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It is “critical” to prioritize technologies that are most needed for sustainable development, a high-level UN official told the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on Wednesday in Berlin.

Unless countries work together to address gaps in digital access, as well as related social and political divisions, this generation will be remembered as the one that “ruined the early promise of the Internet”, the UN Secretary-General has warned.

Even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading for a 3.2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise over pre-industrial levels, leading to even wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts, warns a report from the UN Environment Programme, released on Tuesday. 

Senior officials from across the United Nations on Wednesday stood in solidarity with survivors of violence against women and activists working to end the all-too common human rights violation.

"As we go about our business, one woman in three that we encounter has been or will be subjected to violence,” said Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, UN Chef de Cabinet, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General.

Levels of the three main heat-trapping gases emitted into the atmosphere – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide – have reached yet another high, the UN meteorological agency, WMO, said on Monday.

Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread, and devastating human rights violations in the world, but much it is often unreported due to impunity, shame and gender inequality, the UN highlighted ahead of Monday’s World Day to stamp out abuse of women and girls.

The launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee could be a “door-opener” to finally providing a solution to the country’s brutal conflict, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said on Friday in a briefing to the Security Council.

“This launch was a sign of hope for the Syrian people, and a chance for the Syrian parties to begin a direct dialogue that they lead and own, on the future of a broken country”, he stated.

Children were both seen and heard in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, World Children’s Day, during a celebration to commemorate 30 years since the adoption of a milestone treaty that protects their rights.

The ceremony was among numerous events this year taking stock of progress achieved under the landmark Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Seven decades of United Nations’ work in developing new standards and systems for broadcasting are being celebrated on Thursday, World Television Day, an annual observance that recognizes the medium’s role as a major source of information, education and entertainment.

"Television plays a crucial role in connecting the world to information and knowledge while providing an unsurpassed channel for mass entertainment", said Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

2019 marks 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Across Lebanon, UNICEF organised activities to raise awareness on child rights including consultations with children and young people.  170 children between the ages of 10 and 18 attended these consultations to raise their concerns and the challenges they face in their daily lives and agreed on joint recommendations aimed at providing solutions.