The UN’s top human rights official on Wednesday expressed grave alarm that six European countries are either in the process of or are considering withdrawing from the international treaty prohibiting anti-personnel mines.

Space technologies are no longer a distant frontier but a critical foundation for daily life and global development, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday.

More than 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti as surging gang violence, lawlessness, and impunity expose the population – especially women and girls – to heightened risks of exploitation and sexual violence.

Nations taking part in a flagship UN conference have pledged to address the debt crisis in the Global South and boost sustainable development. However, the real test will be whether or not these commitments will be translated into action.

A senior UN official has told UN News that the global development challenge is not lack of money, but how to align public and private capital flows. The Sevilla Agreement adopted this week, sets out a roadmap for all UN Member States — except the US which pulled out earlier this month — with the aim of mobilizing that capital.

A new mechanism offering debt-distressed countries a way to coordinate action and amplify their voice in the global financial system, has been launched at the UN’s pivotal sustainable development conference in Sevilla.

GENEVA, July 2 (IPS) - About 21 million adolescent girls get pregnant annually in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond the numbers lie lost futures and deepening cycles of poverty that undermine girls’ education, wellbeing, and, ultimately, national development.

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (IPS) - Serious-to-severe food insecurity has been widely felt among those living through the worst, protracted humanitarian crises. For organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), they must work under the “relentless demand” for humanitarian aid, including food.

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (IPS) - Five years from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we face a development emergency. The promise to eradicate poverty, combat climate change, and build a sustainable future for all is slipping away. The SDG financing gap has ballooned to over $4 trillion annually—a crisis compounded by declining aid, rising trade barriers, and a fragile global economy.

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (IPS) - In 2023, approximately 612 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone, more than 50 percent higher than a decade ago. During war, they disproportionately suffer from gender-based and sexual violence.