Earth News

UN News Sep 19, 2026 • 12:00

The race to build a pandemic-proof world

Six years after COVID-19 killed millions, battered health systems, disrupted lives and brought the global economy to a virtual standstill, the world is still grappling with how we can prepare better for the next pandemic.

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UN News Sep 19, 2026 • 12:00

Why the UN General Assembly still matters

More than eight decades on, the UN General Assembly remains the place where the UN’s 193 Member States come together to debate the defining challenges of the day, from war and peace – to development, climate change and human rights.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

UN Crime Congress: Technology is transforming crime – and the response to it

Sitting in her Vienna office ahead of a pivotal UN gathering in Abu Dhabi, Monica Juma is focused on a simple reality: crime has evolved faster than many of the institutions designed to combat it.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

‘Violence will only defer a problem’: UN Assembly President on trust, AI and lessons from the Rohingya crisis

Khalilur Rahman took the gavel as President of the UN General Assembly's 81st session amid what he calls a crisis of confidence in the organization he has served – in one capacity or another – for 35 years. 

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Security Council LIVE: UN peacekeeping under pressure

UN peacekeepers have increasingly been sent into places where there is no peace to keep – under resourced, outgunned and exposed to violence they are not equipped to counter. The Security Council meets this afternoon in New York to confront that problem, with Secretary-General António Guterres briefing ambassadors on how to close the gap.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’

Over 1,000 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine have been documented from the start of Russia’s invasion to the end of July this year.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Less than 4 years from development goals deadline, progress shows what’s possible

For Benin, making progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has meant finding new ways to finance development.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Women and girls pay high price in DR Congo Ebola outbreak

The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has taken a disproportionate toll on women and girls, many of whom are on the frontlines caring for patients as well as their own families despite the high risk of infection.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Haiti: Child malnutrition crisis worsens amid escalating violence

Haiti is facing a worsening child malnutrition crisis, with an estimated 253,725 children aged 6 to 59 months projected to suffer from acute malnutrition between June 2026 and May 2027, new UN-backed analysis has revealed.   

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Nepal floods: ‘Apocalyptic’ destruction signals wider climate threat across Himalayas

The catastrophic flooding that swept away entire villages in northern Nepal could occur again in the country or elsewhere in the Himalayas due to climate change.

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UN News Sep 18, 2026 • 12:00

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement

People displaced by the renewed fighting in Yemen have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

New UN system platform puts millions of data points at users’ fingertips, says Guterres

How do you make sense of a world facing interconnected crises, from poverty and hunger to climate change, if the facts are scattered across dozens of different places?

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

World News in Brief: Winter aid for Gaza, West Bank; Haiti food production; migrant deaths at sea; human rights funding

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is seeking to raise $97.5 million to protect 540,000 children and their families in Gaza and the West Bank from harsh winter conditions in the coming months.

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

Gender equality woefully off track, new UN report reveals

At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, a new UN report finds as institutions built to advance gains are being defunded and demobilised.

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

UN fact-finding mission on Iran focuses on plight of civilians

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran confirmed that civilians in the country suffered serious human rights violations and “crimes against humanity committed by their government,” while finding "reasonable grounds" to believe that the United States committed “war crimes” in the context of its ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic.

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

Guterres calls for action as hate speech spreads across new platforms online

The UN Secretary-General has called for concerted action by governments, technology companies and civil society to stamp out hate speech, emphasizing that “its toxic message is spreading fast and striking deep”. 

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

Security Council LIVE: Syria’s transition in the spotlight

While Syria is making progress in its political transition, the Security Council is meeting to hear briefings and discuss the situation on the ground, including recent reports of deadly armed clashes with an ISIS-affiliate terrorist group in the south and protests over rising fuel prices. 

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

Yemen escalation displaces more than 57,000 children: UNICEF

Renewed fighting in Yemen is deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in a country where more than 12 million children depend on aid, after more than a decade of conflict.

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UN News Sep 17, 2026 • 12:00

As freshwater reserves shrink, countries must prepare for a new water reality

The world is entering a period in which abnormal water supplies are becoming the norm, with river flows, groundwater and glaciers all showing signs of sustained disruption, the UN weather agency warned on Thursday. 

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

Who should set the rules for AI? The UN is pushing for a safer digital future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, raising questions about how societies and governments can capture its benefits while managing risks that often extend beyond national borders.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

World News in Brief: Shipping alert from IMO, democracy vanishing in Nicaragua, alert over political ‘denialism’

Amid a rising number of attacks on shipping in key waterways in the Middle East linked to the US-Iran war, the head of UN maritime agency, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, has insisted that the conflict is not a “pretext” to target “innocent seafarers”.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

Repression continues in Venezuela in the face of ‘appalling’ human rights violations

In Venezuela’s El Rodeo maximum security prison, some of those detained for political reasons are subject to forced intubation – and prolonged confinement in a sealed underground cistern. 

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

AI, climate and conflicts top Guterres’s agenda ahead of General Assembly

Ahead of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, Secretary-General António Guterres said the world had entered “an era of deep uncertainty” and urged governments to embrace international cooperation to address global threats.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

Security Council LIVE: ‘Being a woman is a crime in Afghanistan,’ civil society briefer declares

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the continuing presence of terrorist groups as well as rights violations against women and girls are a growing concern as the Security Council met Wednesday to hear latest developments, including from a civil society representative who said being born as a woman in the country “is a crime”. Follow full coverage here.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

UN report warns of reprisals against those who collaborate in defence of human rights

Activists, lawyers and others who cooperate with the United Nations on human rights continue to face intimidation and reprisals, according to a new report issued on Wednesday by the Secretary-General that calls for greater protection and accountability.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

Gaza: At least 20 killed in deadly building collapse, search for survivors continues

Search and rescue operations continued in Gaza City on Wednesday following the collapse of a bombed-out building that killed at least 20 people, according to reports.

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UN News Sep 16, 2026 • 12:00

The world comes to New York: What’s at stake at UN General Assembly high-level week

Each September, New York becomes the centre of global diplomacy as presidents, prime ministers, ministers and diplomats from around the world gather at United Nations Headquarters.

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UN News Sep 15, 2026 • 12:00

Security Council LIVE: Rising violence triggers emergency meeting on Yemen

Amid rising violence in Yemen, the Security Council met in emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the situation surrounding the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait shipping route as UN agencies warn of rising displacement, including thousands of Yemenis fleeing to Djibouti. UN News app users can follow here.

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UN News Sep 15, 2026 • 12:00

UNICEF says thousands of children require mental health support after Nepal floods

Three weeks after the devastating flash floods in Nepal, about 17,000 children require urgent mental health and psychosocial support in the country, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

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UN News Sep 15, 2026 • 12:00

Escalating conflict drives new displacement in Yemen

The escalating conflict in Yemen is choking off aid shipments and driving fresh displacement, including to nearby Djibouti, with UN agencies reporting on Tuesday that nearly 100,000 people have been displaced since fighting intensified earlier this month.

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