What's New

On Tuesday 30 October 2018, UNIC Beirut and UNFPA Lebanon organized a media briefing for visiting UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem, who was on an official visit to Lebanon participating in the Arab Regional Conference on Population and Development.

On 24 October, hundreds of people converged on “Beit Beirut” (Beirut’s House), a museum and urban cultural center that symbolizes Lebanon’s civil war, where the UN System in Lebanon celebrated UN Day this year. In an Open Day format, the public had the chance to mingle with UN staff and officials from the various 25 agencies operating in Lebanon and were introduced to their vast programmes and priorities in Lebanon that were exquisitely exhibited in the area under the One UN umbrella.

International data sectors from national statistical offices, the private sector, NGOs, academia and international and regional organizations are gathering in Dubai from Monday to Wednesday, in a bid to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The experts will launch innovative solutions to improve data on migration, health, gender and many other key areas of sustainable development at the second annual Forum, which takes place at the Madinat Jumeirah Convention Center.

Violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israeli authorities are continuing to demolish and confiscate Palestinian-owned homes and property, in contravention of international law, the United Nations envoy for the Middle East Peace Process said on Thursday.

Highlighting that for the United Nations, eliminating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest global challenges and priorities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the fundamental connection between eradicating poverty and upholding equal rights for all.

“Let us remember that ending poverty is not a matter of charity but a question of justice,” the UN Chief said in his message commemorating the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

On Friday 5 October 2018, UNIC Beirut team joined around 123staff members from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Department of Safety and Security Section (UNDSS) in their retreat to foster teamwork and harness communication and networking skills among UN staff. The retreat was held in Pineland Resort, in Hammana rural area in Lebanon,and was organized by the “O Club for Sports & Events”. 

Efforts to assist the tens of millions who’ve been forced from their homes are being increasingly constrained by severely limited funds, a new report from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned, urging greater international attention and support.

Funds available to help refugees and migrants are steadily falling, said the agency on Tuesday, while the number of those displaced has been rising by the year.

Key facts

• One in six people are aged 10–19 years.
• Mental health conditions account for 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged 10–19 years.
• Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated.
• Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15–19 year olds.
• The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing

Around 130 million, or one-in-three children worldwide, experience some form of bullying, the United Nations stated on Monday, in its latest report on how children can be better-protected. This form of violence has long-lasting and direct consequences for their health, school performance and overall well-being.

“Being protected from bullying is a fundamental human right,” said Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C will require “far-reaching and unprecedented changes,” such as ditching coal for electricity to slash carbon emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said, launching a special report that finds some of the actions needed are already under way, but the world must move faster.