Speaking live from Kathmandu, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal Lila Pieters Yahia reported that confirmed fatalities from the August 26 disaster have reached 1,367, with more than 5,100 people still unaccounted for, including 587 foreign nationals. Yahia highlighted ongoing search-and-rescue efforts in flooded hydropower tunnels and pushed for swift international backing of the UN’s $49.6 million flash appeal, framing Nepal’s devastation as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global climate justice and loss-and-damage financing.
Nobel Literature Laureate Wole Soyinka delivered an address in 1993 to the World Conference on Human Rights as a ‘special guest’ of the UN Secretary-General.
The Nigerian writer refuted the notion that human rights are imposed by the West. “We reject those allied categorizations: Western ideas versus the rest. This is a flawed, opportunistic division designed to taint those on the side of freedom with notions of treachery to their own kind and collaboration with the enemy,” he said. “Any suggestion that freedom of expression is a luxury of the West insults the historic struggles of individuals and communities all over the world for the dignity and wellbeing of their kind, for social fulfillment, equality of opportunity, equitable sharing of resources, access to shelter, nourishment and health.”
Standing on the eastern shore of Manhattan Island, on the banks of New York City’s East River, the 18-acre United Nations Headquarters remains both a symbol of peace and a beacon of hope.
The Headquarters consist of four main buildings: the General Assembly building, the Conference Building, the 39-floor Secretariat building, and the Dag Hammarskjold Library.
Architect Niemeyer’s slender Secretariat Building has become the iconic symbol of the United Nations; the slender office tower’s green glass and Vermont Marble shimmer in the sunlight and the water of the East River that while even though permanent in structure appears as an ever-changing entity that is constantly adapting to the atmospheric conditions and the surrounding context. Its modern aesthetic was an intentional decision by Niemeyer and the rest of the collaborating architects as a way in which to symbolize change that embodies a sense of "newness" that sheds light on the optimistic future of the world’s nations working together as one collective body.
Youth activist Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech at the 1992 Earth Summit resonates today as the world grapples with our climate challenge at #COP28.
Decades before Greta Thunberg, Licypriya Kangujam, or Jerome Foster II, 12-year-old Severn Cullis-Suzuki delivered an unprecedented speech at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
The “Earth Summit” had many achievements, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — the precursor to the Paris Agreement – the Convention on Biodiversity and a set of ‘Rio Principles’ for sustainable development.
“You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you: please, make you actions reflect your words,” says Severn, the daughter of environmental activist David Suzuki.
“Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers, reporters or politicians,” she says in her timeless appeal, as applicable to current international meetings as it was the 1992 gathering. “But really, you’re mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, and all of you are someone’s child.”
Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s full speech at the 1992 Earth Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGdS8ts63Ck
“Events of these last years have made the world painfully aware that the Palestinian people and the recognition and implementation of their rights are the key to any solution in the Middle East,” says then-United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim at the founding commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Utilizing material from the UN Audiovisual Library, this production was created using historical footage from the era of the establishment of the International Day.
In 1953, the United Nations elected Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit as the eighth President of the UN General Assembly, making her the first woman ever elected to the position.
A prominent Indian politician and nationalist, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was also the first Indian woman to hold a cabinet position in India before the country gained independence.
A leading diplomat in newly independent India, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit served as India’s Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1947–49), the United States and Mexico (1949–51), and Spain (1958–61), and as India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1955–61).
In 1979, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was appointed as India’s representative to the UN Commission on Human Rights. She was also an honorary fellow of Somerville College.
Drawing on material from the United Nations Audiovisual Library, this feature offers a glimpse into the moment Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit delivered her inaugural address after being elected President of the UN General Assembly.
Her message emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and preventing threats to peace, the vital role of women at the United Nations, and the urgent need for international cooperation in the face of global challenges.
Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev was rumoured to have banged his shoe on his delegation’s desk during a UN General Assembly meeting on 12 October 1960.
Utilizing material from the UN Audiovisual Library, this production explores the moment as captured by UN media coverage and asks: Is the legend fact or fiction? #unga
The United Nations convened the First Session of the General Assembly on 10 January 1946 in London, England. Delegates representing 51 nations attended the session, wherein the scope and purpose of the United Nations was defined.
Utilizing material from the UN Audiovisual Library, this production offers a glimpse into the environment, proceedings, and addresses delivered at the First Session.
Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn was a tireless advocate for children’s rights.
Soon after becoming a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1988, she went on a mission to Ethiopia, where years of drought and civil strife had caused terrible famine. After visiting UNICEF emergency operations, Audrey talked about the projects to media in the United States, Canada and Europe over several weeks, giving as many as 15 interviews a day.
In 1989, Audrey Hepburn gave this passionate speech as world leaders adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The United Nations General Assembly requests that delegates limit their addresses to 15 minutes. On 26 September 1960, Fidel Castro of Cuba remained on the rostrum for 269 minutes, making his address the longest timed speech in General Assembly history.
Delivered just one year after the Cuban Revolution that led to the overthrow of the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista, Castro used his time on the rostrum to criticize U.S. imperialism and its interference in Latin American affairs and to accuse the United States of supporting authoritarian regimes in the region.
Utilizing material from the UN Audiovisual Library, this production offers a unique view into pivotal moments of this historic event.
