Month: October 2017

UN ramps up aid delivery amid surge of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

The speed and scale of people fleeing Myanmar has triggered a humanitarian emergency in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of refugees now depend on humanitarian assistance for shelter, food, water and other life-saving needs, says the United Nations migration agency. “The seriousness of the situation cannot be over-emphasized,” said International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh Chief of […]

At UN, robot Sophia joins meeting on artificial intelligence and sustainable development

Artificial intelligence has the potential to accelerate progress on global development goals, but also poses a range of complex challenges, including ethical questions, human rights issues and security risks, speakers told a United Nations event today that featured a robot as one of the panellists. A moment that drew big applause during the day-long event, […]

On World Day UN spotlights posts’ contributions to development and people’s lives

The post plays an important role in the everyday lives of people and businesses, as well as contributes to global social and economic development, the United Nations postal agency said Monday, marking World Post Day. “It is important to constantly remind ourselves of the role that Posts play in our societies today, because some key […]

UN report reveals shocking levels of grave violations against children affected by conflicts

More than 15,500 children became victims of widespread violations – including shocking levels of killing and maiming, recruitment and use, and denial of humanitarian access – a new United Nations report has revealed. According to the Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict, presented today to the Security Council, children from countries such as Afghanistan, the […]

Asylum and refugee protection represent ‘humanity at its best,’ says senior UN official

Warning of threats to the global asylum environment, the United Nations refugee agency’s protection chief today stressed the importance of sustained engagement by the international community to keep refugees high on the political agenda. “The interest in refugee and displacement-related issues tends to wax and wane. We are already seeing a different dynamic today than in […]