Almost 10% of all people went hungry in 2020
World hunger "shot up" during the pandemic, leaving nearly 1-in-10 people undernourished mostly in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Global Issues
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Bachelet calls pandemic key test for leaders
The U.N. human rights chief opened the Human Rights Council's summer session urging leaders to correct the many inequalities laid bare by the pandemic.
Nearly 3 million more displaced people from wars and conflicts
Despite the pandemic, the number of people fleeing for safety around the world rose to almost 82.4 million last year.
G-7 takes on pandemic, climate and China's role
The G-7 summit wrapped up with vows to end the pandemic, fight climate change and incorporate U.S. President Biden's pledge to “build back better."
Experts urge policy nexus to nature, climate crises
The planet's massive losses of species and rising temperatures are driven by human activities that must be tackled together, two organizations reported.
New compact boosts marine protected areas
Five nations announced a new alliance to promote more conservation of marine ecosystems in the fight against climate change.
WHO chief urges treaty and 'lot of work'
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus closed out the World Health Assembly with a warning against complacency and an appeal for a global pandemic treaty.
Landmark climate ruling in Dutch court
Climate activists used the 2015 Paris Agreement to win a Dutch court ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut carbon emissions nearly in half this decade.
IEA sees narrow path to 2050 net zero
Paris-based IEA advised that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius requires an immediate and massive transformation of all energy systems.
Expert panel says pandemic was preventable
An independent expert panel faulted the World Health Organization and world leaders with a slow-moving response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Facebook-backed digital currency reboots
Facebook's global digital currency project is abandoning Switzerland as its hoped-for regulatory home and planning to launch a U.S.-based payment system.
WHO grants emergency use of China's Sinopharm
WHO added a Chinese shot to its list of COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use, providing COVAX another option to broaden vaccine access.
Methane cuts urged as cheaper climate path
A new U.N. report recommended methane emissions cuts as the most efficient way of preventing another 0.3 degrees Celsius of global warming.
U.S. and WTO chief push IP vaccine waiver
The United States and WTO chief backed waivers to vaccine patent protections aimed at speeding efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic.
E-commerce rises to 19% of all retail purchases
Global online sales among seven major economies jumped to almost one-fifth of all retail sales last year during the pandemic, UNCTAD reported.
WHO lists Moderna vaccine for emergency use
WHO listed Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, the fifth such designation since the pandemic began and another step towards global access.