million mark  UN chief condemns Afghanistan school attacks   WHO guidelines to treat cryptococcal disease  

Ukraine: Aid agencies step up relief deliveries as humanitarian situation worsens Guterres calls for calm in Middle East Africa drought: low funding means only one in two people will be helped: FAO

- Climate change putting cultural sites at risk: UNESCO - WHO supports second phase of Ethiopia polio campaign - Groundbreaking ceremony for traditional medicine centre in India  

In the West African country of Senegal, the most common form of human trafficking among children is forced begging. Alline Pedra, a Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is working with authorities in Senegal on procedures to prevent, investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking. UNODC's Louise Potterton spoke to the anti-human trafficking expert for UN News. Ms. Pedra began by explaining why children were being victimized.

Repeated warnings of the effects of the war in Ukraine on developing countries reached a new pitch on 13 April, when UN humanitarian agencies said that millions of displaced families across eastern Africa will fall deeper into hunger, as food rations dwindle, amid a lack of sufficient funds, meaning more than 70 percent of refugees in need do not receive enough to eat. And that same day, the Secretary-General, António Guterres, launched a report detailing the disastrous consequences of the Ukraine war for those who rely on grain supplies sourced from the country. Joyce Msuya, the UN's deputy emergency relief chief, joined us in our UN News studio and told Conor Lennon that she had noticed back in 2021 that the hunger crisis was growing - well before the Russian invasion began.

Resilience among ordinary Ukrainians is remarkable but if the war goes on much longer, it threatens 20 years of development gains, the UN Development Programme (or UNDP), has warned. From Lviv in western Ukraine, here's Manal Fouani, UNDP lead in the country, describing to UN News's Daniel Johnson the many and varied challenges that the country faces, seven weeks since the Russian invasion began.

Seven weeks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the global food and energy crisis that's followed, the UN Secretary-General has explained what needs to happen to get help to the most vulnerable. Climate shocks and chronic violence have also created famine-like conditions and desperate scenes in Somalia and South Sudan, humanitarians tell us, while in Brazil, activists, women journalists and others, face appalling violence, a top rights expert has said. In more positive news, we hear how a small town in Italy played its part in the global “slow food” movement.

Ukraine sees 30,000-plus returnees daily UK ‘migration offshoring' talks with Rwanda, concerning - UNHCR Coral reef extinction-busting plan unveiled: UNESCO

Ukraine; food and energy crisis: Countries must resist hoarding, says UN's Guterres Banditry in north-central Nigeria blamed for killings, displacement Egypt in spotlight for ‘ongoing collective expulsions of Eritrean asylum seekers

As UN agencies warn of an impending famine situation in Somalia, a prolonged drought crisis in the entire Horn of Africa region is threatening to turn into a catastrophe. A combination of the impacts of climate change, conflict and COVID-19 has created ‘the perfect storm of horror', with the war in Ukraine pushing food and fuel prices up, according to UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mohamed M. Fall. He's been in Ethiopia this week assessing the impact of the regional drought on families and children, and started by telling UN News's Joshua Mmali, what he has seen on his trip, not far from the border with Somalia.

Famine alert across Somalia and South Sudan Ukraine: healthcare attacks continue as battleground moves east Top rights panel urges solutions for Cyprus missing persons tragedy

Ukraine resilience programme launches with focus on most vulnerable Brazil: rights expert decries erosion of democracy COVID-19: UN health agency panel repeats warnings over low vaccine coverage

“We can't heal by ignoring what happened” – that's one of the key demands for greater racial justice in the United States, from the founder of the influential 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones. For this latest edition of our ‘Lid is On' podcast, she sat down with UN News's Ben Malor to discuss the need for a deeper reckoning with the history of slavery at home, and worldwide - including the “essential” provision of reparations for Black Americans, today.

“We can't heal by ignoring what happened” – that's one of the key demands for greater racial justice in the United States, from the founder of the influential 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones. For this latest edition of our ‘Lid is On' podcast, she sat down with UN News's Ben Malor to discuss the need for a deeper reckoning with the history of slavery at home, and worldwide - including the “essential” provision of reparations for Black Americans, today.

Ukraine: condemnation for deadly train station missile strike Ceasefires needed urgently across Ukraine, say aid teams Skyrocketing food prices, warns FAO Sahel and West Africa face worst food and nutrition crisis in a decade

Ukraine: condemnation for deadly train station missile strike Ceasefires needed urgently across Ukraine, say aid teams Skyrocketing food prices, warns FAO Sahel and West Africa face worst food and nutrition crisis in a decade

Hello, first we heard that cluster bombs had been used in residential areas of Ukraine, now there are reports that civilians have been run over by tanks while trying to flee Russian troops in Bucha. We'll hear more from the UN rights office on what steps it's taking to verify those claims, on a day when the General Assembly decided to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council. The war in Ukraine has also caused a food crisis for hundreds of millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa, the UN Children's Fund tells us, and it has also issued an alert about unrelenting violence in eastern DR Congo. We'll have closing comments too from Solange Behoteguy Cortes; stay tuned to hear the powerful Ukrainian war poetry that she's unearthed.

Hello, first we heard that cluster bombs had been used in residential areas of Ukraine, now there are reports that civilians have been run over by tanks while trying to flee Russian troops in Bucha. We'll hear more from the UN rights office on what steps it's taking to verify those claims, on a day when the General Assembly decided to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council. The war in Ukraine has also caused a food crisis for hundreds of millions of people in the Middle East and North Africa, the UN Children's Fund tells us, and it has also issued an alert about unrelenting violence in eastern DR Congo. We'll have closing comments too from Solange Behoteguy Cortes; stay tuned to hear the powerful Ukrainian war poetry that she's unearthed.

Ukraine war linked to ‘massive malnutrition crisis' affecting millions in other emergencies DR Congo violence against children must stop, demands UNICEF chief Digital innovation quadrupled from 2000 - 2020: WIPO report

Ukraine war linked to ‘massive malnutrition crisis' affecting millions in other emergencies DR Congo violence against children must stop, demands UNICEF chief Digital innovation quadrupled from 2000 - 2020: WIPO report

Ukraine: UNESCO condemns killing of film director Mantas Kvedaravicius COVID deaths and infections continue to fall globally Africa faces rising climate-linked health emergencies, warns WHO