Attacks against health facilities doubled between 2023 and 2024, and more than 900 health workers were killed last year, the agency reported. Humanitarian aid workers were also killed in record numbers in 2024. Yet, 2025 is outpacing even these dark statistics at a time when funding for humanitarian work is shrinking and support services established […]

Currently underway in Stockholm from 24 to 28 August, the 35th World Water Week meeting highlights the crucial link between water and global warming, under the theme, Water For Climate Action. At the core of sustainable development and basic human survival, safe drinking water is critical for socio-economic development, energy and food production – and […]

Since Friday, 11 civilians have been killed and more than 90 wounded, according to the authorities. Schools and energy infrastructure also were damaged. The Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine was the most affected, with the town of Kostiantynivka particularly hard hit.  Six other regions – Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia – were also […]

The report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and children’s agency (UNICEF) issued as World Water Week gets underway, highlights persistent gaps in access, with vulnerable communities facing the greatest disparities. Some 2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water, while 106 million worldwide are forced to rely on untreated surface sources. “Water, […]

Their work, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, is “the beating heart of education, the cornerstone of sustainable development, and the guardians of our future.” Speaking Thursday at the opening of the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers in Santiago, Chile, Ms. Mohammed called for urgent global action to address the deepening teacher crisis. “Let us […]

In a message released ahead of the Day, Mr. Guterres honoured the “extraordinary” contributions of people of African descent across every sphere of human endeavour. The Secretary-General also recognised the “long shadows” of slavery and colonialism, which include systemic racism, unequal economies and societies, and the digital divide (between those who are able to benefit […]

The Eurasian bloc, comprising 10 member states, is the world’s largest regional organization by population and geography. Mr. Guterres told leaders that “we are moving towards a multipolar world”, which is both a reality and an opportunity. He said emerging economies are reshaping trade, diplomacy and development, but at the same time, injustices and divisions […]

Latest data shared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicates a 55 per cent likelihood that sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific will cool to La Niña levels from September to November. About 90 per cent of the excess heat from global warming is stored in the ocean, making ocean heat content a critical indicator of climate change.  “For October […]

Official Development Assistance (ODA) for education is projected to fall by $3.2 billion – a 24 per cent drop from 2023 – with just three donor governments accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the cuts. Such a decline would push the number of out-of-school children worldwide from 272 million to 278 million, UNICEF said […]

Doing so is key to dismantling systemic racism that is rooted in legacies of slavery and colonialism, it said. Actions include formal apologies, truth-seeking, memorialisation and education measures, medical and psychosocial support, as well as compensation. Past and present linked For the most part, the report found that amid some rollback of commitments to racial […]