What's New

Laying out his vision for concrete steps the world can take in 2018 to maximize the contribution millions of migrants are already making to our societies and to agree a set of actions to ensure that the rights of all migrants are fully respected, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday said the issue of migration calls for a truly global response.

 At a special summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York, universities, led by De Montfort University (DMU), spotlighted ideas for practical ways they can use the skills, experience and voluntary power on their campuses to support those in need in their local areas.

The United Nations human rights chief on Wednesday condemned an upsurge in civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta in Syria amid the recent escalation in airstrikes and ground-based attacks by Government forces and their allies, noting that at least 85 civilians have been killed since 31 December.

 A little more than a week into the New Year, close to 200 migrants or refugees have reportedly died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea – with up to 100 unaccounted for since Saturday, the United Nations migration agency said Wednesday.

The United Nations is taking the global combat against human trafficking into the skies as the Organization's human rights office and its Montreal-based civil aviation agency begin putting the final touches on training guidelines that could help airline cabin crew spot possible victims. 

The United Nations humanitarian wing and its partners in Syria on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the protection and wellbeing of tens of thousands of civilians in north-eastern Hama and southern Idlib governorates, following increased hostilities, which have reportedly resulted in scores of deaths and injuries and displacement in the area. 

 Nearly one-in-five children across the Middle East and North Africa – over 90 per cent of whom live in conflict-affected countries – need immediate humanitarian assistance, according to new analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Conflict continues to rob millions of girls and boys of their childhood,” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director, in a press statement.

As some 1.4 million people in Europe and Central Asia die prematurely each year from polluted environments, United Nations agency heads at high-level meeting call for regional leaders to scale up action to stem environmental deaths and diseases.

Efforts and policies to prevent extremism must encompass all segments of the society, in particular those who have suffered structural discrimination and marginalization, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said today, warning that measures which fail to do so could end up effectively “driving” people into the hands of terrorists.

Amid ongoing discussions towards the first-ever global compacts on refugees and migration, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) joined other United Nations agencies meeting in Berlin today stressing that all parties involved in these talks must work together to address the needs of migrant children, consistent with their human rights.