Around the globe, “peace is the missing piece” as conflicts rage, divisions grow and polarization deepens, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday.

Nearly 100 people have died or disappeared crossing the Central and Eastern Mediterranean so far this year – more than twice the number for the same period in 2023, the deadliest year for migrants at sea in Europe since 2016, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday. 

Developing countries must lead efforts to reform outdated international institutions and frameworks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to the third summit of the Group of 77 (G-77) and China, which opened on Sunday in Kampala, Uganda.

With the annual average global temperature fast approaching the critical threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, last year officially smashed the global temperature record, the UN weather agency (WMO) confirmed on Friday.

The UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects report for 2024 projects a slowdown in global growth from an estimated 2.7 per cent in 2023 to 2.4 per cent in 2024.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is ripe to help resolve certain major problems in Africa, from farming to the health sector, but Senegalese expert Seydina Moussa Ndiaye is warning of a new “colonization” of the continent by this new technology if foreign companies continue to feed on African data without involving local actors.

Halting unsustainable consumption and production which have contributed to the decline of biodiversity and the health of the world’s marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems was central to the establishment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The global push for a safer, greener and more just world, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, has reached its halfway mark, but what progress has been made so far?

Investing more in women and girls’ education, safety and economic and social empowerment will speed the drive towards gender parity. That’s according to Academy Award-winning actor, director and activist Natalie Portman.

Nations at COP28 in Dubai approved earlier on Wednesday a roadmap for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” – a first for a UN climate conference – but the deal still stopped short of a long-demanded call for a “phaseout” of oil, coal and gas.