The United Nations has expressed concern about fighting in the Wadi Barada area of west Damascus, which in addition to displacing thousands of people, has also restricted water supplies to some 5.5 million people in and around the Syrian capital. Addressing reporters in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Organization and its partners […]
Smoking and tobacco use cost world economies more than $1 trillion each year in healthcare and lost productivity, the United Nations health agency reports, refuting claims that controls on tobacco products adversely impact economies. The report, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), “shows how lives can be saved and economies can prosper when governments […]
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a campaign, #EarlyMomentsMatter, aimed at raising awareness about the critical impact that early experiences have on children’s brain development during their first 1,000 days of life. Before the age of three, human brain cells make up to 1,000 new connections every second, a speed that slows later in […]
In an opinion piece for Newsweek, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres outlined a vision for addressing the enormous challenges facing the international community, including maintaining peace and security, promoting economic development, and combatting climate change. “The greatest shortcoming of the international community today is its failure to prevent conflict and maintain global security,” he wrote. […]
With Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – including East Jerusalem – and those who have fled the conflict in Syria, facing humanitarian crises, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)has launched an $813 million emergency aid appeal. Speaking to UN News, Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner General […]
More migrants were killed crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2016 than ever before, according to the United Nations migration agency in the region. At least 363,348 people crossed the sea – mostly to Italy and Greece – but 5,079 additional people were either killed or are missing. The UN International Organization for Migration […]