Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns
More than 930 million tonnes of food sold in 2019 landed in waste bins, according to new UN research, released on Thursday, in support of global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.
Equality in engineering crucial to achieving sustainable development: UN-backed report
Regional disparities in engineering, especially in Africa, must be addressed if the world is to realize a common future where no one is left behind, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and partners.
Financial transparency, 'sound governance and accountability’ essential to reach Global Goals
Financial integrity is “paramount to the success of the 2030 Agenda”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Thursday, launching a new report that offers a blueprint to address a range of obstacles, particularly surrounding illicit finance flows.
FROM THE FIELD: The Indian women weaving a digital web
Hundreds of thousands of Indian women are learning to market themselves and sell products online, with the support of a digital literacy project managed by the World Bank.
First Person: The Colombian youth fighting for digital education for all
Tania Rosas, a Colombian education advocate from an afro-indigenous background, is hoping to improve learning outcomes for disadvantaged communities in her country, with a digital application tailored to their specific needs.
FROM THE FIELD: The goats helping Zambians to reach economic independence
In Zambia, where the climate crisis is making it increasingly difficult to earn a living, goat-rearing is being seen as a possible route to a better livelihood, and economic resilience.
UN chief calls for ‘new social contract’ as part of post-pandemic recovery
With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing social and economic inequalities rooted in racism, discrimination and xenophobia, recovery must lead to more inclusive societies, the UN Secretary-General told Member States on Thursday.
UN offers science-based blueprint to tackle climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution
Without nature’s help, “we will not thrive or even survive”, the UN chief said on Thursday, launching a major report on the environment.
UN highlights importance of pulses for diets and food security
The United Nations is marking World Pulses Day on Wednesday, highlighting their importance not only as a vital source of nutrition, but also for improving soil fertility and warding off crop pests.
FROM THE FIELD: Teaching Chad’s scientists of the future
The study of science could have a “transformational” impact on young people living in different conflict areas across the world according to the UN’s Education Cannot Wait programme.
Social development key pillar for ‘sustainable and resilient’ world – Commission hears
As coronavirus vaccines provide a glimmer of optimism around the world, a high-level UN official said on Monday that it was “painful to witness” the dashed hopes of most people in the Global South who have little chance of receiving an inoculation anytime soon.
FROM THE FIELD: Chicken wings, hunger and the Super Bowl
The amount of money spent on food and beverages to enjoy, perhaps, the United States’ most high-profile annual sporting event, adds up to more than twice the global budget of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), according to the agency.
‘Make peace with nature’, UN chief urges at Ocean Decade launch
January marked the beginning of what many within the UN and beyond view as “the most critical decade of our lives”, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Wednesday, launching a major initiative to protect the world’s oceans through the next ten years.
Impact of COVID-19 on cancer care has been ‘profound’, warns UN health agency
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a “profound” impact on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer around the world, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, before highlighting that breast cancer has become the most common type of the disease.
Fair Finance: The women entrepreneurs lifting communities out of poverty
Helping women start and grow businesses in the world’s poorest countries is a path to lifting them and their families out of poverty, the high-profile businesswoman, and new UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Goodwill Ambassador Sonia Gardner, has told UN News, in the second of our two part series this weekend, on the role the financial sector can play in reducing inequality.
Fair Finance: How can the global inequality gap be narrowed?
Reducing inequality is one of the UN’s flagship goals, but the gulf between rich and poor worldwide, remains persistently high. In the first of a special two-part series on the financial sector this weekend, Hiro Mizuno, the newly-appointed UN Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments, explains how the industry can help to create a fairer, more equitable world.
EU must place social justice ‘at its core’ to lift people out of poverty
The European Union’s failure to lift 20 million people out of poverty by 2020, is “a defeat for social rights”, an independent UN human rights expert said on Friday, urging the bloc to boldly rethink its whole socio-economic approach.
UN reports major progress towards eradicating sheep and goat plague
The world is moving closer to stamping out a highly contagious disease that affects sheep and goats, but also the livelihoods of millions of families who depend on these animals for food and income, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday.
Citizens globally affirm belief in international cooperation
People worldwide have overwhelmingly highlighted their faith in multilateralism to address global challenges, the results of a year-long survey by the United Nations have shown.
World Bank expects global economy to expand by 4% in 2021
The World Bank Group on Tuesday issued a guarded growth forecast for the global economy this year, saying that a four per cent overall expansion was likely, although the recovery will likely be a “subdued” one.

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