World Health Organization certifies Paraguay malaria-free
The World Health Organization (WHO) certified Paraguay as having eliminated malaria, the first country in the Americas to be granted this status since Cuba in 1973.
International organizations
First ‘zero-emissions’ Winter Olympics kicks off in South Korea
The POCOG will aim to make the games environmentally friendly at all stages before during and after the events. The overarching goal is to make the games responsible for their carbon emissions and in the process release zero emissions.
U.N. brokers deal to end use of children in Nigeria’s battle with Boko Haram
Officials hail landmark for child protection as youth vigilante group known as Civilian Joint Task Force pledges to draw a line under recruitment of minors
UN agency helps nearly 100,000 migrants return home in 2016
The United Nations migration agency reported today that it helped nearly 100,000 migrants return home voluntarily last year, a 41 per cent increase over 2015.
U.N. conference adopts treaty banning nuclear weapons
The treaty — adopted by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore) — prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons.
World Bank, partners launch $200 million program for water-related SDG achievement
The Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership will focus on analytical work, technical assistance and financing in client countries and has budgeted for activities up to the year 2022.
World Health Organization hails major progress on tackling tropical diseases
WHO director general says significant strides have been made in fight against sleeping sickness, elephantiasis and other neglected tropical diseases
Australia, France, Japan, Jamaica, the Philippines, Sweden, U.K., and U.S. found the International Coral Reef Initiative
The ICRI is an informal partnership among nations, international organizations and non-government organizations to help protect coral reefs globally. It is now the world’s largest body dedicated to coral conservation.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea comes into force
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. It is perhaps the first major international agreement ever to establish laws to respect, protect, preserve, and prevent the dumping of plastics in the marine environment. Its preamble asserts that problems faced by the ocean “are closely interrelated and needed to be considered as a whole.” As of October 2024, 169 sovereign states and the European Union are parties.
The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, signed by 168 countries, enters into force
The Convention on Biological Diversity is a historic multilateral treaty now signed by all U.N. member states other than the United States. The Convention has three main goals: biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. The Convention recognized for the first time in international law that the conservation of biodiversity is “a common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of the development process.
The multilateral treaty recognized for the first time in international law that the conservation of biodiversity is “a common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of the development process.