United Nations in Ghana

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Ghana:

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Publication

01 April 2025

UN Ghana Annual Results Report 2024

To address multifaceted development challenges, our efforts focused on areas such as transforming food systems, accelerating digital transformation, advancing educational reforms, strengthening peace and security frameworks, tackling climate change, and supporting urbanization and humanitarian preparedness.Our collective work not only aimed to address pressing issues but also to establish a solid foundation for long-term sustainable development, with a continued commitment to the principle of Leaving No One Behind.Additionally, strengthening partnerships and securing financing for the 2030 Agenda remained a focal point, as did efforts to improve UN coherence, effectiveness, and efficiency through the approach of "UN Working More and Better Together."

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09 June 2025

UNESCO Supports “Echoes of the Landfill” Exhibition at Ghana’s Museum of Science and Technology in commemoration of World Environment Day 2025

The exhibition is a collaborative effort by the Museum of Science and Technology (MST) and ArtfullyYours, Bee Arthur Creative Productions for World Environment Day 2025. The exhibition convened six Ghanaian eco-conscious artists—Obed Addo, Beatrice Bee Arthur, Essilfie Banton, Andrea Ghia, and Salim—who excavate the hidden politics within discarded plastic: narratives of colonial residues, neoliberal excess, and quiet acts of African resilience as well as spotlight the urgent issue of waste and its impact on both the environment and human well-being, using art, culture, and science as powerful tools for awareness and change.“Echoes of the Landfill” transformed the museum space into a compelling narrative on environmental degradation, consumer culture, and the hidden legacy of landfills. Through installations made from repurposed and recycled materials, alongside interactive exhibits and multimedia storytelling, visitors were invited to reflect on the journey of waste—from homes and markets to dumping grounds—and its broader implications on ecosystems, health, and heritage. One of the artists, Bee Arthur shared saying “the artists in this exhibition do not recycle—they resurrect trash. Through sculpture, installation, painting, poetry, and photography, they force plastic to confess: as a relic of extractivism, a marker of climate injustice, and paradoxically, a medium for African futurity” “This is NOT an exhibition about waste. It is an intervention in time. A demand to rewrite the lexicon of value: that a bag is not "single-use" but a generational artifact; that those who scavenge are archivists of the Anthropocene” Bee Arthur further echoes. The UNESCO Representative and Chairperson for the occasion, Mr. Edmond Moukala stated that; “Echoes of the Landfill” is a powerful exhibition at the intersection of art, science, and sustainability, compelling audiences to confront the often-overlooked consequences of waste and consumer habits. Using artworks made from discarded materials, gives voice to the silent stories of landfills—reminding us that waste does not vanish but accumulates, leaving lasting imprints on the environment, our health, and future generations. In Ghana, where landfills grow rapidly with plastics, e-waste, and pollutants, this exhibition highlights the urgent need for national reflection on environmental choices and their impacts on urban life and ecosystems. Through its evocative displays, “Echoes of the Landfill” challenges us to rethink the afterlife of our consumption and the legacy we are creating”. “Echoes of the Landfill” opens on the back of an exhibition “Nature Without Humans” by Nii Boi which UNESCO supported at this same museum in 2021 on World Environment Day - a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural world inviting viewers to imagine ecosystems, landscapes, and environments untouched—or recovering—from human impact.The exhibition highlighted the critical role that environmental education, youth engagement, and indigenous knowledge systems play in fostering responsible environmental stewardship. UNESCO emphasized that the integration of culture and creativity into environmental discourse can inspire more inclusive and lasting solutions to global challenges like pollution and climate change.The event brought together students, artists, environmental scientists, policy-makers such as Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie the sector Minister, agencies such as the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and the Creative Arts Agency as well as members of the public, creating a vibrant space for dialogue and learning. In line with the 2025 World Environment Day theme, “Beat Plastic Pollution” the exhibition encouraged visitors to consider how waste impacts land use, biodiversity, and community life, and to imagine alternatives rooted in sustainability, innovation, and collective action.UNESCO commends the Museum of Science and Technology and its partners for curating such a powerful experience that bridges science and culture to provoke critical thought and promote environmental consciousness. By supporting initiatives like “Echoes of the Landfill,” UNESCO continues to advocate for environmental responsibility that is grounded in cultural awareness, education, and participatory engagement—empowering communities to act for a healthier, more sustainable future.

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18 May 2026

Nourishing Futures: US-Funded WFP's Integrated School Feeding Programme in Northern Ghana

Ten-year-old Eliana Akuka, a Class 5 pupil at Supreme Academy in Zebilla, Upper East Region, speaks with striking clarity about the relationship between nutrition and learning."If we do not eat well, we will be hungry and cannot pay attention or participate in class. Aside from eating, we need a balanced diet to grow better, healthier, and stronger. We are happy about the food the World Food Programme provides to us every day in school."Her words capture, with simple precision, the transformative power of school feeding, and the real, everyday difference it makes in the lives of children across Northern Ghana.Eliana is one of 60,000 learners benefiting from an integrated school feeding programme led by the World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Government of Ghana and supported by the United States Government. Grounded in the principle that sustainable school meals represent a high-return on investment in children, education, and communities, the programme operates across 207 low-fee private schools in Northern Ghana, simultaneously improving nutritional outcomes and expanding access to quality education. The integrated model extends well beyond meal provision. By connecting nutrition, education, agriculture, and social protection, it is designed to deliver broader, long-term development impact, strengthening food systems, supporting local economies, and improving educational outcomes in some of Ghana's most vulnerable communities.As the current programme cycle approaches its conclusion in June 2026, WFP led a three-day multi-stakeholder field mission to assess impact and explore opportunities for scaling up. The mission brought together representatives from the Ghana School Feeding Programme, the Ministry of Education, and other key partners, and was led by WFP Country Director Ms. Aurore Rusiga and Ghana School Feeding Programme National Coordinator Hajia Fati Forgor.The team conducted visits to six privately run schools across Tamale, Zebilla, and Gambaga, engaging directly with students, school authorities, caterers, and community members involved in programme implementation."We are here to listen to you," Ms. Rusiga remarked during one of the community engagements, underscoring WFP's commitment to local ownership as the programme enters a critical transition period. Across all locations visited, the evidence was consistent and compelling.Education OutcomesSchools reported measurable improvements in enrolment, attendance, and classroom participation. At Oxford Grammar Academy in Tamale, proprietress Madam Cheryl Anayah documented an increase in student enrolment from 175 to 445, a growth she attributes directly to the programme. She noted that parents who previously struggled to provide meals are now confident in sending their children to school, with many accompanying their children to class and thereby improving both attendance and safety.Madam Adisa Alhassan, proprietress of Adi Care Educational Complex in Zebilla, similarly reported significant enrolment growth since the programme's introduction.Health and NutritionThe programme has also produced tangible health benefits. David Aldra Saaka, proprietor of Harvest Community School in Tamale, noted that prior to the programme, cases of diarrhoea were common — a consequence of poorly stored food brought from home or purchased from unregulated vendors. Since the introduction of structured school feeding, such cases have declined significantly. Teachers and parents across all schools visited observed improvements in children's energy levels, general health, and overall wellbeing. Community and Economic BenefitsA consistent message emerged across every community visited: school feeding is easing the financial burden on families while strengthening community engagement with education. The programme's integration with local agriculture and food systems is also contributing to broader economic activity in the regions served.Prospects for Sustainability and ScaleWhile many schools expressed hope of being formally integrated into the mainstream Ghana School Feeding Programme, there are encouraging signs of local ownership and initiative. At Savior Academy in Gambaga, the proprietor, Charles Nyaba Adongo noted plans to convene parents and community leaders to discuss sustaining the programme beyond the current cycle, a reflection of the community-level commitment the programme has fostered.According to Hajia Fati Forgor, National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, the outcomes observed during the mission are encouraging and may contribute to policy considerations for extending school feeding to low-fee private schools at scale. She commended WFP for its sustained commitment to keeping nutrition high on the national development agenda. The Path ForwardThe field mission yielded valuable first-hand insights into the integrated model's performance in practice, highlighting both achievements and areas for continued improvement. It reinforced three critical enablers for impact at scale: sustained and predictable funding, strong multi-sector partnerships, and genuine community engagement. Looking ahead, there is a clear opportunity to embed this integrated model within broader nutrition-focused interventions across sectors, maximizing both impact and scale. The goal remains clear: to expand access so that more children, particularly in vulnerable communities, are consistently fed, healthier, able to learn more effectively, and supported to stay in school.Achieving that goal will require continued investment and strong political will to position school feeding not as a project, but as a core pillar of Ghana's human development agenda.

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15 May 2026

Choosing Peace in Northern Ghana

Along a roadside in Zebilla and Bunkpurugu, a plaque bearing the image of two clasped hands faces the morning traffic. It looks modest against the hills of upper and north-eastern Ghana. Hundreds of kilometres to the west, in Gwollu and Wechiau, a different monument stands in a public square, handed formally to the District Assemblies. Two symbols. Three regions. One commitment.For years, the districts of Bongo, Bawku West, Garu, Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri, Yunyoo-Nasuan, Chereponi, Wa West and Sissala West lived under the weight of unfinished disputes. Quarrels over land ran on for seasons. Farmers and herders crossed the same fields with narrowed eyes. Women sat through meetings that decided the fate of their households without once being asked to speak. Young men, idle and unheard, gathered at junctions where rumour travelled faster than fact. The geography offered no shelter: these districts sit within a northern corridor exposed to cross-border insecurity, arms movement and the wider instability of the Sahel.Security responses came and went. Curfews were introduced and later eased. The calm that followed was real, but fragile. Something had to enter the story that the story could not produce on its own. In 2023, it did. Through the United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund, UNFPA partnered with UNDP to invest in the capacity of communities across the Upper East, Northeast and Upper West regions to prevent conflict in their own names. The project did not arrive after difficulty. It arrived before it, with training, dialogue platforms, and the steady architecture of early warning.The turning point lay in a single strategic choice. UNFPA ensured peacebuilding was gender-responsive, placing women and young people at the centre of prevention. Chiefs and Queen Mothers were supported as early-warning actors. The Chief of Siisireflected the shift, “We are deeply grateful for the work done over the past two years. We have not abandoned what we have learned and will continue to uphold it. Even though the project has ended, we are committed to living in peace, resolving any future conflicts among ourselves, and promoting unity, joy, and development”. He spoke.Young men, often the first drawn into disputes, were among the first consulted in preventing them. Citizens Complaints Dashboards and community scorecards opened local governance to a level of transparency these districts had not known.The results reached beyond the absence of conflict. A women's leader in Feo observed during the launch of the peace symbol; “Through PBF, women are now invited to participate in decision-making at the community and assembly levels. I would like to assure you that we will continue to live in peace in our communities.”In Bawku West, the District Chief Executive noted. “The peace symbol will continue to serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining peace in our district."Between December 2025 and February 2026, the peace symbols were unveiled and formally handed to District Assemblies. This is how peace is built. Not through declarations, but through partnership. UNFPA, UNDP, the Peacebuilding Fund, the Regional Coordinating Councils of the Upper East, Northeast and Upper West, the District Assemblies, Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, ProNet North, traditional authorities, women's groups and young people each carried a share of the work. No single actor could have produced what eight districts now hold. The return on that partnership is measured in what did not happen: the disagreements that did not grow, the children who stayed in school, the families who were not displaced.Peace is strongest when it is built early, locally and with women and young people at the centre. It is built fastest when governments, UN agencies, donors, traditional institutions and communities invest together, before the headlines, not after them. Fund the partnerships that prevent. Back the coalitions that hold. Inclusion is the infrastructure of peace, and partnership is the architecture that delivers it.

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14 May 2026

UN Experts Warn Rural Transformation Risks Leaving Peasants Behind

United Nations experts have raised concerns that Ghana’s current rural transformation efforts, while ambitious, risk sidelining peasants, smallholder farmers, pastoralists, and artisanal fishers, groups they describe as the backbone of the country’s food systems.Presenting their preliminary findings during a press conference held today at the end of a 10-day official visit, the Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas acknowledged Ghana’s strong human rights framework and its commitment to international conventions, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP). However, they noted a persistent gap between legal protections and their implementation on the ground.“Ghana has a robust human rights framework and has demonstrated genuine willingness to engage with its commitments,” the experts said. “However, there remains a significant disconnect between law and practice, with rural communities continuing to face poverty and exclusion.” The Working Group highlighted that current agricultural policies tend to prioritize mechanized, export-oriented models, which often benefit large-scale operations while marginalizing family-based farming systems. This, they warned, risks weakening the country’s food systems rather than strengthening them.Land insecurity also emerged as a major concern. According to the experts, Ghana’s dual land tenure system leaves many rural communities vulnerable to displacement, particularly where access to resources is already limited.Women, youth, and elderly farmers were identified as facing compounded challenges. Despite their critical contributions to agriculture and fisheries, they often lack secure access to land and are excluded from decision-making due to entrenched social norms.The experts further pointed to environmental threats, particularly the growing impact of illegal mining, or galamsey. Described as a rapidly expanding crisis, it is contributing to water pollution, farmland destruction, and widespread contamination that extends beyond mining areas.The Working Group called for stronger political will to bridge policy gaps, ensure inclusive rural development, and fully implement commitments under UNDROP. They emphasized that protecting the rights of rural populations is essential not only for equity, but also for sustainable development and national food security.The findings are expected to inform ongoing policy dialogue and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening protections for rural communities and ensuring that Ghana’s development trajectory leaves no one behind.Read the full press release issued at the end of the mission's visit.

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29 April 2026

Guarding the Game: Ghana Convenes National Forum on Trafficking in Sports to Strengthen Safe Pathways for Youth

Efforts to address trafficking and exploitation in Ghana’s sports sector gained momentum through a National Forum on Trafficking in Sports convened by the Government of Ghana, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), on 16 April 2026 under the theme “Play It Safe: Choose the Right Path in Sports.”Bringing together government institutions, law enforcement agencies, sports authorities, development partners, IOM Goodwill Ambassadors and youth representatives, the forum aimed to strengthen coordinated responses to trafficking risks in the sports sector and promote safe, orderly and regular migration pathways for aspiring athletes. “Sports must remain a pathway to opportunity and development, not a channel for exploitation”, said Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, Minister for Sports and Recreation. “Today is a clear call to action for all of us- government, sports institutions, and partners- to strengthen regulation, promote transparency, and ensure that young Ghanaians can pursue their ambitions safely and through regular pathways”. Human trafficking and exploitation remain significant global concerns, with increasing implications for the sports sector. In Ghana, rising youth interest in pursuing international sports careers, combined with limited access to formal recruitment pathways, has heightened vulnerability. A forthcoming study by IOM and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation found that over 95 per cent of young Ghanaians expressed interest in pursuing sports careers abroad, while more than 30 per cent reported exposure to deceptive offers that led to exploitative situations.The Forum opened discussions on emerging trends at the intersection between trafficking and sports, including the role of informal agents, unlicensed academies, and cyber-enabled recruitment scams linked to major global sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup. Participants highlighted how these evolving risks, combined with increased mobility and demand for opportunities, are creating new pathways for exploitation.As part of the initiative, a dedicated media training held ahead of the forum strengthened the capacity of sports journalists to report accurately, ethically and responsibly on trafficking in sports. The training emphasized survivor-centered reporting and the media’s role in raising awareness and preventing exploitation. In her remarks, Fatou Diallo Ndiaye, IOM Chief of Mission for Ghana highlighted the importance of strengthening trust in migration governance while expanding safe pathways for youth.“IOM is committed to protecting young people by expanding access to safe and regular migration pathways and addressing trafficking risks within emerging sectors such as sports”, she said. “By strengthening evidence, building institutional capacity, and supporting coordinated responses, we are helping ensure that young people can pursue opportunities safely and with dignity.”As global sporting events approach, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, embassies of the host nations in Ghana present at the forum also called for increased vigilance and proactive measures to address emerging risks, particularly cyber-enabled scams targeting aspiring athletes. The forum concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen collaboration, translate dialogue into action, and reinforce national systems to prevent trafficking in sports, ensuring that the pursuit of opportunity does not come at the cost of dignity, safety, or human rights.The National Forum on Human Trafficking in Sports was supported through the IOM Development Fund project, “Addressing Human Trafficking in Sports in Ghana”.

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26 April 2026

Ghana Statistical Service and the World Food Programme Launch the Food Insecurity Vulnerability Report on Ghana

The Ghana Statistical Service in partnership with the World Food Programme has launched the Mobile Vulnerability Analysis Mapping (mVAM) Survey- Food Insecurity Report on Ghana in Accra. The development of the mVAM innovation was made possible with funding from Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) and the Government of the Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The event brought together representatives from the Ghana Statistical Service, World Food Programme, KOICA, Government agencies, development partners, academia and general public.Speaking at the launch, the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, stated that the Mobile Vulnerability Analysis Mapping (mVAM) is an innovation that allows for real time data collection, processing and storage that enables evidence-based decision making on food security.He said “Ghana is navigating a difficult food insecurity environment which affects what families eat, how often they eat, and the choices they are forced to make. These shocks do not affect everyone equally and to respond effectively, we need data that is timely, precise and actionable. That is why the Ghana Statistical Service in collaboration with World Food Programme and our partners implemented the mVAM survey.” The Representative and Country Director of the World Food, Ms. Aurore Rusiga noted that the mVAM is not just a technical tool but the result of strong collaboration and deliberate capacity strengthening by the World Food Programme to promote national ownership of operating and managing a remote mobile food security monitoring system. Adding that the data is collected, stored, processed and analyzed by the Ghana Statistical Service. “Our partnership demonstrates the benefits of working together across institutions, combining the technical expertise of our institutions with innovative approaches to data collection. By doing so, we strengthen nationally owned data systems while ensuring that the information generated is practical, credible, and policy‑relevant.” Ms. Aurore Rusiga said. She thanked the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) and KOICA for funding the mVAM innovation. The Country Director of KOICA, Donghyun Lee, stated that KOICA is happy to see that the mVAM will help provide evidence for critical decision-making that will help improve the lives of people in Ghana and KOICA will continue support initiatives that address challenges in Ghana. The launch of the Food Insecurity Vulnerability Report underscores the growing importance of data-driven solutions in tackling Ghana’s food security challenges. With real-time insights from the mVAM system, policymakers and partners are expected to make more informed decisions to support vulnerable households across the country.

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Press Release

04 May 2026

UN Working Group on the rights of peasants to conduct first visit to Ghana

The UN Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas will conduct its first official country visit to Ghana from 5 to 14 May 2026 to assess the country’s human rights situation in relation to peasants, including small scale farmers, fisherfolk and pastoralists.The Working Group will visit at the invitation of the Government.The Working Group hopes to understand the challenges and opportunities facing peasants, fisherfolk, pastoralists and other people working in rural areas in Ghana.They noted that peasant rights contained in the United Nations Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP) are comprehensive, and the Working Group will work to find ways to ensure they are respected, protected and fulfilled.In Ghana, the Working Group will meet with peasant communities, including farmers, fisherfolk and others, and government authorities, civil society and other UNDROP stakeholders.The experts will hold a news conference on 14 May 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to share their preliminary findings and recommendations. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.The Working Group will present a comprehensive report with its findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026.The Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areasSpecial 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 https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/UN Human Rights, country page – Ghana

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Press Release

15 April 2026

Business, Government, UNHCR Align to Drive New Economic Pathways for Refugees in Ghana

The Dialogue focused on mobilizing private sector engagement in agriculture through the Ghana Refugee Agribusiness and Sustainability Programme (GRASP), a joint initiative that connects refugee inclusion with national development priorities and positions agribusiness as a pathway to economic opportunity, self-reliance, and resilience. With over 30,000 asylum seekers arriving in Ghana since 2022, primarily in rural northern regions, the Dialogue highlighted the need to move beyond short-term assistance toward approaches that enable people to work, earn, and contribute to local economies.
GRASP, now integrated into Ghana’s Feed Ghana Programme, reflects a coordinated effort among UNHCR, the Ghana Refugee Board, and national institutions to align humanitarian response with long-term development and private-sector investment. “Refugee inclusion is fundamentally about enabling people to rebuild their lives with dignity,” said Mr. Tetteh Padi, Head of UNHCR Ghana. “Through initiatives such as GRASP, we are working with government and private sector partners to ensure that refugees and host communities can access livelihoods, participate in the economy, and contribute to shared growth.”
The Dialogue provided a platform for private sector actors to explore opportunities across agricultural value chains, including production, processing, and market access, while identifying areas for collaboration, investment, and innovation. “Across Africa, we increasingly experience protracted displacement. Our response is evolving accordingly,” said Nancy Aburi, Chief of Private Sector Partnerships Africa, UNHCR. “This partnership demonstrates how an engaged private sector can integrate refugees into Agribusiness value chains, contributing towards thriving economies and communities.”

Government representatives emphasized the importance of aligning refugee inclusion with national development frameworks and ensuring that refugee-hosting areas are integrated into broader economic strategies.
“Ghana is advancing an approach to refugee inclusion that is fully aligned with national development priorities,” said the Deputy Executive Secretary, Ghana Refugee Board, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Nana Asare Bediako. “Through GRASP and its integration into the Feed Ghana Programme, refugee-hosting areas are being positioned within our broader economic planning—linking livelihoods, markets, and investment to regions where both refugees and host communities are building their futures.”
Private sector leaders emphasized the scale of opportunity within agricultural value chains in northern Ghana, particularly as partnerships create clearer entry points for investment and market engagement.
“We see strong potential to engage across agricultural value chains—from production to processing and market access,” said Mr. Nii Annorbah-Sarpei, Programmes Manager, KGL Foundation. “GRASP brings together the partnerships, coordination, and structure that allow businesses to participate in ways that are practical, scalable, and aligned with long-term growth.”
The Dialogue brings together government, private sector, and development partners around a shared focus on expanding livelihoods, strengthening value chains, and increasing investment in refugee-hosting areas.
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Quarshie | UNHCR Private Sector Partnerships – Ghana | quarshij@unhcr.org
About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced
communities and stateless people. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions, and to support solutions that allow people to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity

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Press Release

27 February 2026

UNEP seeks young people with big ideas to protect the planet

The Young Champions of the Earth prize is UNEP’s flagship global youth initiative. Since 2017, it has recognized 33 young trailblazers – activists, entrepreneurs, and environmental innovators from age 18 to 30 – for their outstanding ideas to protect the environment. The programme is run in partnership with American cleantech CEO Chris Kemper, who is also UNEP’s Advocate for Partnerships and co-founder of Planet A.2026 Young Champions will receive US$10,000 seed funding from Kemper, mentorship, access to a network of experts, and opportunities to engage in high-level United Nations events. They will also be brought to New York to compete in a pitch competition for a US$100,000 grant from Planet A.UNEP encourages applications from young entrepreneurs, scientists, economists, artists, and communicators from all backgrounds who are advancing bold ideas for people, planet, and prosperity. To demonstrate feasibility and commitment, applicants must have actively pursued their ideas for a minimum of six months.“Tackling the interconnected crises of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity and nature loss, and pollution and waste is not an act of charity. It can deliver tangible economic benefits for countries, communities, and individuals,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “We are proud that through the Young Champions programme, these amazing individuals get mentorship, training, and seed funding to turn ambitious ideas into viable solutions for people and planet.”The 2025 Young Champions of the Earth awardees were: Jinali Mody of India, founder and CEO of Banofi Leather, which transforms banana crop waste into a plant-based leather alternative; Joseph Nguthiru, founder of Kenyan startup HyaPak, which produces biodegradable packaging from water hyacinth pulp; and Noemi Florea, inventor of Cycleau, a system that converts greywater into drinking water. Nguthiru then went on to win a $100,000 grant from Planet A.“We are proud to support these amazing young people who are changing the world,” said Kemper. “Joseph, Jinali, and Noemi showed us last year that individuals can do so much to safeguard our planet. I am excited to meet the 2026 Young Champions.”NOTES TO EDITORSAbout the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.About Planet A
Planet A is a new YouTube channel, launched with the support of The Christopher Kemper Foundation. It is designed to spark action that safeguards the future of our planet. It brings together creators, experts, and partners to drive environmental awareness and action through a range of educational stories, contests and collaborations. For more information, contact Planet A press team.About UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth Award
Young Champions of the Earth is UNEP’s flagship youth engagement initiative. The award is bestowed to ambitious young people from around the world with outstanding ideas to protect and restore the environment.

For more information, please contact:
News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme

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Press Release

20 February 2026

UN report details grave abuses against those trafficked into scam centres

The report documents instances of torture and other ill-treatment, sexual abuse and exploitation, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement, among other grave human rights abuses. Survivors also shared experiences of border officials aiding scam recruiters, and of threats and extortion by police.Satellite imagery and on-ground reports show that nearly three-quarters of the scam operations are in the Mekong region, which have also spread to some Pacific Island countries and South Asia, as well as Gulf States, West Africa and the Americas. “The treatment endured by individuals within the context of scam operations is alarming,” finds the report, based on interviews with survivors originating from Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. They had been trafficked into scam centres in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates between 2021 and 2025. It is also based on interviews with police and border officials, as well as civil society and others with knowledge of such operations.Victims described being lured into scamming jobs under false pretences and then being coerced into perpetrating online fraud ranging from impersonation scams, online extortion, financial fraud as well as romantic scams.The operations described are fluid, with some survivors sharing experiences of being held in immense compounds resembling self-contained towns, some over 500 acres in size, made up of heavily fortified multi-storey buildings with barbed wire-topped high walls, guarded by armed and uniformed security personnel. “A victim from Sri Lanka related how those who failed to meet monthly scamming targets were subject to immersion in water containers (known as ’water prisons’) for hours,” said the report, which updates a 2023 UN Human Rights report.“Victims also recounted being forced to witness or even conduct grave abuse of others as a means to ensure compliance; one Bangladeshi victim said that he was ordered to beat other workers and a victim from Ghana recounted being forced to watch his friend being beaten in front of him.”They told of people losing their lives as they attempted to escape, including falling from balconies and roofs in the compounds.Failed rescue attempts were also punished severely, the report finds. One Vietnamese victim described how her sister was beaten, tasered and locked in a room with no food for seven days after her sister had tried to engineer her escape.It found traffickers would video call family members to watch their loved one being abused and mistreated in order to pressure families to pay extortionate ransoms.While most victims described receiving some wages, all those interviewed by UN Human Rights experienced a range of escalating deductions and none received the entirety of the promised salary. A Thai victim reported that they were ordered to meet steep scamming targets of some $9,500 per day to avoid fines, beatings, or even being “sold” to another compound with harsher conditions.“The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heart-breaking,” UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said. “Yet, rather than receiving protection, care and rehabilitation as well as the pathways to justice and redress to which they are entitled, victims too often face disbelief, stigmatization and even further punishment.”“Effective responses need to be centred in human rights law and standards. Crucially, that means explicitly recognizing forced criminality within anti-trafficking laws and regulations and guaranteeing the non-punishment principle for victims of trafficking.”“Victims of such abuses require coordinated timely, safe and effective rescue operations, respect for the principle of non-refoulement, as well as available support mechanisms to ensure torture and trauma rehabilitation and address risks of reprisals or re-trafficking.”The report uniquely applies a behavioural science and systems analysis to explore why people continue to fall prey to fraudulent recruitment into scam operations and to suggest rights-based and effective prevention responses.“There must be increased availability and accessibility of safe labour migration pathways and meaningful oversight of recruitment such as verification of online job postings and flagging suspicious recruitment patterns,” Türk said.He called on States and relevant stakeholders to engage trusted and community-based actors, such as survivor-led groups, in outreach to individuals considered at risk of trafficking into scam operations. Awareness activities need to be accessible, concrete and available through trusted media.Türk also urged States and regional bodies to act effectively against corruption, which he said was deeply entrenched in such lucrative scamming operations, and to prosecute the criminal syndicates behind them. He also recalled the importance of independent media, human rights defenders and civil society organisations being able to carry out their vital anti-trafficking work free from interference.A story map is available here.ENDS For more information and media requests, please contact:In GenevaJeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Marta Hurtado: + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org In NairobiSeif Magango : +254 78834 3897 / seif.magango@un.org

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Press Release

12 February 2026

New UNU-INRA Report on Africa Redefining Critical Minerals for a Shared Future

The report reflects on the unique opportunity across the Global South to turn solidarity into strategy, stressing the need for South-South collaboration to foster a new multilateralism built on shared knowledge, joint technological development, and collective investment. The report makes the case for bringing together the collective experiences of Africa, Latin America, and Asia to co-design solutions that shift the balance of the decarbonisation agenda and scale up green value chains.As part of UNU-INRA’s Critical Minerals Information and Knowledge Hub (C-MINK), which positions Africa at the center of global mineral governance, ensuring that the continent’s vast resources drive inclusive, green, and sustainable development, this report shows that Africa’s mineral wealth is indispensable to the global energy transition and ownership must translate into control, governance, and value creation.The report shows that, Africa holds nearly a third of the world’s critical mineral reserves, including cobalt, lithium, manganese, and copper—resources indispensable for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and digital infrastructure. Yet, the continent has long remained at the periphery of global value chains. With reports like this, UNU-INRA’s C-MINK initiative, aims to change this long-lived reality, by curating knowledge, fostering collaboration, and enabling Africa to define its own mineral sovereignty.By redefining “criticality”, deepening South-South solidarity, embedding justice, and strengthening governance, the report urges Africa to move from the periphery of extraction to the center of transformation. This is important because, the global revenues from copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium could reach $16 trillion by 2050, with Sub-Saharan Africa positioned to capture over 10% of that value.Prof. Fatima Denton, (Director, UNU-INRA and Head of CMINK initiative) notes that, “mineral wealth must no longer be a paradox of abundance without prosperity, as Africa’s minerals are critical not only for the world’s decarbonisation agenda but for Africa’s own industrialization, energy security, and technological advancement.”The report advocates for African expertise to be paired with that of Latin America and Asia, building South-South partnerships that prioritise shared prosperity in the critical minerals sector. As a product of the C-MINK Initiative, the report calls for a redefined mineral order—one that prioritises justice, governance, and transformation. It argues that by embedding minerals into domestic production systems, Africa can move from being a supplier of raw materials to a driver of industrialization and innovation.In an era of fractured geopolitics and contested green transitions, Africa’s most powerful lever lies in how quickly it can test and scale new solutions within the global South. South-South collaboration offers a “southern playbook” for resource governance that could be a strategic pivot enabling green industrialization and structural transformation. The report advocates that Africa and the Global South should be at the center and not the periphery of the critical minerals dialogue and action. This south-south solidarity if done effectively will ensure that mineral wealth fuels a just, green, and inclusive future.ENDAbout C-MINKThe Critical Minerals Information and Knowledge Hub (C-MINK) is an initiative of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA). It serves as a platform to convene policymakers, researchers, and investors, transforming knowledge into strategic foresight for Africa’s mineral governance. About UNU INRAThe UNU-INRA was established in 1985 in accordance with a draught resolution adopted at the 21st ordinary session of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to demonstrate to African Governments and institutions the central role of science, infrastructure, and innovation in promoting natural resources governance and development in Africa while serving as a preeminent institute delivering science for practice.

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