Restore wetlands, home to 40pc of biodiversity: UN

Although coastal and freshwater wetlands - such as swamps, mangroves and marshes - contain 40 percent of all plant and animal species, many are polluted or degraded due to climate change and human development. On World Wetlands Day Thursday, the UN called for urgent action to revive and restore these

Step up efforts for migrants’ rights: UN Special Rapporteur urges govt

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, Felipe Gonzalez Morales, on Tuesday urged the authorities in Bangladesh to step up efforts for better protection of migrants' rights."Bangladesh must step up efforts to strengthen regulation of the migrant recruitment system to protect migrant workers against exploitation and abuses," said

Myanmar situation ‘catastrophic’ two years after coup: UN

Nearly two years after Myanmar's military coup, the UN rights chief warned Friday that the country had plunged into catastrophe, calling for the military to be brought under civilian oversight. Since the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government on February 1, 2021, Myanmar has "by nearly every

The year of debt distress and damaging development trade-off

As the year 2022 drew to an end, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned, “Developing countries face ‘impossible trade-off’ on debt”, that spiralling debt in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) has compromised their chances of sustainable development. In early December, an opinion piece in The New York

Opium cultivation surged 33pc amid violence in Myanmar

The production of opium in Myanmar has flourished since the military's seizure of power, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year as eradication efforts have dropped off and the faltering economy has led more people toward the drug trade, according to a United Nations

Nations express ‘deep concern’ at Israeli punitive measure

More than 90 countries have expressed "deep concern" at Israel's punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society following a U.N. request for an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. In a statement

Myanmar arms industry grows after army takeover

Companies from at least 13 countries have helped Myanmar build up its capacity to produce weapons that are being used to commit atrocities following a 2021 military takeover, independent international experts have found.The report released Monday by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar details how the country has stepped up

UN special rapporteur condemns killing of Bangabandhu

Felipe González Morales, UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, has strongly condemned the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975. He made this condemnation in a meeting held at the Bangladesh Embassy in Madrid with Mohammad Sarwar Mahmud,

2.1m children, youths aged between 5-24 died in 2021: UN

An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5-24 years lost their lives in 2021, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). In a separate report also released

Ozone layer slowly but noticeably healing: UN

Earth's protective ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades as it is slowly but noticeably healing, a UN-backed panel of experts said Monday.In a report published every four years on the progress of the Montreal Protocol, the panel confirmed the phase-out of nearly 99 percent of banned