NICE, France, Jun 2 2025 (IPS)** – As David Attenborough reflects in his new documentary Ocean, “After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea”.
Credit: NOAA Photo Library
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), scheduled to take place in Nice, France from 9-13 June, will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet’s largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem.
(UN News)* —As coral reefs bleach, fish stocks collapse, and sea temperatures break records, world leaders are heading to the French Riviera — not for leisure, but for one of the most urgent diplomatic gatherings of the year.
(UN News)* — As the hurricane season gets underway in the Caribbean, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm over Haiti’s humanitarian situation.
With roughly half the population, 5.7 million people, facing some sort of emergency level of hunger, Haiti is one of five countries in the world with catastrophic levels of hunger.
“Despite all the violence, displacement and collapse”, WFP remains in Haiti, Lola Castro, Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean, said during a briefing on Tuesday , having recently returned from the country.
More than one million people in Haiti are displaced due to ongoing gang violence and insecurity.
4 June 2025 — Like generations before her, Haoua farmed cattle in the Central African Republic (CAR). But one day, about ten years ago, armed fighters appeared in the village, intent on killing people and animals.
“We didn’t want to leave our herd of oxen, so we were the last to flee,” says Haoua. With her husband and children, she made it across the border to Cameroon.
With her back bent and a broom in her hand, 47-year-old Haoua briskly sweeps away the red soil in the courtyard. Swish, swish. As if every swish were a year that has passed. Swish. The dust of what once was. Swish.
(UN News)* — The UN is facing a deepening budget crisis that threatens lifesaving operations worldwide. From refugee aid in Mozambique to maternal health services in Afghanistan, critical programmes are on the brink of collapse unless urgent funding is secured.
TheUnited Statesis the largest debtor at about $1.5 billion, as the Trump Administration is withholding funds to cut what it sees as unnecessary spending.
(UN News)* — The UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his calls for Member states and the United Nations to work towards justice and reparations for Africans and the diaspora in a speech in New York on Friday .
UN News/Israa Hamad | Slavery memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
“Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility. But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed,” he said.
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 28 May 2025 – In 2025, as crises multiply and conflicts become increasingly protracted, humanitarian aid budgets are being slashed across the board.
Yet in many emergency settings, it is ordinary people – and especially women and girls – who are feeling the sharpest impact of these cuts.
For those caught up in crises that have already been neglected for years, the fallout is all the more brutal. But what does chronic underfunding look like?
28 May 2025 — Global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, increasing climate risks and impacts on societies, economies and sustainable development, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
(United Nations)* — As the global community is called to re-examine our relationship to the natural world, one thing is certain:
The unrestricted exploitation of wildlife has led to the disappearance of many animal species at an alarming rate, destroying Earth’s biological diversity and upsetting the ecological balance. PHOTO:Vladimir Wrangel/Adobe Stock
despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for our water, food, medicines, clothes, fuel, shelter and energy, just to name a few.
The African Union commemorates Africa Day 2025[24 May 2025] with a renewed call to justice, unity, and shared progress. Speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the AUC, delivered a stirring address that reflected on Africa’s historic journey while calling for bold steps toward a just and prosperous future.
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This year’s theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,” honours the memory of those who suffered under slavery and colonialism, while asserting the right of Africa and its diaspora to truth, justice, and restoration.
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“While justice and reparations remain long overdue,” the Chairperson affirmed, “Africa will not be held hostage by the pain of its past.”
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 