Governments need to step up protection for the most vulnerable, from ‘vile crime’ of human trafficking: UN chief
Marking World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations sheds light on the plight of millions of children, women and men – especially migrants – who, every year, fall prey to traffickers across the world “Trafficking in persons is a vile crime that feeds on inequalities, instability and conflict,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement, […]
Despite challenges and ‘unfinished business’, Colombia celebrates progress towards lasting peace, Security Council hears
Amid a long series of challenges, the implementation of the peace process in Colombia is moving forward and has achieved important milestones in recent months, according to a new report by the United Nations Secretary-General presented to the Security Council on Thursday. On 20 July – Colombia’s Independence Day – as a new Congress was inaugurated, including […]
Ending marginalization of persons with disabilities ‘a matter of justice’, UN-backed summit told
Inclusive education, economic empowerment and technological innovations were the focus of discussion on Tuesday as world leaders gathered in London for the first-ever United Nations-backed Global Disability Summit. Ahead of the Summit, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed cited the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a universally-adopted UN Convention as well-established commitments for advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. […]
UNHCR welcomes deal to end latest migrant stand-off in Mediterranean Sea
UN Refugee Agency chief Filippo Grandi, on Thursday gave a cautious welcome to the decision by several EU countries to take in some 450 migrants who have been stranded at sea for days, warning that a “ship-by-ship” arrangement was not sustainable. The development comes after the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Spain and Portugal ended […]
Small and sustainable: “Tiny houses” could be solution to world’s housing problems
They’re small, self-sustaining – and they could revolutionize the way we think about housing around the world, as building materials become scarcer. Measuring just about 22-square-meters, or some 200-square-feet, a demonstration unit for the eco-friendly and affordable housing, debuted on the UN Plaza in New York this week. This structure is a type of “tiny […]
Progress has been made, but ‘not at a sufficient speed to realize the SDGs’: UN ECOSOC President
Speaking at the opening of the major ministerial meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as well as the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC President, Marie Chatardová, cited progress that, at first glimpse, looked positive. She pointed to extreme poverty, saying that even at one-third of the 1990 value, it was […]