United Nations

Booster COVID-19 shots should be delayed -WHO director-general

-WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that COVID-19 booster shots should be delayed as priority should be given to raising vaccination rates in countries where only 1% or 2% of the…

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WHO seeks ‘best minds’ to probe new pathogens that jump from animals to humans

GENEVA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it was looking for the greatest scientific minds to advise on investigations into new high-threat pathogens that…

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France’s Macron urges UN to act with single voice on Afghanistan

Islamist militants will seek to benefit from the turmoil in Afghanistan, said French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, adding that France would do all it could to ensure Russia, the United States…

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Reactions to the ‘Code Red’ U.N. climate science report

Eight years after its last full update on climate science, the United Nations on Monday published a report that delivered even starker warnings about how human-induced climate change is affecting…

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U.N. sounds clarion call over ‘irreversible’ climate impacts by humans

The U.N. climate panel sounded a dire warning Monday, saying the world is dangerously close to runaway warming – and that humans are "unequivocally" to blame. Already, greenhouse gas levels…

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Key takeaways from the U.N. climate panel’s report

The U.N. climate panel has released its most comprehensive assessment of climate change yet. Here are some of the report's main conclusions: See report here HUMANS ARE TO BLAME…

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U.N. climate report likely to deliver stark warnings on global warming

Eight years after its last update on climate science, the United Nations is set to publish a report Monday that will likely deliver even starker warnings about how quickly the…

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Flurry of emissions pledges still not enough to meet global climate goals

Despite a recent flurry of new national emissions pledges, the world is still far away from preventing catastrophic climate change, experts say – noting that major polluters including China and…

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World food prices fall for second month in July

World food prices eased for a second month in a row in July, reflecting declines for cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products, but remained up nearly a third over the…

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More countries hike climate pledges, piling pressure on major emitters

A group of mostly smaller countries submitted new, more ambitious climate pledges to the United Nations this week, raising pressure on big emitters including China to do the same ahead…

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Young lured to tobacco addiction via e-cigarettes – WHO

GENEVA, July 27 (Reuters) - The tobacco industry's sleek marketing is attracting youngsters to e-cigarettes which can lead to tobacco addiction, despite claims by some executives that they aim to…

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WHO proposes fresh mission to China and lab audits

The World Health Organization has proposed a second phase of studies in China into the origins of the coronavirus, including audits of laboratories in Wuhan, but there is no sign…

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Child diseases on rise as COVID-19 slows routine vaccinations -U.N.

Nearly 23 million children missed out on routine vaccinations last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest number in more than a decade, fuelling outbreaks of measles, polio and…

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WHO panel advises against COVID-19 vaccination proof for travel

The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee on Thursday maintained its stance that proof of COVID-19 vaccination should not be required for international travel, amid a growing debate on blocking the…

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UNHCR warns of imminent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement. An estimated 270,000 Afghans have…

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WHO warns against mixing and matching COVID vaccines

The World Health Organization's chief scientist on Monday advised against people mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers, calling it a "dangerous trend" since there was little data available about the…

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World hunger, malnutrition soared last year mostly due to COVID-19 – U.N. agencies

World hunger and malnutrition levels worsened dramatically last year, with most of the increase likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a multi-agency United Nations (U.N.) report published on…

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Question open on need for COVID booster shot, data awaited, WHO says

The World Health Organization said on Friday that it was not clear whether COVID-19 booster vaccines will be needed to maintain protection, until further data is collected. Pfizer Inc plans…

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More than 8,500 children used as soldiers in 2020: U.N.

More than 8,500 children were used as soldiers last year in various conflicts across the world and nearly 2,700 others were killed, the United Nations said on Monday. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres' annual report to…

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WHO chief scientist disappointed by CureVac trial

The World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Friday that results from the CureVac COVID-19 vaccine's initial trial were disappointing. German biotech firm CureVac' vaccine proved only 47% effective in…

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WHO Europe head warns of the spread of the more transmissible delta variant

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned European countries against becoming complacent in their efforts to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Across the continent, governments have been increasingly…

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UPDATED: U.N. chief Guterres appointed for second term

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Friday appointed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second five-year term, beginning on Jan. 1, 2022. Guterres succeeded Ban Ki-moon in January 2017, just…

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U.N. adopts new measures to cut ship emissions, critics call for more

The U.N. shipping agency approved further measures to boost the energy efficiency of commercial vessels although critics said the move fell short of what was needed to cut the industry's…

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Number of people forced to flee homes has risen, says U.N.

The number of people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and human rights abuses has doubled in the past decade to reach 82.4 million at the end…

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Malta’s UN Permanent Representative elected Chair of the UN Economic and Financial Committee

Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Malta's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has been elected Chair of the UN Second Committee (Economic and Financial Committee) for the 76th Session of the UN…

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U.N. refugee agency scorns Denmark’s law on asylum claims

The U.N. refugee agency has voiced strong opposition to a law passed by Denmark's parliament that would allow processing of claims lodged by asylum seekers outside Europe, calling it an…

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World food price index surges in May to highest level since 2011 -FAO

World food prices rose in May at their fastest monthly rate in more than a decade, posting a 12th consecutive monthly increase to hit their highest level since September 2011,…

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WHO approves Sinovac COVID shot in second Chinese milestone

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be…

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WHO faces potential shake-up

The World Health Organization, battling to coordinate the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, agreed on Monday to study recommendations for ambitious reforms made by independent experts to strengthen the…

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Nature funding must triple by 2030 to protect land, wildlife and climate

Global annual spending to protect and restore nature needs to triple this decade to about $350 billion by 2030 and rise to $536 billion by 2050, a U.N. report said…

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Pressure builds for schools to put climate change study on curriculum

International bodies and pressure groups are calling for climate change studies to become a standard part of the school curriculum worldwide, saying the step is vital to reach targets on…

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Rising global temperatures ‘inexorably closer’ to climate tipping point – U.N.

There is now a 40% chance that global temperatures will temporarily reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next five years -- and these odds are rising, a…

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EU partly to blame for Mediterranean migrant deaths -UN

The European Union is partly to blame for deaths of migrants taking boats across the Mediterranean due to unanswered distress calls, obstruction of humanitarian rescue efforts, and so-called “pushbacks” to…

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U.N. bodies set up ‘One Health’ panel to advise on animal disease risks

The World Health Organization and three other international bodies have formed a team of experts to help develop a global plan to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to…

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Inquiry into pandemic finds WHO should have declared global emergency earlier

The International Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response issued its report on Wednesday into the global handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for a new transparent global system to be set up for…

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Pandemic plateauing with deaths and cases declining – WHO

The World Health Organization said on Monday the world was seeing a plateauing in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with declines in most regions including the Americas and Europe, the…

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WHO issues benchmarks for sodium content in food

Excessive salt in food and beverages is putting people at greater risk of potentially fatal heart disease and strokes, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, issuing fresh guidelines…

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WHO chief Tedros plans to seek re-election – Stat News

(Reuters) - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, plans to run for a second five-year term as the head of the agency, Stat News reported on Monday,…

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UN chief appeals to address inequalities to end AIDS by 2030

Inequalities in addressing AIDS threaten global efforts to stamp out the disease as a public health threat by 2030, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a report published on the…

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Situation in India ‘beyond heartbreaking’ – WHO chief

The situation in India, where COVID-19 cases have surged, is "beyond heartbreaking", and the World Health Organization is sending extra staff and supplies there to help fight the pandemic, WHO…

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David Beckham leads global vaccination drive

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the 7 Fund for UNICEF, David Beckham, is fronting a global initiative to inspire confidence in vaccines and encourage parents around the world to…

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U.S. must halve emissions to galvanize global climate action – UN chief

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres wants the United States to commit this week to at least halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 -- a move he said could…

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WHO says world seeing increased COVID-19 cases across all age groups

GENEVA, April 19 (Reuters) - A leading epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday the latest rise in COVID-19 infections worldwide reflected increases among all age groups.…

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WHO, agencies urge countries to suspend sale of live wild mammals at markets

International agencies including the World Health Organization urged countries to suspend the sale of live wild mammals in food markets, warning they may be the source of more than 70%…

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WHO chief laments ‘shocking imbalance’ in COVID-19 shot distribution

There is a “shocking imbalance” in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide and most countries do not have anywhere near enough shots to cover health workers and others at high-risk,…

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Causal link between AstraZeneca shot and clots “plausible but not confirmed” – WHO

GENEVA, April 7 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's advisory vaccine safety panel said on Wednesday a causal link between the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and rare cases of blood clots…

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WHO says AstraZeneca benefits outweigh risks; assessing latest data

The World Health Organization expects there will be no reason to change its assessment that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 outweigh any risks, a regulatory official told…

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Claims that vaccinated people are more likely to infect others have no scientific basis – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly denied claims that Covid-19 vaccines were among the factors causing the spread of new variants of the virus. These reports were being fuelled…

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U.N. experts alarmed by Russian security contractors’ ‘abuses’ in Central Africa

U.N. experts expressed alarm over reports of executions and other abuses by Russian security contractors in Central African Republic and over their close contacts with U.N. peacekeepers. Russia first sent…

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WHO says Europe vaccine rollout ‘unacceptably slow’ amid ‘worrying’ case surge

Europe's rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 is "unacceptably slow," the World Health Organization's European head said on Thursday, raising concern that delays in giving shots could prolong the pandemic as…

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World leaders back idea of treaty on future pandemics

Leaders of 23 countries and the World Health Organization on Tuesday backed an idea to create an international treaty that would help deal with future health emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic by…

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COVID-19 probably passed from bats through another animal – WHO report

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was "extremely…

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North Korea accuses U.N. Security Council of ‘double standard’ over missile tests

North Korea said on Monday that the U.N. Security Council showed a double standard as its sanctions committee criticised the country's recent missile test as a violation of U.N. resolutions. North Korea launched a…

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U.N. migration agency says 2,276 persons died trying to reach Europe last year but true toll higher

More than 2,200 people perished at sea trying to reach Europe last year, more than a third on the increasingly busy route to Spain’s Canary Islands, the U.N. migration agency.…

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U.N. staffer who complained of sexual assault loses dismissal case – documents

A policy adviser who filed a sexual assault complaint and was later fired by the U.N. agency fighting AIDS has lost an appeal against her dismissal for misconduct and been refused a…

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U.N. body raises global economic growth forecast for 2021 to 4.7%

The global economy is set to grow by 4.7% this year thanks to a stronger-than-expected recovery in the United States, a report by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development…

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UPDATED: WHO Europe urges countries to keep using AstraZeneca COVID vaccine

The benefits of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh any risks and countries across Europe should continue to use it to help save lives, the World Health Organization's European director said…

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