The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a coronavirus resolution on Wednesday, after more than three months of deadlock over a response to the crisis, dpa reports. The text backs UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' 23 March call for a global ceasefire so that the world can concentrate on tackling the outbreak.

 A donor conference on Yemen was set to kick off on Tuesday as the United Nations aspires to shore up financial support for aid operations in the war-torn country. The video pledging event is co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, which is leading a military alliance fighting Iran-linked rebels in Yemen, and the United Nations.

The World Health Organiяation (WHO) appealed for more flight capacity on Tuesday to step up shipments of diagnostic tests and protective equipment to areas where COVID-19 is spreading, especially Latin America.

The UN human rights office voiced concern on Monday about more than a dozen countries that have declared states of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic where police have arrested or detained hundreds of thousands of people and killed others.

Countries must “double-down” on their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, the UN health agency said on Wednesday, after announcing that the global emergency can now be described as a pandemic. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the announcement as “a call to action – for everyone, everywhere,” if they are to stand a chance of stemming the disease spread.

The European Union alongside the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have organised a high-level International Solidarity Conference in Brussels for 28-29 October to discuss having a more concerted and robust policy for Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

The world must dramatically rethink its economic model in order to tackle growing environmental stress, inequality and development challenges, the UN said Wednesday, calling for a "Global Green New Deal". In a fresh report, the UN trade, investment and development agency (UNCTAD) called for countries to join forces and enable trillions of dollars in public sector investments to help reboot the global economy and counter climate change.

China and the United States are currently deadlocked over an UN resolution to extend a mission in Afghanistan, with Beijing signaling it will cast a veto because there is no reference to its Belt and Road project, diplomats told Reuters on Monday.

Russia and China have asked the United Nations' Security Council to meet on Thursday over "statements by US officials on their plans to develop and deploy medium-range missiles". Moscow and Beijing want to convene the 15-member council under the agenda item "threats to international peace and security", a request obtained by Reuters news agency shows.

Libya’s internationally recognized government, which is facing a campaign by eastern troops to take the capital, has accepted a United Nations proposal for a ceasefire during the Eid al-Adha religious holiday, Reuters said, citing a statement released on Friday.