In The News

Across southeast Asia, record-breaking rains and flooding caused by back-to-back tropical storms have claimed hundreds of lives and brought devastation and displacement upon entire communities, UN agencies said on Tuesday.

In a pivotal outcome at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, countries agreed on a sweeping package to scale up climate finance and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement – but without a clear commitment to move away from fossil fuels.

In Belém, Brazil, as the world turns its eyes to the Amazon where COP30 has been underway for the past week, one question looms large: can climate finance move from pledge to lifeline?

The second edition of UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch Report takes a deep dive into one of the decade’s most urgent challenges: surging heat, soaring cooling demand, and stark inequalities in access.

From Gaza to Ukraine and beyond, conflict has caused widespread death and destruction, but it has also devastated natural resources such as water systems, farmland and forests.

Available new climate pledges by governments have only slightly lowered global temperature rise over the course of this century, leaving the world on the path to a serious escalation of climate risks and damages.

As Hurricane Melissa moved north of Jamaica on Wednesday, the head of the UN team there said that preliminary damage assessments from the category 5 storm showed a level of devastation “never seen before” on the Caribbean island.

Amid deepening global divides and economic uncertainty, the United Nations called for stronger multilateral cooperation and sweeping reforms to global financial and governance systems, emphasising the need for a “networked, multipolar world” where equity and inclusion guide decision-making

By COP30 (10-21 November, Belem, Brazil), all countries that have signed the Paris Agreement must submit new climate action plans to help create a just, resilient, low-carbon future. To build momentum, the UN Secretary-General holds a Climate Summit (24 September), where leaders present these plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

A landmark UN treaty to safeguard marine biodiversity on the high seas has now met the required 60 ratifications for entry into force, clearing the way for it to take effect in January 2026

Carbon markets are systems where carbon credits are traded. These credits represent a reduction or removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Governments, companies and even individuals can buy these credits to offset their emissions

Sub-Saharan Africa has taken a cautious but critical step toward greater health self-reliance as locally produced HIV medicines and diagnostic tests begin reaching national programmes – including, for the first time, procurement of African-made treatment for Mozambique.

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Tuesday called on countries to double down on efforts to transform food systems, describing them as “one of the greatest solutions” to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Members of the UNAA NSW community gathered at Government House for a very special reception hosted by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales and Patron of UNAA NSW. The reception was held in recognition of the United Nations’ 80th anniversary

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, issued its advisory opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, read out by the President of the Court, Judge Iwasawa Yuji, on Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General focused on a hopeful story emerging amidst the ongoing climate devastation and turmoil: that of a new energy era. He outlined a compelling and evidence-backed case for why a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy is inevitable – and the vast benefits it will bring for people and economies.

Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom.

As the deadline for the 2030 Agenda looms, ministers, experts, and civil society leaders from around the world will convene in New York next week for a high-level UN forum to fast-track action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A decade after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), development is facing serious headwinds – including what UN officials describe as a “silent crisis” of surging debt service payments in low-income countries.

In front of a multimedia exhibit at United Nations Headquarters entitled “Reviving the Spirit of San Francisco,” Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed home the UN Charter which was signed in 1945 in the Californian city.