United Nations News Updates
World population to reach 8 billion this year, as the growth rate slows
7/12/22, 6:57 AM
15 November 2022 is predicted to be the day that the global population reaches eight billion. The projection is revealed in the UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 report, which also shows that India is on course to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.
Taliban’s backtracking on girls’ education, ‘deeply damaging’
3/26/22, 8:13 AM
Following a U-turn over re-opening girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the UN human rights chief shared her “profound frustration and disappointment” that six months after the Taliban seized power, high school girls have yet to return to the classroom.
UN alarm over mounting Ukraine casualties, amid desperate scenes in Mariupol
3/26/22, 6:22 AM
Ongoing violence in Ukraine has left millions of people “in constant fear” of indiscriminate shelling, the UN warned on Friday, as efforts continued to reach the country’s most vulnerable populations, one month on from the Russian invasion.
First Person: Witnessing the pain of Ukraine refugees wrenched apart
3/22/22, 6:25 AM
The UN has helped tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees to cross into Poland and other neighbouring countries. Chris Melzer, the spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Germany, told UN News that he has witnessed many traumatic scenes, of families ripped apart by the crisis.
To attack babies is ‘an act of unconscionable cruelty’: UN top officials urge end to attacks on health care in Ukraine
3/14/22, 12:30 PM
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, 31 attacks on health care have been documented by the World Health Organization. These incidents have killed and injured civilians, as well as destroyed facilities and ambulances, disrupting access to essential health services.
COVID-19 cases in the Americas reach highest level yet
1/28/22, 10:44 AM
More than eight million new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Americas last week, the highest weekly caseload since the start of the pandemic, the head of the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Wednesday.
First Person: The entrepreneur helping Middle Eastern women enter the digital economy
1/5/22, 11:48 AM
Mona Ataya, a Palestinian-Lebanese entrepreneur based in the United Arab Emirates, runs the largest online marketplace for mothers in the Middle East. In recognition of her achievements, she has been chosen as one of the six eTrade for Women Advocates for 2021-2022, by the UN trade agency, UNCTAD.
Infectious diseases present ‘clear and present danger’ everywhere
12/27/21, 10:46 AM
COVID-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly “an infectious disease can sweep across the world”, pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN chief said on Monday, marking the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.