U.N chief calls for massive international support to Somalia
April 11, 2023 GMTMOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for “massive international support” for Somalia on Tuesday during his visit to the East African country, which is facing the worst drought in decades.
UN head says survival depends on how people manage water
March 24, 2023 GMTUnited Nations (AP) — Humanity’s survival depends on how people manage water, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday at the end of a three-day conference on global water resources during which developing nations made urgent calls for help with cleaner drinking water and better sanitation.
UN chief urges ‘game-changing’ commitments on clean water
March 22, 2023 GMTUNITED NATION (AP) — The United Nations chief urged the first world conference on water in over 45 years on Wednesday to address the “21st century emergency” that is wasting the world’s most important resource and has left billions of people without clean water and basic sanitation.
UN announces new advisers to bolster young voices on climate
March 16, 2023 GMTUnited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres named seven young climate leaders Thursday to be his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, underlining the role of youth advocates in climate action.
UN chief: ‘Cold, hard facts’ should guide climate policy
March 13, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The head of the United Nations called Monday for scientists to serve up “cold, hard facts” to push governments into making policies that curb climate change before a key global warming threshold is passed.
Women’s Day events highlight major gaps in gender equality
March 9, 2023 GMTMADRID (AP) — From demands for constitutional rights in Islamabad to calls for economic parity in Manila, Paris and Madrid, International Women’s Day demonstrations in cities around the world Wednesday highlighted the unfinished work of providing equity for half of the planet's population.
Russian forces claim progress in Bakhmut but no end in sight
March 8, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of Russia's Wagner Group military contractor claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, but it remained unclear how long the grinding fight might go on.
US Ambassador Cindy McCain to head UN World Food Program
March 2, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Cindy McCain was appointed Thursday to head the U.N. World Food Program, the world’s largest humanitarian organization which aims to help nearly 150 million people confronting conflicts, disasters and impacts of climate change this year.
UN chief praises moves toward stability in rare Iraq visit
March 2, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations chief on Wednesday praised Iraq for repatriating citizens detained in neighboring Syria on suspicion of ties to the Islamic State group and pledged international support for the country’s efforts to regain stability and security.
UN will struggle to unify Libya with elections this year
February 27, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — A new push to convince chaos-stricken Libya's rival factions to hold presidential and legislative elections this year was announced by the top United Nations diplomat in the country on Monday, but any optimism was dampened by a lack of details and continued disputes.
UN raises $1.2 billion for Yemen, far below its 2023 target
February 27, 2023 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Global donors on Monday pledged about $1.2 billion at a conference aimed at generating funds to help millions of people in Yemen suffering from the fallout of an eight-year civil war, a U.N.
UN chief slams ‘climate-wrecking’ firms at human rights body
February 27, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of legal challenges against “climate-wrecking corporations" like fossil-fuel producers, ratcheting up his call for the fight against climate change—- this time before the U.N.'s top human rights body.
Russia, Iran sending top envoys to UN’s human rights council
February 26, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will help kick off the latest and longest-ever session of the U.N.'s top human rights body on Monday, with Iran's foreign minister, a senior Russian envoy, and the top diplomats of France and Germany among scores of leaders set to take part.
N Korea calls UN chief’s remarks on missile test ‘unfair’
February 22, 2023 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Wednesday accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “an extremely unfair and imbalanced attitude,” as it lambasted him for condemning its recent missile test but ignoring alleged U.S.
Russia and West clash over probe of Nord Stream sabotage
February 22, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations Tuesday over the Kremlin’s call for a U.N. investigation of last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe.
3 UN peacekeepers killed, 5 wounded by roadside bomb in Mali
February 22, 2023 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Three United Nations peacekeepers were killed and five others wounded by a roadside bomb in central Mali on Tuesday, according to the U.N.
The bomb struck a supply convoy near the village of Songobia, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali known as MINUSMA said in a statement.
UN chief: Rising seas risk ‘death sentence’ for some nations
February 15, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief warned Tuesday that global sea levels have risen faster since 1900 and their relentless increase puts countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands at risk and acutely endangers nearly 900 million people living in low-lying coastal areas.
UN appeals for $397 million to help Syrian quake survivors
February 14, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief launched a $397 million appeal Tuesday to help nearly 5 million survivors of last week’s devastating earthquake in rebel-held northwest Syria who have received very little assistance because of deep divisions exacerbated by the country’s 12-year war.
UN says Syria agrees to open 2 new crossings for quake aid
February 14, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria’s president agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment to help millions of earthquake victims, the United Nations announced Monday.
UN chief fears world is heading toward a wider war
February 6, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief warned Monday that the world is facing a convergence of challenges “unlike any in our lifetimes” and expressed fear of a wider war as the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches.
UN chief backs democracy for Myanmar 2 years after takeover
January 31, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Two years after Myanmar’s military seized power, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced support Monday for the democratic aspirations of Myanmar’s people and warned that the military’s planned elections amid a crackdown on civilians and political leaders “risk exacerbating instability.”
Mali defends Russian ties and opposes options for UN force
January 28, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Mali’s foreign minister defended the military government’s cooperation with Russia on Friday and rejected three options proposed by the U.N. chief to reconfigure the U.N. peacekeeping force in the west African country where Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity.
UN: Parts of internet becoming `toxic waste dumps’ for hate
January 27, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. chief warned on the day to remember victims of the Holocaust that “many parts of the internet are becoming toxic waste dumps for hate and vicious lies,” and urgently appealed for guardrails against hate speech.
Venezuela, Lebanon, SSudan lose UN voting rights over dues
January 20, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, Lebanon and South Sudan are in arrears on paying dues to the United Nations’ operating budget and are among six nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N.
UN approves second term for environment chief Inger Andersen
January 18, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly elected Inger Andersen of Denmark to a second four-year term as executive director of the United Nations Environment Program on Wednesday, after defeating a Russian-sponsored resolution that would have opened the job to other candidates.
UN: Al-Qaida and Islamic State driving insecurity in Mali
January 17, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups are driving insecurity in central Mali and continue to clash near populated areas in the northern Gao and Menaka regions, the U.N. chief said in a new report circulated Monday.
UN chief: Rule of law risks becoming `Rule of Lawlessness’
January 13, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the rule of law is at grave risk of becoming “the Rule of Lawlessness,” pointing to a host of unlawful actions across the globe from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and coups in Africa’s Sahel region to North Korea’s illegal nuclear weapons program and Afghanistan’s unprecedented attacks on women’s and girls’ rights.
UN extends critical aid from Turkey to Syria’s rebel north
January 10, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Monday to keep a key border crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest open for critical aid deliveries for another six months.
UN to vote on aid deliveries to Syria’s rebel-held northwest
January 6, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is set to vote Monday on a resolution that would continue humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from Turkey for another six months, and all eyes will be on Russia.
UN disbands prison killings probe in Ukraine over security
January 5, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations announced Thursday it is disbanding a fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine to investigate the killings at a prison in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists that the warring nations accuse each other of carrying out.
Live Updates | Reactions to Pope Benedict XVI’s death
December 31, 2022 GMTThe latest on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:
OTTAWA — The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has remembered Pope Benedict XVI for his work in dealing with abuse by members of the clergy and for reaching out to Indigenous people affected by residential schools.
UN deputy urges countries to consider armed force for Haiti
December 22, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.’s deputy secretary-general urged every country “with capacity” to urgently consider the Haitian government’s request for an international armed force to help restore security and alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean nation, which is in “a deepening crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity that is cause for serious alarm.”
UN chief calls for credible climate action, convenes summit
December 19, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief warned Monday that the world is failing to address the “existential threat” from global warning and announced that he will convene a “Climate Action Summit” in September to accelerate an urgent response to the climate crisis.
UN chief strongly hopes war in Ukraine will end in 2023
December 19, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief expressed strong hopes Monday that the Ukraine war will end in 2023 and on other global hotspots condemned the Iranian government’s crackdown on demonstrators, urged all countries to fight terrorist threats from the extreme right and called on the international community to tell Israel’s new right-wing government that “there is no alternative to the two-state solution.”
2 peacekeepers killed, 4 wounded in attack in Mali, UN says
December 17, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Two U.N. peacekeepers from Nigeria were killed and four others wounded in an attack Friday on a peace patrol in the town of Timbuktu in northern Mali, the United Nations said.
UN chief: Syrians face dire winter if aid from Turkey is cut
December 12, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. chief warned in a new report that the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening and if aid deliveries from Turkey to the rebel-held northwest aren’t renewed next month millions of Syrians may not survive the winter.
Ethiopia says new talks begin inside Tigray on disarmament
December 1, 2022 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A joint committee of the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces has convened inside the Tigray region to outline disarmament plans as part of a peace deal signed last month in the two-year conflict, Ethiopia's government said Thursday.
North Korea calls UN’s Guterres ‘puppet of US’ after launch
November 21, 2022 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s foreign minister called U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “a puppet of the United States” as she slammed the U.N. chief for joining U.S.-led condemnation of the North's recent intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Live Updates | Russia-Ukraine-War
November 16, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS -- A United Nations official says the U.N. is “cautiously optimistic” a wartime deal that has enabled Ukraine to export over 11 million metric tons of wheat and Russia to ship its grain and fertilizer to world markets will be renewed.
UN experts urge stringent rules to stop net zero greenwash
November 8, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Companies pledging to get their emissions down to net zero better make sure they've got a credible plan and aren't just making false promises, U.N. experts said in a report Tuesday urging tough standards on emissions cutting vows.
UN chief, Gore, others give heated warnings in climate talks
November 7, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — With the world on “a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator,'' the United Nations chief on Monday told dozens of leaders to ”cooperate or perish," singling out the two biggest polluting countries, China and the United States.
UN weather report: Climate woes bad and getting worse faster
November 6, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Earth’s warming weather and rising seas are getting worse and doing so faster than before, the World Meteorological Organization warned Sunday in a somber note as world leaders started gathering for international climate negotiations.
UN chief warns planet is heading toward `climate chaos’
November 4, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the planet is heading toward irreversible “climate chaos” and urged global leaders at the upcoming climate summit in Egypt to put the world back on track to cut emissions, keep promises on climate financing and help developing countries speed their transition to renewable energy.
Ukraine war: boost or setback for climate efforts?
November 3, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Luetzerath may be 1,000 miles from Ukraine, but it is an indirect victim of Russia’s invasion and some fear so is Earth’s climate.
The ancient hamlet in western Germany will soon be demolished along with a wind park to expand a nearby coal mine, despite protests from environmentalists who fear millions more tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.
Russia suspends Ukraine grain deal over ship attack claim
October 30, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia announced Saturday that it will immediately suspend its implementation of a U.N.-brokered grain deal that has seen more than 9 million tons of grain exported from Ukraine during the war and has brought down soaring global food prices.
Live Updates | Russia-Ukraine-War
October 28, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal that has seen more than 9 million tons of grain exported from Ukraine and brought down global food prices.
UN report: Climate pollution reductions ‘highly inadequate’
October 27, 2022 GMTThe world, especially richer carbon polluting nations, remains “far behind” and is not doing nearly enough -- not even promising to do enough -- to reach any of the global goals limiting future warming, a United Nations report said.
West and Russia clash over UN probe of drone use in Ukraine
October 27, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. and its Western allies on the Security Council insisted Wednesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has the right to investigate if Russia has used Iranian drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine.
West and Russia clash over probe of drones in Ukraine
October 22, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and key Western allies accused Russia on Friday of using Iranian drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine in violation of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution and international humanitarian law.
UN to vote Friday on sanctions against Haitian gang leader
October 21, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Friday on a resolution that would demand an immediate end to violence and criminal activity in Haiti and impose sanctions on a powerful gang leader.
New October date set for talks in Ethiopia’s Tigray war
October 20, 2022 GMTADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The African Union has scheduled peace talks to resolve Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict for Oct.
Ukraine accuses Iran of violating UN ban on drone transfers
October 19, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine accused Iran of violating a U.N. Security Council ban on the transfer of drones capable of flying 300 kilometers and invited U.N. experts to inspect what it said were Iranian-origin drones being used by Russia against civilian targets.
Ethiopia says 3 Tigray towns taken amid resumed fighting
October 18, 2022 GMTADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian authorities say they have taken control of three towns in Tigray, the embattled northern region that has seen a resurgence of fighting since August.
The Government Communication Service in a statement Tuesday said the towns of Shire, in the region's northwest, and Alamata and Korem in the south have been taken from Tigrayan control.
UN chief: war in Ethiopia’s Tigray must end, Eritrea exit
October 17, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief on Monday demanded an immediate end to hostilities in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and withdrawal of Eritrean forces fighting alongside the government, saying “violence and destruction have reached alarming levels” and “civilians are paying a horrific price.”
Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine-War
October 14, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations chief has reiterated his appeal to Russia to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross “full access” to all prisoners of war.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday this is required under international humanitarian law, including the Third Geneva Convention, according to U.N.
Development banks pass climate goal, urged to help poor more
October 14, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The world’s top development banks provided more than $80 billion last year to help countries tackle climate change, passing a goal they set in 2019, according to a report published Friday.
UN chief: 20 leading economies must help developing nations
October 14, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to finance ministers and central bankers from the world’s 20 leading economies Thursday urging they change course and steer a global economic recovery that includes developing countries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the war in Ukraine and escalating climate emergencies.
UN chief urges Yemen rivals: No new violence and renew truce
October 3, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Yemen’s warring parties on Monday to refrain from any provocations that could escalate violence. The move follows the failure to extend a nationwide cease-fire and to engage with each other to renew the truce.
UN chief: World is in `life-or-death struggle’ for survival
October 3, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world is in “a life-or-death struggle” for survival as “ climate chaos gallops ahead” and accused the world’s 20 wealthiest countries of failing to do enough to stop the planet from overheating.
UN says detained Iranian-American was allowed to leave Iran
October 2, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — An 85-year-old Iranian-American who formerly worked for the U.N. children’s agency and was detained in Iran in 2016 has been permitted to leave the country for medical treatment abroad, the United Nations said Saturday.