Paying tribute to the first democratically-elected President of South Africa and iconic civil rights leader, the United Nations on Wednesday celebrated Nelson Mandela’s legacy for humanity and reflected on the lessons he left behind. More
Category Archives: News
UN forum spotlights cities, where struggle for sustainability ‘will be won or lost’
Although cities are often characterized by stark socioeconomic inequalities and poor environmental conditions, they also offer growth and development potential – making them central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a main focus of the third day of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Wednesday. More
World Environment Day
Merici College invited UNIC Canberra to come to talk about the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals.
As the visit was a day before World Environment Day, it provided a great opportunity to talk about one of the key issues impacting the world, and attainment of the Goals, plastic pollution.
Many of the 130 year ten girls that packed the library looked shocked when they heard some of the statistics as to how much pollution there is and especially the thought that there will be more plastic in our oceans by 2050 than fish.
While the students were interested to learn about the United Nations and the 2030 Agenda, it was the problem of plastics that most grabbed their attention, leading to all the students at the end of the presentation showing their support for taking action to stop plastics and create a better world for all.
Media Advisory
Record number of countries, private and public-‐sector leaders to review progress on sustainable development
9-‐18 July, UN Headquarters, New York
Thousands of high-‐level representatives from governments, civil society and the private sector will gather at the annual High-‐level Political Forum (HLPF) this month to take stock of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discuss successes, challenges and lessons learnt on the road to a fairer, more peaceful and prosperous world on a healthy planet by 2030.
Forty-‐seven countries will submit their Voluntary National Review (VNRs) -‐ an important, evidence-‐based platform to highlight national implementation.
Since the launch of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the number of countries presenting VNRs has more than doubled from 22 in 2016. With this year’s Forum, more than 120 countries would have submitted their reviews, showing commitment to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. The Forum also brings together leaders from all sectors of society, including the business community and civil society.
Countries Outline Progress Made In Pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals At key UN forum
It’s like a mini UN General Assembly for sustainable development. Starting this week, nearly 50 countries are voluntarily briefing the world about what they’ve done to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, and looking for ideas on what more they could do.
UN News’ Paulina Greer spoke to Irena Zubcevic, who is with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs(DESA), about the Voluntary National Reviews at the High-level Political Forum.
The Secretary-General
OPENING REMARKS AT UNITED NATIONS
HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE ON COUNTER-TERRORISM
New York, 28 June 2018
[as delivered]
I am pleased to welcome you all to the first ever global High-level Conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies of the Member States of the United Nations.
Terrorism and violent extremism undermine international peace and security.
They divide communities, exacerbate conflicts, and destabilize entire regions.
They hamper our efforts to promote and protect human rights and are an obstacle to sustainable development.
This complex global challenge has reached unprecedented levels.
It affects every country here today.
When I conceived this conference, my goal was clear – to improve international cooperation and information sharing, and to build new partnerships that can find practical solutions.
Today, the frontline against terrorism is increasingly in cyberspace.
UN Women’s Rights Committee To Review Australia, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, State of Palestine and Turkmenistan
GENEVA (June 29, 2018) — The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is meeting in Geneva from July 2-20 to review women’s rights in the following countries: Australia, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, State of Palestine and Turkmenistan.
The above States have ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are reviewed regularly by CEDAW on how they are implementing the Convention. The Committee will hold dialogues with delegations from the respective governments and will be briefed by NGOs and national human rights institutions.
The Committee’s dialogues with the delegations will take place in Room XVI at the Palais des Nations in public meetings from 10:00-13:00 and from 15:00-17:00 CEST. The schedule of dialogues will be as follows:
| Tuesday, July 3 | 10:00-13:00 Australia
15:00-17:00 Australia |
| Wednesday, July 4 | 10:00-13:00 Cyprus
15:00-17:00 Cyprus |
| Thursday, July 5 | 10:00-13:00 Liechtenstein
15:00-17:00 Liechtenstein |
| Friday, July 6 | 10:00-13:00 Mexico
15:00-17:00 Mexico |
| Tuesday, July 10 | 10:00-13:00 Turkmenistan
15:00-17:00 Turkmenistan |
| Wednesday, July 11 | 10:00-13:00 State of Palestine
15:00-17:00 State of Palestine |
| Thursday, July 12 | 10:00-13:00 New Zealand
15:00-17:00 New Zealand |
| Friday, July 13 | 10:00-13:00 Cook Islands
15:00-17:00 Cook Islands |
Statement from the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
Children and Armed Conflict Report
The United Nations has verified more 21,000 violations committed against children in 2017. The United Nations has reliable reports of more than 10,000 children killed or maimed in armed conflict last year. The Secretary-General is outraged at this number, a significant increase compared to previous years and documented in his Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict published today. Children are also affected by other verified violations, including the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Boys and girls have once again been overly impacted by protracted and new violent crisis. Despite some progress, the level of violations remains unacceptable.
The Secretary-General reiterates that the best way to address this horrific situation is to promote peaceful solutions to conflicts. He calls on all parties to exert maximum efforts in this regard.
The Secretary-General reminds parties to conflict of their responsibility to protect children, in line with international humanitarian and human rights laws. He calls on all parties to conflict to engage with the United Nations to develop concrete measures to end and prevent grave violations against children and to provide support and relief to affected children.
Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
New York, 27 June 2018
You can read the report online
Note To Correspondents on The Withdrawal of the United States of America From The Human Rights Council
In answer to questions following the announcement by the United States of its decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General has the following to say:
The Secretary-General would have much preferred for the United States to remain in the Human Rights Council. The UN’s Human Rights architecture plays a very important role in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General
New York, 19 June 2018