United Nations Radio

News and features from United Nations Radio.

Countries need to continue cooperating to limit the amount of air pollution they produce, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Thirty-five years ago, 34 countries signed the first environmental agreement of the UN, called the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Air pollution continues to be one of the largest environmental health [...]

The Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa has passed what has been described as the grim milestone of 5,000 confirmed deaths. Anthony Banbury, the Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) on Thursday briefed the UN General Assembly on the global response to the outbreak. Mr. Banbury, who [...]

For the past 35 years, European countries have made great strides in reducing air pollution by working together. That's according to Krzysztof Olendrzynski, Environmental Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). UNECE is behind an "Air Convention" which grew out of an awareness that the ecological and human health problems throughout [...]

The world has more conservation areas than ever before, but more funding is needed, according to a new report by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). Over 15 per cent of land and coastal waters as well as 3.4 per cent of the global ocean are now protected, the agency says. The Protected Planet report was [...]

Asian countries are being urged to create a new security architecture for closer regional cooperation. Speaking to the East Asia Summit, taking place in Myanmar, the UN Secretary-General said that the region was still plagued by historical and territorial disputes. Ban Ki-moon said increased collaboration between states was beneficial for all. "The region – and [...]

The people of Burkina Faso are being urged by the UN Secretary-General to use dialogue to solve the recent political crisis. On Friday, the President of the West African country, Blaise Compaoré, resigned after the military seized control of Parliament. On Thursday, protesters reportedly set fire to government buildings after President Compaoré attempted to amend [...]

Somalia is on the verge of another humanitarian crisis as a poor rainy season followed by severe flooding threatens local harvests, the United Nations warned on Friday. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says more than one million people are now in critical need of assistance. It says there's been a 20 per cent [...]

The international community needs to remain focused until every single case of Ebola is identified and dealt with, according to the UN Coordinator for Ebola. David Nabarro shared his latest update on the global Ebola response at UN Headquarters on Friday. Close to 5000 people have died from the virus in Liberia, Sierra Leone and [...]

News and features from United Nations Radio.

The importance of well-planned and well-managed cities is being stressed on the first ever celebration of World Cities Day on 31st October. According to the United Nations, nearly five billion people will live in cities by 2030, creating immense pressure on housing, services, resources and the environment. It is also estimated that over 60 per [...]

Thousands of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon have been fleeing attacks by rebels, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The Agency reports that in recent days, Nigerian insurgents have launched repeated cross-border attacks into northern Cameroon, hindering the UN's efforts to bring refugees to a camp. The West African country currently hosts over 100,000 people [...]

Telecommunications and logistics experts from WFP, the UN World Food Programme are working to ensure that humanitarian agencies can provide rapid delivery of aid in Iraq. Over 1.8 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since January this year, because of an on-going conflict. Aid agencies working on the ground need to communicate [...]

The decision to continue criminalizing consensual same-sex relations between men in Singapore is disappointing, according to the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR. This week, the country's Supreme Court decided to uphold anti-gay laws, stating that its penal code which criminalizes male homosexuality does not violate Singapore's constitution. The Court added that it is up to [...]

Renewed fighting in the north and west of the Central African Republic and an increase in violence in the country's capital Bangui is putting humanitarian access in jeopardy, according to United Nations aid agencies. The upsurge in unrest has also led to a number of unprecedented attacks against humanitarian workers. From the beginning of this [...]