UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday unveiled the UN80 Initiative to enhance the organization's efficiency and effectiveness as it approaches its 80th anniversary.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, Guterres stressed the urgency of reforms, citing global challenges and financial struggles. "The United Nations has never been more needed," he said, emphasising its role in peace, development, and human rights.
He acknowledged the UN's ongoing liquidity crisis due to delayed and incomplete payments from member states. To address this, he announced a task force led by Under-Secretary-General Guy Ryder to focus on efficiency, mandate reviews, and structural reforms.
"Budgets at the United Nations are not just numbers on a balance sheet -- they are a matter of life and death for millions around the world," Guterres said, vowing to work with General Assembly President Philemon Yang on reform proposals.
Welcoming proposed Ukraine ceasefire
Guterres welcomed a US-backed 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine as a "positive step" toward peace. Talks in Jeddah, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Saudi officials, resulted in Ukraine’s conditional acceptance of the proposal.
US President Donald Trump expressed hope that Russia would agree, with further discussions expected soon.
On trade tensions, Guterres warned against economic conflicts, stating, "When we enter into a trade war, I believe, all will lose."
Maritime security teams from Greece’s Diaplous and Britain’s Ambrey began a high-risk operation on Wednesday to evacuate the 22-strong crew of the...
Energy integration between Azerbaijan and Europe, along with opportunities to increase gas supplies was discussed during Energy Minister Parviz Shahba...
A court in Ankara has ordered regulators on Wednesday to block access to Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s X platform...
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office has declared Yale University 'an undesirable' organization on its territory, accusing the American institution...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 9th July, covering the latest developments you need to know....
UN chief António Guterres has urged swift global action on AI governance, calling for the immediate creation of an independent scientific panel. Speaking at the 3rd AI Summit in Paris, he stressed the need for a unified approach to AI regulation to ensure it serves humanity’s best interests.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls on G20 leaders to tackle global crises, push for peace, reform international systems, and take urgent climate action ahead of the Rio Summit. “Our times demand bold leadership and swift solutions,” he urged.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged stronger sanctions and defence support for Ukraine as the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia nears approval.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Shipments of antimony to the United States have jumped to more than 3,800 tonnes in five months via Thailand and Mexico, customs data show, as buyers find back-door routes around Beijing’s export ban on critical minerals bound for the U.S.
From launching 25 % duties on Mexican goods in February to unveiling a 50 % levy on imported copper on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump has fired off a rapid-fire series of tariff moves that has jolted financial markets and unsettled global supply chains.
Russia has confiscated 3.9 trillion roubles (about $50 billion) in company assets since 2022, signalling a decisive shift towards a “fortress Russia” economic model, the Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday.
Maritime security teams from Greece’s Diaplous and Britain’s Ambrey began a high-risk operation on Wednesday to evacuate the 22-strong crew of the Greek-operated Eternity C, after a Houthi drone-and-speed-boat assault off Yemen on Monday killed four sailors and wounded two.
A court in Ankara has ordered regulators on Wednesday to block access to Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s X platform, after it allegedly generated insulting replies about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a criminal offence in Türkiye.
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