Remarks by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the 74th plenary meeting of the 80th session of the General Assembly on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
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António Guterres, said, “Racial discrimination is a violation of human rights and human dignity. It is a learned behaviour that is both pervasive and deeply destructive.”
He also said, , “I am deeply troubled by how racism and xenophobia are being mainstreamed on digital platforms and in political discourse. What might begin with dog whistles — coded messages meant to embolden other bigots — can quickly turn into full-throated hate speech. We know where this road leads: to further injustice, violence, and even worse. The remedy is solidarity. Governments, institutions, businesses and communities must work together to safeguard the dignity, justice, equality, and rights of every person.”
After nearly 10 years of negotiations, the EU and Australia have reached a major free trade agreement.
Tariffs are cut, trade is set to grow, and cooperation expands on security, supply chains, and innovation.
Source: United Kingdom UK Parliament (video statements)
Housing Minister quizzed on leasehold reform – Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Description: Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, faces questions from the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee over the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.
Witnesses:
Matthew Pennycook MP – Minister of State for Housing and Planning at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Caroline Crowther – Director of Leasehold, Private Rented Sector and Digital at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rachel Rayner – Deputy Director of Leasehold, Commonhold, Rent-charges & HMLR Sponsorship at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
"We have concluded the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. And it is such a win for both sides." – Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visits Australia from March 23-25 to strengthen EU ties with a trusted, like-minded partner in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region.
In her statement at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 24 March, President Ursula von der Leyen announced the conclusion of the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement, praising its mutual benefits such as tariff-free exports for Australian goods and increased service opportunities.
For the EU, this expands Europe’s trade network, promises growth in exports, and saves significant tariffs. She emphasised the importance of collaborative resilience, particularly in trade, security, and critical raw materials.
President von der Leyen also welcomed negotiations for Australia to join the Horizon Europe programme, enhancing research cooperation. The partnership reflects shared values in democracy, climate goals, and protecting future generations.
For the full transcript of the President’s statement, see here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_26_693
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Artificial intelligence in the analysis of economic narratives, forecasting, and risk assessment.
This biennial conference provides a forum for new theoretical and applied work on forecasting with an aim to put new insights into practice. Under the title “Artificial intelligence in economic narratives, forecasting and risk assessments”, the forthcoming edition focuses on the use of AI algorithms for economic analysis, exploring how these methods are transforming the way economists understand and interpret economic phenomena.
As artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques rapidly evolve, they offer unprecedented opportunities to analyse complex economic relationships, detect patterns in high-dimensional data, and uncover structural dynamics that traditional methods may overlook. The conference aims to address both the potential and the challenges of AI-driven economic analysis in an environment characterized by high economic, financial, and political risks. One session of the conference is co-organized with the Financial Transactions "Big Data" Global Research Network (FTGRN).
UNICEF senior official Ted Chaiban told reporters that 118 children have been killed and 372 more have been injured in Lebanon since the escalation began –“the equivalent of a classroom of children every day that’s either killed or injured.”
UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban briefed reporters on his recent visit to Lebanon.
He said, “Twenty-three days into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, children across the region are paying a devastating price. A further descent into a wider and more protracted conflict would be catastrophic for millions more.”
According the UNICEF, more than 2,100 children have been killed or injured, including 206 children killed in Iran, 118 in Lebanon, four children killed in Israel and one in Kuwait. “These are the reported figures and they are expected to rise as the violence continues. That’s an average of approximately 87 children either killed or injured every day since the beginning of the war,” Chaiban added.
The UNICEF deputy chief also said, “alongside the dead and the wounded, we are witnessing rapid displacement across several countries, driven by relentless bombardments and evacuation orders that have emptied communities and entire urban areas.”
He continued, “In Iran, there are estimates of up to 3.2 million people that have been displaced, including 864,000 children. In Lebanon, more than a million people are displaced, including 400,000 children, making up nearly one third of the displaced. Many families are taking refuge in public buildings, including schools. 90,000 Syrians have returned to Syria since the onset of the conflict, alongside several thousand Lebanese.”
“Across the Middle East, around 44.8 million children were already living in conflict affected settings before this war and the consequences of what is unfolding now will be long lasting for them,” Chaiban said.
The UNICEF deputy chief highlighted that more than 350 public schools are used as shelters, disrupting the education for around 100,000 students.
He said, “though efforts are on the way to provide online education and other ways to access children with learning and teaching, as we know schools provide more than learning. They offer structure, protection and continuity. So when schools are closed, are repurposed, those stabilizing elements are lost.”
UNICEF and Partners have been responding to the crisis, Chaiban said, adding that the Fund has reached 151,000 IDPs in more than 250 shelters, and in hard-to-reach areas with essential non-food items.
“We’re providing water and sanitation support to 188 of the shelters out of the 600, serving around 46,000 people. We’ve pre-positioned high energy biscuits, ready to use complementary foods to prevent wasting among children. Some 13,000 children in shelters have received education and learning materials,” he added.
On funding gap, the UNICEF deputy chief said, “the UN issued a flash appeal for $308 million. The UNICEF portion of that’s required is 48.2 million. This is three-month flash appeal. And yet for both the UN and for UNICEF, there’s about an 85 percent funding gap. So, you know, a key demand is for support to be able to sustain the response, but also essential services that are critical for the population, and for the displaced in particular.”
The children’s fund called for “a cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” reminding all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Chaiban said, “as the Secretary-General has indicated, we need a de-escalation and a political way forward to this war.”
He also called for “safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access” to support missions that are being undertaken to go south and the urgent financial support to sustain the response.
Press briefing by AU / Africa Group, led by Ghana, on the proposed resolution to be tabled and considered in the GA on Wednesday, 25th March during the GA commemorative event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Video message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the International Day of Zero Waste (30 March 2026).
"The world wastes far too much food.
Every day, we throw away enough to prepare 1 billion meals — while letting 9 percent of humanity go hungry.
We are putting our climate, ecosystems and health at risk.
And threatening our ability to feed ourselves in the future.
That’s why this year’s International Day of Zero Waste spotlights the mounting food waste crisis — and calls on each of us to take action.
Consumers can make a big impact with small changes in their shopping and cooking habits.
Retailers can optimize their operations and redistribute surplus food.
Cities can scale organic waste separation and strengthen procurement for schools and hospitals.
And national governments can drive systemic change by addressing food waste in their climate
action and biodiversity plans and forging public-private partnerships.
Through initiatives like the Food Waste Breakthrough and No Organic Waste, both launched at
COP30, we can halve food waste by 2030, cut its methane emissions by up to 7 percent, and
build circular, resilient food systems.
Beyond protecting our planet, these efforts will create green jobs;
Reduce food insecurity and climate impacts;
And prevent up to 1 trillion US dollars in economic losses each year.
We cannot take food for granted.
Together, let’s build the zero-waste food systems we need to nourish both people and planet."
More info:https://www.un.org/en/observances/zero-waste-day
