Tobacco's killer toxins also wreak havoc on the environment, UN health agency warns
Stamping out tobacco use can save millions of lives and combat poverty, the World Health Organization () said today and spotlighted for the first time the ways in which tobacco affects human well-being from an environmental perspective – caused by production, distribution and waste.
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Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Annual Meeting
Every year, the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) hosts a three-day Annual Meeting, drawing together 250–350 academics and practitioners from around the world. This year, the Annual Meeting is being held 15–17 June, at Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, Korea in co-operation with the Korean Academic Council on the United Nations System (KACUNS).
The theme for this year's Annual Meeting is Revitalizing the United Nations for Human Rights, Peace and Development. The organizers anticipate informative presentations and lively discussions on this general topic and on a number of subthemes such as the promotion and protection of human rights; the challenges of peace and development; supporting global civil education; and the dynamics of relations amongst Asian states on issues of human rights, peace and development, and how these take shape within the UN framework.
UN engages youth on national reconciliation in Iraq
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) – the UN's special political mission for Iraq – has been working closely with the government to create a favourable environment for inclusive national dialogue. The country's youth and universities have a critical role to play in this regard not just as stakeholders, but as partners in the process of national reconciliation.
GoGreen Week
GoGreen Week, an annual tradition in its third year, returned to NYU Shanghai this spring with a flurry of events related to the environment, wildlife, energy, food and sustainable development organized by the student club Green Shanghai.
Trash fashion
Kickstarting the week-long celebration was the trash fashion show on April 16. Some 20 students transformed upcycled garbage materials into 13 self-designed fashion statements presented on the catwalk at the Envision Pavilion outside of the Himalayas Museum. The show's many environmental allusions especially highlighted issues of sustainability in the fashion industry.
ÌýI noticed that there were many expired posters on campus, so I decided to turn them into floral decorations on my dress, said Lu Ziyu.
On Day for Biological Diversity, UN says tourists must protect nature that draws them
Tourism must not undermine the nature that attracts tourists in the first place, said the head of the United Nations-backed treaty on biological diversity, marking International Day for Biological Diversity.
Venezuela: UN human rights chief regrets opposition leader being blocked to travel
Amid rising violence in Venezuela, the United Nations human rights chief has expressed regret that the Latin American country's opposition leader was allegedly blocked from leaving the country for New York, where they were planning to meet.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has said on Twitter that he regrets that Henrique Capriles was unable to travel and hoped that the incident is not a reprisal linked to the planned meeting with him in New York today, Mr. Zeid's spokesperson, Rupert Colville, told reporters in Geneva.
The spokesperson said that the High Commissioner would go ahead with a meeting this afternoon in New York with Mr. Capriles' lawyer who would share a report prepared by Mr. Capriles.
We find the rising tensions in Venezuela very alarming, and incidents like that involving Mr. Capriles yesterday are unlikely to help reduce tensions, the spokesperson said.
At China's Belt and Road Forum, UN chief Guterres stresses shared development goals
Speaking at a major international conference in Beijing, United NationsÌýSecretary-GeneralÌýAntónio Guterres today drew comparisons between China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, saying both are rooted in a shared vision for global development.
Both strive to create opportunities, global public goods and win-win cooperation. And both aim toÌý
DR Congo: UN agency appeals for support as 'steady stream' of refugees crosses into Angola
With violence and insecurity continuing to force people to flee Democratic Republic of Congo's Kasai region and seek refuge in neighbouring Angola, the United Nations refugee agency has called for a suitable place to shelter them as well as additional resources to support those in urgent need.
Ìýto the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (), more than 20,000 new arrivals have been recorded since early April, with nearly 3,000 over the past few days.
Task of eradicating poverty must be met 'with a sense of urgency,' says deputy UN chief
Eradicating poverty remains the greatest global challenge, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said today, calling for a collective and comprehensive approach that recognizes the multidimensional nature the issue and its interaction with other aspects.
Addressing poverty, inequality, climate change, food insecurity and a sluggish and unpredictable global economy requires integrated responses and engagement by all actors, Ms. MohammedÌýsaidÌýat the opening of theÌý2017 Integration SegmentÌýof the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Central African Republic: UN cites 'dire' situation for children; amid threats, some aid work suspended
Four international humanitarian organizations have temporarily suspended activities in northern Central African Republic (CAR) after dozens of attacks on aid workers in the region, the United Nations humanitarian office today said.
Korean Peninsula: Conflict prevention 'our collective priority' but onus also on DPRK, says UN chief
Preventing armed conflict in north-east Asia is the international community's collective priority while the onus is also on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from further nuclear testing and explore the path of dialogue, United NationsÌýSecretary-GeneralÌýAntónio Guterres told the Security Council today.
'Broadly positive' outlook for Asia-Pacific threatened by rising global uncertainty, warns UN report
Warning that despite a broadly positive economic outlook for 2017, Asia-Pacific economies are vulnerable to rising global uncertainty and trade protectionism, the United Nations social and economic development arm in the region has called for better governance and stronger fiscal management to sustain and improve economic growth.
The Real United Nations
Across the globe, Model United Nations (Model UN) simulations are popular ways for students to learn more about the UN. But they tend to focus solely on the work of diplomats. That's why the Education Outreach Section of the Department of Public Information (DPI) launched a new interactive lecture series called The Real United Nations – to allow UN staff to share their stories with Model UN participants and explain what they actually do to achieve UN mandates.Ìý
Girls worst affected as conflict keeps more than 25 million children out of school – UNICEF
Conflict and violence has driven more than 25 million children between 6 and 15 years old – about 22 per cent of children in that age group – from schools in warzones across 22 countries, the United Nations Children's Fund () has said.
At no time is education more important than in times of war, Josephine Bourne, the Chief of Education at UNICEF, said in aÌýÌýissued today.
Without education, how will children reach their full potential and contribute to the future and stability of their families, communities and economies?
Scale of civilians fleeing Iraq's Mosul 'staggering' – senior UN relief official
Noting that nearly half a million people have fled Mosul since the start of military operations to retake the city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, a senior United Nations humanitarian official in Iraq warned that the scale of the displacement has stretched relief efforts to their operational limits.
Our worst case scenario when the fighting started was that up to one million civilians may flee Mosul. Already, more than 493,000 people have left, leaving almost everything behind, Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, said in a news release issued by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The sheer volume of civilians still fleeing Mosul city is staggering […] we are doing everything we can but this has been a long battle and the assault on the old city hasn't started, she added.