International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2025; March 25th.

FORUM: “The safety of everyone who works with the United Nations is our top priority.” International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2025. During this day, we invite you to draw attention to the risks faced by United Nations staff and peacekeepers and their colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press. Join the conversation by following the hashtags #25march; #UNStaffDay.

EVENTS: On March 25th, a webinar to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2025 will be held at UNHQ. On this International Day, let us stand in solidarity with all detained colleagues and pledge to protect all United Nations personnel as they work to advance peace and human rights, protect the planet and build a better future for all. The observance is organized by the Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service and the United Nations Staff Union. Register to participate!

STATEMENTS: “Today is a solemn reminder of the grave risks facing our staff members as they carry out their vital work under the United Nations flag.” Read the full Statement from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members 2025; March 25th.

International Day for the Right to the truth concerning the gross human rights violations 2025; March 24th.

FORUM: "Advancing the Rights of the victims." International Day for the Right to the truth concerning the gross human rights violations 2025. The United Nations welcomes this recognition of the unique suffering of victims of human rights violations, not only at the time of abuse, but long after as they seek truth, acknowledgement, and justice. During the day, Participants will be able to debate on the topic ’’What amounts to ‘a serious violation of international human rights law’?’’. On this commemorative day and every day, we emphasize the right to truth and pay tribute to those who devote their lives to the human rights of all. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #24March, #Dignityforvictims, #Humanrightsviolations, #RighttotheTruthDay.

EVENTS: A minute of silence to pay tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980.

On March 24th, the International Day will be observed worldwide. The organizers, panelists and participants will have the opportunity to reinforce the commitments to end the cycle of impunity and the possibility to learn how to fight for the respect of human rights for all. The OHCHR upholds this commitment to the right to truth every day, and urge the international community to add their powerful voice to advocate for justice and reparations for victims and to bring perpetrators to justice. Join us for the commemoration of the International Day for the Rights to the truth concerning the Gross Human Rights Violations 2025 at UNHQ in New york and Geneva!

Professional Training series: The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is the first universally legally binding human rights instrument concerning enforced disappearance. It outlines States parties’ obligations vis-à-vis this phenomenon as well as the victims’ fundamental rights. Ten years after the adoption of the Convention, there is still work to do to eradicate and prevent enforced disappearances in all parts of the world.

• Reporting under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance: Training Guide (Part I – Manual)
• Reporting under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance: Training Guide (Part II – Training package)

STATEMENTS: Statement from the U.N. Secretary-General on the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2025; March 24th.

Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Bernard Duhaime on the observance of the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2025; March 24th.

“Recent events marked by the end of repression or conflict in some countries demonstrate that in the face of systematic abuse, the quest of victims and their families for truth and justice will always prevail,” Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, said today. Commemorating the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, Duhaime expressed his recognition and support for the courage, resilience and dignity of victims. “I stand in solidarity with victims of gross human rights violations and call on States to put in place the mechanisms and procedures that can enable them to know about the violations they or their relatives have endured,” Duhaime said. The expert highlighted that Truth commissions play a pivotal role in uncovering the facts, providing a platform for victims’ voices, and fostering accountability. “By investigating, transmitting clear and accurate accounts of past violations and preserving a historical record of atrocities, truth commissions contribute to achieving justice, providing reparation to victims, and preventing future violations,” Duhaime added. Noting that members and staff of truth commissions are subject to criminalization, intimidation or threats to their life, health or safety, in various parts of the world, the expert called on States to take more robust measures to protect them, including by affording them the necessary privileges and immunities associated to their roles. “At the time when human rights are being sidelined and multilateralism increasingly being challenged, clear, full and strong support to the work of national and international truth and accountability mechanisms becomes ever more critical,” Duhaime added. The UN expert also expressed deep concern over the growing global challenges of negationism, revisionism and politicization with regard to gross violations of human rights. “Instances of weaponization of truth by political or sectarian interests that seek to rekindle violence or obtain political gain are sadly becoming common place. Denial of past grievances constitutes an active human rights violation and a strong indicator of future violence. Responses must be rights-based, address the dissemination of false information and promote the work of national or international accountability and truth-seeking mechanisms”, the UN expert concluded. 

ENDS The expert: Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice,reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

 Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR. Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index.

World Tuberculosis Day 2025, March 24th.

FORUM: "Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver." World Tuberculosis Day 2025. This year’s theme is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability.TB continues to devastate millions globally, inflicting severe health, social, and economic consequences.

Commit: World leaders at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting pledged to accelerate efforts to end TB. Now, we need real action: rapid implementation of WHO guidance and policies, strengthened national strategies, and full funding.

Invest: TB cannot be defeated without proper financing. We need a bold, diversified approach to fund innovation, to close gaps in access to TB prevention, treatment and care, as well as to advance research and innovation.

Deliver: Turning commitments into action means scaling up proven WHO-recommended interventions: early detection, diagnosis, preventive treatment, and high-quality TB care, particularly for drug-resistant TB. Success depends on community leadership, civil society action, and cross-sector collaboration.

EVENT; From 13:30 to 16:00 CET; Online Talk Show: Act now. Invest now. Deliver now. Together, yes we can end TB. Register to Participate!

The WHO calls for urgent action to address worldwide disruptions in tuberculosis services putting millions of lives at risk.

On the occasion on World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, March 24th, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for an urgent investment of resources to protect and maintain tuberculosis (TB) care and support services for people in need across regions and countries. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for over 1 million deaths annually bringing devastating impacts on families and communities.

Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 79 million lives since 2000. However, the drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding happening now are threatening to reverse these gains. Rising drug resistance especially across Europe and the ongoing conflicts across the Middle-East, Africa and Eastern Europe, are further exacerbating the situation for the most vulnerable.

Under the theme ''Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver'' the World Tuberculosis Day 2025 campaign highlights a rallying cry for urgency, and accountability and hope. “The huge gains the world has made against TB over the past 20 years are now at risk as cuts to funding start to disrupt access to services for prevention, screening, and treatment for people with TB,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But we cannot give up on the concrete commitments that world leaders made at the UN General Assembly just 18 months ago to accelerate work to end TB. WHO is committed to working with all donors, partners and affected countries to mitigate the impact of funding cuts and find innovative solutions.”

Funding: threat to global TB efforts

Early reports to WHO reveal that severe disruptions in the TB response are seen across several of the highest-burden countries following the funding cuts. Countries in the WHO African Region are experiencing the greatest impact, followed by countries in the WHO South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions. Twenty seven countries are facing crippling breakdowns in their TB response, with devastating consequences, such as:

• Human resource shortages undermining service delivery;
• Diagnostic services severely disrupted, delaying detection and treatment;
• Data and surveillance systems collapsing, compromising disease tracking and management;
• Community engagement efforts, including active case finding, screening, and contact tracing, deteriorating, leading to delayed diagnoses and increased transmission risks.

Nine countries report failing TB drug procurement and supply chains, jeopardizing treatment continuity and patient outcomes.

The 2025 funding cuts further exacerbate an already existing underfunding for global TB response. In 2023, only 26% of the US$ 22 billion annually needed for TB prevention and care was available, leaving a massive shortfall. TB research is in crisis, receiving just one-fifth of the US$ 5 billion annual target in 2022 – severely delaying advancements in diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. WHO is leading efforts to accelerate TB vaccine development through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, but progress remains at risk without urgent financial commitments.
Joint statement with civil society

In response to the urgent challenges threatening TB services worldwide, WHO’s Director-General and Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis have issued a decisive statement. The joint statement released this week, demands immediate, coordinated efforts from governments, global health leaders, donors, and policymakers to prevent further disruptions. The statement outlines five critical priorities:

• Addressing TB service disruptions urgently, ensuring responses match the crisis's scale;
• Securing sustainable domestic funding, guaranteeing uninterrupted and equitable access to TB prevention and care;
• Safeguarding essential TB services, including access to life-saving drugs, diagnostics, treatment and social protections, alongside cross-sector collaboration;
• Establishing or revitalizing national collaboration platforms, fostering alliances among civil society, NGOs, donors, and professional societies to tackle challenges;
• Enhancing monitoring and early warning systems to assess real-time impact and detect disruptions early.

“This urgent call is timely and underscores the necessity of swift, decisive action to sustain global TB progress and prevent setbacks that could cost lives,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health. “Investing in ending TB is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity – every dollar spent on prevention and treatment yields an estimated US$ 43 in economic returns.”

New guidance on TB and lung health

As one of the solutions to combating growing resource constraints, WHO is driving the integration of TB and lung health within primary healthcare as a sustainable solution. New technical guidance released by WHO outlines critical actions across the care continuum, focusing on prevention, early detection of TB and comorbidities, optimized management at first contact and improved patient follow-up. The guidance also promotes better use of existing health systems, addressing shared risk factors such as overcrowding, tobacco, undernutrition and environmental pollutants.

By tackling TB determinants alongside communicable and non-communicable diseases, lung conditions, and disabilities through a unified strategy, WHO aims to reinforce the global response and drive lasting improvements in health outcomes. On World TB Day, WHO calls on everyone: individuals, communities, societies, donors and governments, to do their part to end TB. Without concerted action from all stakeholders, the TB response will be decimated, reversing decades of progress, putting millions of lives at risk and threatening health security.

TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for over 1 million deaths annually bringing devastating impacts on families and communities.

ACTIVITIES: Global #EndTBRun Challenge.

From 24 February to 31 March 2025. Join the Global #EndTBRun Challenge.

 

PUBLICATION: World TB Day 2025: Advocacy and communication toolkit.
This toolkit contains materials and resources which can be used in the lead-up to and during World TB Day 2025 to support your activities and outreach.

World Meteorological Day 2025, March 23rd.

FORUM: "Closing the Early Warning Gap Together." World Meteorological Day 2025. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #closingtheearlywarninggapTogether, #worldmetday, #23march, #metrorologists, #climatologists, #hydrologists, #meteorology.

EVENT:  On March 24th, from 15:00 - 17:00, at WMO Headquarters will be held a ceremony to mark the World Meteorological Day 2025. 

Celebrations of the World Meteorological Day will take place worldwide, with events organized by NMHSs on the theme “Closing the early warning gap together”. Halfway through the Early Warnings for All Initiative called by UNSG at World Meteorological Day 2022 and launched at COP28, WMO looks into the global collaboration to achieve the initiative by 2027. Three main channels of collaboration are scaling-up collaboration in the delivery of the pillar 2 of the EW4All (Detection, observations, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of hazards):

• Innovating together - Together to scale-up technologies
• Standing together -Together to foster collaboration in countries
• Investing together - Together to mobilize and share resources

The ceremony will be live-illustrated by Carlotta Cataldi, visual harvester. The World Meteorological Day ceremony will unfold as follows:

Panel part 1 - Official addresses: "Together to foster collaboration among countries"

Where are the gaps and how can we foster collaboration among countries? How does it all start to implement early warnings and how can countries learn from each other? How to implement road maps without overlapping with other actors involved?

• Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO – Welcome address
• H.E. Mr Juerg Lauber, Permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office at Geneva
• H.E. Mr Mxolisi Nkosi, Permanent representative of South Africa to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on bringing countries together for G20
• H.E. Mr Tovar da Silva Nunes, Permanent representative of Brazil to the United Nations Office at Geneva, on bringing countries together for COP30

Panel part 2 - Innovating together - Together to scale-up technologies

What are the gaps and how can we close them by scaling-up technologies together? How can we improve observations, satellites and scale-up AI and machine learning for better forecasts? How does it all start to implement early warnings and how can countries learn from each other? How to implement road maps without overlapping with other actors involved?

Speakers: 

Ms Maureen Ahiataku, Principal Meteorologist at Ghana Meteorological Agency. Ghana just validated their EW4All roadmap and implemented CAP Alerts. The story of a new narrative around collaborating to close the early warning gap.

• Mr Florian Pappenberger, ECMWF Deputy Director-General & Director of Forecasts on how technology and AI improves weather prediction.
• Ms Soma Sen Roy, Meteorologist at the National Weather Forecasting Centre of India Meteorological Department, to talk about recent innovations for closing the early warning gap in India and the region.
• Ms Thelma Cinco – Chief of climatology and hydrometeorology at PAGASA (Philippines), and MIBFEWS project leader, on improving the understanding of impact in the last mile.

Panel part 3 - Investing together – Together to mobilize and share resources

Why investing in early warnings and how much does it cost to close the early warning gap? What is the interest of businesses to invest in early warnings? How can we scale-up South-South cooperation?
Speakers:

• Mr Yi Wang, Director of World Meteorological Center Beijing Operation Office, on South-South financial support.
• Ms Carolina Fuentes Castellanos, Director of the Santiago Network Secretariat. WMO recently joined the Santiago Network, on the importance of networks to close the early warning gap.
• Mr Niels Holm-Nielsen, Global Technical Lead for Resilience and Disaster Risk Management, World Bank, on financial contribution to close the early warning gap.

Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on World Meteorological Day 2025, March 23rd.

The dark predictions of meteorologists are coming to pass. Our climate is going up in flames. Every one of the last ten years has been the hottest in recorded history. Ocean heat is breaking records. And every country is feeling the effects – whether scorched by fires, swept by floods, or pummelled by unprecedented storms.

The theme of this year’s World Meteorological Day – Closing the Early Warning Gap Together – reminds us that, in this new climate reality, early warning systems are not luxuries. They are necessities and sound investments – providing an almost ten-fold return. Yet, almost half the world’s countries still lack access to these life-saving systems. It is disgraceful that, in a digital age, lives and livelihoods are being lost because people have no access to effective early warning systems.

The United Nations Early Warnings for All initiative aims for everyone, everywhere to be protected by an alert system by 2027. The world must come together, and urgently scale-up action and investment, to realize this goal.

We need high-level political support for the Initiative within countries, a boost in technology support, greater collaboration between governments, businesses and communities, and a major effort to scale-up finance. Increasing the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks is key. The Pact for the Future agreed last year made important strides forward, it must be delivered in full. So must the COP29 finance outcome.

At the same time, we must intensify our efforts to tackle the climate crisis at source – through rapid and deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions – to prevent it getting unimaginably worse. This year all countries must honour the promise to deliver new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In an era of climate disaster, every person on Earth must be protected by an early warning system as a matter of justice. Together, let’s deliver.

United Nations Secretary-General.

Statement by Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, President of WMO, on the occasion of World Meteorological Day 2025, March 23rd.


On World Meteorological Day, March 23, 2022, the United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres announced a landmark commitment:

“The United Nations will take the lead in new actions to ensure that everyone on the planet is protected by early warning systems within the next five years.”
Early Warnings For All seeks to reach everyone with early warning systems by the end of 2027.

We are now at the halfway point and much progress has been made. As of end of 2024, 108 countries report having some capacity for multi-hazard early warning systems. This is more than double the 52 countries in 2015.
However much remains to be done.

Today, I emphasize three critical gaps that we must continue to must be address through strengthened collective efforts.

1. Bridging the Capacity Gap Among WMO Members

There are still significant capacity gaps among WMO Members. On behalf of the World Meteorological Organization, I call upon global stakeholders—including the UN, international and regional development agencies, and national governments—to work together by providing the necessary resources and support to help these vulnerable nations establish effective early warning systems as soon as possible.

2. Closing the Technical and Collaboration Gap Within WMO

The rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence is transforming meteorological forecasting and disaster monitoring. Leading global centers, such as ECMWF, and several NMHSs have already integrated AI into their operational systems. However, disparities remain among WMO Members technical capacity to take advantages of these rapid and exciting advancements.

I urge all WMO constituent bodies—particularly the Technical Commissions, Research Board, and Regional Associations—to work together to bridge these collaboration and technical gaps. By embracing emerging technologies like AI, we can develop new standards, guidelines, and best practices that will empower all Members, especially those most vulnerable, to enhance disaster monitoring, early warning, and forecasting, particularly for extreme weather events.

In this regard, I also call for strengthened strategic guidance, progress oversight, and high-level coordination from Congress and the Executive Council to ensure WMO’s strongest contribution to the UN Early Warnings for All initiative.

3. Strengthening Collaboration Across the Four Pillars of Early Warning Systems

The Early Warnings for All initiative is built upon four foundational pillars:Disaster Risk Knowledge and Management – jointly led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and WMO.
Detection, Observation, Monitoring, Analysis, and Forecasting – led by WMO.
Warning Dissemination and Communication – led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Preparedness and Response Capabilities – led by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Numerous other UN and international organizations also play a crucial role in the development of early warning systems. The Early Warnings for All initiative is a groundbreaking effort that not only advances technical early warning capabilities but also fosters stronger cooperation across these four pillars. The goal is to create a fully integrated UN value chain together—saving lives and mitigating economic losses.

At the national level, it is equally important to close collaboration gaps among government agencies. True disaster risk reduction and prevention can only be achieved through well-coordinated, multi-sectoral early warning systems. I urge WMO and its Members to proactively engage with relevant UN organizations, international partners, and national agencies to develop comprehensive and effective early warning systems. Furthermore, NMHSs should actively promote the significant economic and social benefits of early warning systems to their governments and the public.

Conclusion

Early Warnings for All make economic sense. On a global scale, every US$ 1 invested in early warnings is estimated to result in US$ 9 in net economic benefits. In some regions it’s even higher.

I sincerely encourage all WMO Members to intensify their efforts and achieve significant progress in Closing the Early Warning Gap Together. Through enhanced collaboration, innovation, and commitment, we can build a safer and more resilient world for all.

President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

World Water Day 2025; March 22nd.

EVENTS: This year World Water Day, on the theme of “Glacier Preservation”, will be marked with an event at United Nations Headquarters in New York which will also celebrate the inaugural World Day for Glaciers The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are co-coordinators of the World Water Day 2025 Task Force, the World Day for Glaciers, and the 2025 as International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, which initiates the start of the Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science (2025–2034).

To maximize attention on the critical issue of rapidly melting glaciers and their impact on billions of people’s lives, the World Water Day 2025 theme - “Glacier Preservation” - is in support of the first-ever World Day for Glaciers.

A joint celebration event will take place on Friday 21 March, on the eve of World Water Day (March 22nd), at UN Headquarters, hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations, and supported by the Permanent UN Missions of Canada, Republic of Peru, Republic of Singapore, Swiss Confederation, and United Arab Emirates, UNESCO, WMO, UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)

At the event, high-level speakers and panel discussions will focus on key issues around glacier preservation, and the agenda will include the presentation of the “United Nations World Water Development Report 2025: Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers”, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water, with its production coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme.

World Day for Glaciers & World Water Day 2025 Celebration in New York
21 March 2025, 10:00 to 13:00 (EST)
UNHQ, Trusteeship Council Chamber, New York, USANew York, USA
Get the Tentative agenda!


There will be a range of global events to mark World Water Day 2025, including:

World Day for Glaciers & World Water Day 2025 Celebration in  Paris.
Brainstorming session on the decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (20th) followed by high-level talks and discussions and presentation of the “United Nations World Water Development Report 2025: Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers”
20-21 March 2025
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
Register here.
Tentative agenda.

“World Water Day 2025: Water and Glaciers – From Science to Policy” - webinar.
Bringing together experts to discuss the latest scientific findings, policy responses, social initiatives, and innovative solutions for glacier conservation.
20 March 2025, 13:30 to 15:00 CET
Register here.
More information.

Bridging Gender Gaps in Water Governance - webinar.
This World Water Day side-event highlights the critical need for gender equity in water security.
21 March 2025, 15:00 to 16:30 CET
Register here.

“Glaciers and Groundwater Interactions: Challenges in a Changing Climate” - webinar.
Expert overviews and case studies on the importance of groundwater in storing glacial meltwater. Panel discussions on future solutions and research needed.
21 March 2025, 14:00 to 15:30 CET
Join webinar.

World Water Day Webinar: Preserving Glaciers and Water Towers | Celebrating 200 Years of Relations between Chile and the Netherlands.
Marking World Water Day 2025, this event will bring together experts and policymakers to discuss glacier and water tower preservation, highlighting their role in climate resilience and sustainable development.
24 March 2025, 14:00 CET
Register here.

Water and Climate Issues in Central Asia: The Role of Remote Sensing – webinar.
This event explores how remote sensing helps people cope with the risk of glacial lake outbursts and other impacts of rapid glacier melting in Central Asia.
24 March 2025, 12:00-13:00 GMT
Register here.

Climate Change and Water Security: A Global, Regional and Local Approach to Resilience - webinar.
Commemorating World Water Day 2025, this event will discuss the challenges and solutions related to water security in the context of climate change adaptation.
25 March 2025, 13:00 CET
Register here.
More information.

PUBLICATION: The 2025 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report  entitled ''Mountains and glaciers - Water towers.'' highlighted the importance of mountain waters, including alpine glaciers, which are vital for meeting basic human needs such as water supply and sanitation. They are also essential to ensuring food and energy security to billions of people living in and around mountain regions and areas downstream. They also support economic growth through various water-reliant industries. As the ‘water towers’ of the world, mountains are an essential source of fresh water. They store water in the form of ice and snow during cold seasons, releasing it during warmer seasons as a major source of fresh water for users downstream. Mountains play a unique and critical role in the global water cycle, and they affect atmospheric circulation, which drives weather and precipitation patterns. Speaking to reporters at the launch of the report on (March 21st) Bhanu Neupane, Process Coordinator for the UNESCO World Water Development Report said, “The facts are clear. We are not just approaching a global water crisis. 

We are already living it.” “Solutions do exist,” the UNESCO official said, reiterating that “we must invest in better water monitoring and management. We must strengthen international cooperation, primarily to bring a new era of multilateral and multi-stakeholder collaboration. We must act now, because climate change is accelerating, water crisis and delays will cost lives.” 

Neupane also said, “mountains are not just landscape. They are the lifeline of our planet. The water sustains billions of people.” He concluded, “the water security is not a future problem but it exists now; and mountains are dramatically changing. The question is whether or not we will change with the mountains.”

Watch the United Nations World Water Development Report - Press Conference!

For billions of people, mountain meltwater is essential for drinking water and sanitation, food and energy security, and the integrity of the environment. But today, as the world warms, glaciers are melting faster than ever, making the water cycle more unpredictable and extreme. And because of glacial retreat, floods, droughts, landslides and sea-level rise are intensifying, with devastating consequences for people and nature. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2025: Mountains and glaciers - Water towers offers solutions to help us simultaneously mitigate and adapt to rapid changes in our frozen water resources. This report provides a clear overview of the current state of play and recommends what needs to change. The urgent need to drastically reduce carbon emissions is emphatically repeated. By detailing the connections between mountain fresh water, essential services and the natural world, this publication highlights the critical importance of conserving the cryosphere to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.



Read the full The United Nations World Water Development Report 2025 "Mountains and Glaciers - Water towers" in| French | Italian.

The Executive summary in Arabic | Chinese | French | German | Hindi | Italian | Korean | Nepali | Portuguese | Russian | Spanish | Vietnamese

The Facts, figures and action examples in| French | Italian | Nepali | Portuguese | Spanish.

World Down Syndrome Day 2025; March 21st.

 

Improving Our Support Systems: An event In commemoration of World Downs Syndrome Day 2025.

This event will bring together persons with Down Syndrome and their families, experts, and advocates to discuss the kinds of support systems needed to ensure that persons with Down Syndrome and their families are welcomed and supported in society.

14th World Down Syndrome Day Conference.

Under The theme "Improve Our Support Systems." Opening of the Conference and Introduction to Theme.

• Improve Our Support Systems: Social Protection and Human Support
• Improve Our Support Systems: Assistive Technology, Housing and Transport

Everyone needs support sometimes.

People with Down syndrome need support to live and be included in the community, like everyone else.

Families also need support, as they are often supporting their family member with Down syndrome.

Support is a key human right that helps make other rights possible.

The support that we need is different for each person.

We have the right to support that meets our needs and gives us choice, control and dignity.

What needs to improve?

Many people with Down syndrome around the world don't get the support they need.

Many countries do not have support systems that meet the needs of people with disabilities and their families.

Or the support systems they have do not respect the human rights of people with disabilities.

Governments must make sure there is a support system, so people with disabilities are included in the community.

A good support system includes:

1. Governance
2. Information and data
3. Social protection
4. Human support
5. Assistive technology
6. Transport
7. Housing

Support systems help make other rights possible.

Related Documents: Programme,

 

 

International Day of Forests and Trees 2025; March 21st.

 

This year's March 21st, International Day of Forests theme, "Forests and Foods," will highlight the role forests play in ensuring global food security, sustaining livelihoods, and promoting biodiversity. The Forests provide a rich variety of food sources, including fruits, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, honey, and wild meat, which are essential for the nutrition and well-being of billions of people, particularly Indigenous and forest-dependent communities.

The event at UN Headquarters will bring together policymakers, researchers, civil society, Indigenous leaders, youth, and major international organizations to discuss innovative and traditional ways forests contribute to food security and sustainable agriculture. The program includes high-level opening remarks, a panel discussion featuring global experts, and statements from member states and stakeholders.

Through this observance, we aim to raise awareness, promote sustainable forest management, and encourage action to protect the crucial relationship between forests and food systems.