The Takeaway: UN General Assembly debate Day 5

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. From artificial intelligence to migration, some of the forces reshaping the twenty-first century took centre stage at the UN General Assembly on Saturday. Leaders wrestled with a common dilemma: how to harness profound technological and social change without allowing it to deepen the divisions already separating countries […]

Commission greenlights Luxembourg’s third payment request for €92.2 million under NextGenerationEU

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission positively assessed Luxembourg’s third payment request for €92.2 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.   This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments tied to this payment request, amongst others […]

Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives

EU must respond decisively to any form of coercion against EU member states This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission is taking action against several EU Member States that have failed to notify the Commission of measures they have adopted to transpose EU Directives into their national laws. The deadline to transpose these Directives has expired recently.  The Member States in […]

Countries adopt global blueprint to tackle fast-evolving crime in digital age

Countries adopted on Saturday a new global blueprint for tackling rapidly evolving forms of crime, as the UN’s largest gathering on crime prevention and criminal justice opened in Abu Dhabi with a call for stronger international cooperation. The Abu Dhabi Declaration was adopted by acclamation at the opening of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, bringing governments together around challenges ranging from cybercrime and fraud to the growing criminal exploitation of digital technology. The Declaration highlights an increasingly complex landscape in which services, infrastructure and technology can be exploited by criminals, including emerging trends described as “crime as a service” and “violence as a service”. At the same time, countries committed to making greater use of technology themselves, including by digitalizing justice systems and harnessing artificial intelligence in criminal justice responses. The Declaration stresses that safeguards must accompany those changes, including human oversight, transparency, due process and data protection. ‘Justice cannot be a privilege’ In a video message to the Congress, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the meeting was taking place at a time of profound change. “Justice cannot be a privilege. It must protect every person, uphold every person’s rights and leave no one behind,” said Ms. Mohamed. “This Congress is an opportunity to renew our shared commitment to justice and the rule of law, and to translate that commitment into action.” Countries are already being encouraged to put the Declaration into practice through the voluntary Pledge4Justice initiative, under which participating governments are announcing concrete, time-bound actions on crime prevention and criminal justice through 2031. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre with its curved glass tower and surrounding buildings reflected in calm water at dusk. UNODC The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre where the 15th UN Crime Congress is set to take place. From Kyoto to Abu Dhabi Opening the Congress, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Monica Juma framed the gathering as both a response to a changing criminal landscape and a test of international cooperation. “Today, the world convenes in Abu Dhabi to reaffirm that the rule of law and criminal justice are essential to the safety and security of people and the planet,” said Ms. Juma. “At a time when confidence in multilateralism is faltering, let Abu Dhabi be a testament to international cooperation.” Five years after the previous Congress in Kyoto, Japan, Ms. Juma said the world had reached another “inflection point”, with technology and artificial intelligence advancing at extraordinary speed. The same platforms connecting billions of people can also connect criminals, she warned, while digital currencies can conceal illicit profits and digital tools can be used to deceive, manipulate and exploit. Technology, she argued, is not simply accelerating crime but changing its character, while organized criminal networks increasingly exploit weaknesses across borders and institutions. Tweet URL Protecting people as the ‘north star’ Behind those broad trends, Ms. Juma urged delegates to focus on the people most exposed to harm, including children recruited by gangs, women facing violence at home or online, people unable to obtain legal assistance and young people lured into scam networks with promises of a better future. “Protecting these people must be the measure against which we judge our efforts over the coming week,” she said. “It must be our north star.” She called for laws and institutions capable of keeping pace with changing threats, greater access to justice and legal aid, and technology that serves as “a force for good” rather than an accelerator of harm. And while welcoming the Abu Dhabi Declaration as a starting point, Ms. Juma stressed that its impact would ultimately depend on implementation. A week focused on justice Hosted by the United Arab Emirates, the Congress runs through 1 October under the theme Protecting People and Planet in the Digital Age. Some 119 countries are represented, alongside more than 40 justice ministers and other senior officials, with over 5,100 participants from governments, civil society, academia and the private sector. Plenary meetings, workshops, side events and exhibitions will run throughout the session. Organizers are also billing this as the most youth-inclusive Crime Congress yet. Young people are participating in workshops, contributing to follow-up efforts and taking part in a dedicated Youth Lab and art exhibition, following a Youth Forum held ahead of the Congress on 24 and 25 September. UNODC serves as secretariat of the Congress and will support implementation of the Abu Dhabi Declaration.This article is published in association with United Nations. Countries adopted on Saturday a new global blueprint for tackling rapidly evolving forms of crime, as the UN’s largest gathering on crime prevention and criminal justice opened in Abu Dhabi with a call for stronger international cooperation. The Abu Dhabi Declaration was adopted by acclamation at the […]

Yemen’s path to stability depends on restoring the state, Leadership Council vice-president tells UN

UN Photo/Laura Jarriel Vice President Abdullah Abdulkader Al Alimi-Bawzer of Yemen addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. The Vice-President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, told the UN General Assembly on Thursday that his Government had engaged “responsibly and positively” with regional and international peace initiatives and made significant concessions to end the suffering of the Yemeni people. Mr. Bawazir said, however, […]

Palestinian existence under threat, Abbas tells UN, warning of ‘another Nakba’

United Nations President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli policies now threaten “the very life and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland”, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly on Thursday, urging the world not to allow “another Nakba”.  Mr. Abbas addressed the Assembly’s annual debate via pre-recorded video after his […]

Israeli leader at UN: ‘We’re going to win. We have no other choice’

UN Photo/Loey Felipe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to the UN General Assembly to defend Israel’s strikes against Iran as a matter of national survival and described the violence in the West Bank as the work of a few “juvenile delinquents” and rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza […]

World News in Brief: ‘New intensity’ to Russian attacks on Ukraine, Yemen, Gaza and Colombia updates

© UNICEF/Oleksii Filippov A rescue worker stands outside a residential building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district that was severely damaged during a massive overnight attack on the city.This article is published in association with United Nations. Russian armed forces have carried out repeated attacks across Ukraine over the past several days, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes, hospitals, shops and workplaces, UN human rights monitors said on Thursday. The attacks have involved ballistic and cruise missiles, drones and guided aerial bombs. Between […]

The Takeaway: UN General Assembly debate Day 2

UN Photo/Laura Jarriel Delegates gather in the UN General Assembly Hall on the first day of annual General Debate.This article is published in association with United Nations. This edition of UN News’s The Takeaway recaps key highlghts at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, including focus on the war in Ukraine and a renewed push by African countries for Security Council reform. Conflicts test the UN’s ability to deliver peace  Why it matters: World leaders offered sharply different […]

EU advances Global Health Resilience Initiative with new Global Gateway investments in Africa and Latin America

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. In the context of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, the European Commission has announced three new Global Gateway investments that put the EU Global Health Resilience Initiative into action in partner countries. The package includes an EU guarantee of €63.5 million designed to mobilise private investment […]

UN health agency calls for investment boost to save young lives from cancer

© WHO The World Health Organisation has advanced access to quality-assured, child-friendly cancer medicines.This article is published in association with United Nations. More children and young people are beating cancer, but progress remains uneven across regions and age groups, highlighting the need for increased investment to boost survival rates. That’s according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) which has released complete country comparable baseline data on five-year survival estimates for […]

UN’s ‘sacred covenant has been broken’, Argentina’s Milei tells General Assembly

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Argentine President Javier Milei told the General Assembly on Wednesday that the UN has broken the “sacred covenant” on which it was founded, failing at what it was meant to do – while excelling at things beyond its remit.  In his third address to the General Debate, […]

Rohingya refugees deserve a future beyond survival, not endless displacement

© WFP/Sayed Asif Mahmud A recipient of WFP's cash assistance programme prepares food in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. Nine years after the mass displacement of the Rohingya from Myanmar, their situation remains one of the world’s most protracted and complex refugee crises, marked by years of persecution and uncertainty over the prospect of returning home. Against this backdrop, senior UN officials on Wednesday renewed calls […]

Guterres calls on countries to set clear timelines for transition away from fossil fuels

This article is published in association with United Nations.“We are the first generation with the tools to end the fossil fuel age – and the last who can avert climate catastrophe,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, calling on countries to draw up credible roadmaps with clear timelines to transition away from fossil fuels. Key points The appeal came in the middle […]

EU adopts €505 million package to support Lebanon’s stability, recovery and reforms

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission announced €505 million in financial support for Lebanon for 2026 and 2027, the second half of the €1 billion support package announced by President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Beirut in May 2024. The new funding will cover three main areas and will […]

EU launches first €43 million Team Gaza projects to help restore essential services

European Commission issues €11 billion in its 2nd syndicated transaction of 2026This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the first flagship early recovery projects under the EU-led Team Gaza Initiative were signed by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica in the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. The projects, together worth a total of €43 million, will help restore essential water and solid […]

EU and Canada secure at least €211 million in pledges for Global Ocean Observation

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney launched the OceanEye International Alliance for the Global Ocean Observing System at a high‑level pledging event in New York.  Held during the 81st UN General Assembly High‑Level Week, the event brought together heads […]

Zelenskyy urges stronger pressure on Russia, warns war’s impact is spreading beyond Ukraine

UN Photo/Loey Felipe President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday called for intensified pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine, arguing that Moscow continues to incur massive losses while prolonging a conflict whose consequences are increasingly being felt far beyond the battlefield. Addressing the UN General Assembly’s annual debate, […]

Blood Donation: A Small Act with a Global Impact

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting  by Eman Mohammed Al Sabbagh, a second-year medical student at Ajman University. Eman is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on […]

UN rendered unable to fulfil its mission, Turkish President laments before world leaders

UN Photo/Loey Felipe President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations continues to be weakened, and those who have tied their hopes to the world body – from Palestine to Sudan – have been disappointed, Türkiye’s President said, while adding that his country is committed to restoring confidence in the Organization. “The United Nations, established […]

‘Time is running out’ for Israel-Palestine two-State solution

© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba A nine-year-old girl outside her damaged home in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN chief warned on Tuesday that the two-State solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict is at risk of collapse amid illegal Israeli settlement expansion and annexation.  Key points: António Guterres was speaking at a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Even as support for […]

How El Niño offers a test of whether the world can adapt to a changing climate

© WFP/Gabriela Vivacqua A farmer walks through her maize field in South Sudan, where crops have withered due to prolonged lack of rainfall.This article is published in association with United Nations. El Niño is strengthening in a world that is already hotter, raising the risk of drought, floods and crop losses across some of the world’s most important food-producing regions. But unlike many disasters, this one can be seen coming. UN experts say the months ahead offer countries […]

Beyond the Donation: Securing the World’s Lifeline Through Safe Blood Access

This article was published in association with the Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine.This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Ekemini Wisdom Itek, a medical student at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Cameroon. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not […]

Commission proposes to unlock €4.2 billion in Cohesion funding for Hungary and restore full access to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today the European Commission has proposed to the Council to lift the protective measures adopted in 2022 concerning Hungary under the Conditionality Regulation, as it considers that Hungary has addressed the rule of law breaches affecting the EU budget. Ursula von der Leyen, President […]

EU report highlights continued deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission and the High Representative have adopted today the 28th annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This report covers developments in 2025. The report highlights the continuous […]

Trump defends military action against Iran, Venezuela, and calls for rebrand of AI

UN Photo/Loey Felipe President Donald Trump of the United States addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.This article is published in association with United Nations. US President Donald Trump used his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to defend recent military action against Iran, urging countries to maintain economic pressure on Tehran – and declaring that he now faces a choice between making a deal, or taking far more drastic […]

UN panel calls for stronger safeguards as AI agents advance

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The world’s first scientific body on Artificial Intelligence called on Monday for AI safeguards to be adapted as current firewalls are “unravelling”.  The UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on AI’s warning followed the hack of the online platform HuggingFace between May and July by “AI agents” during […]

EU Customs Reform marks a new era for customs in Europe

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The EU Customs Reform has entered into force, marking the start of a better, smarter and simpler customs system across the EU. Following formal adoption by the Council of the European Union and European Parliament, the reform was published in the Official Journal last […]

Commission enhances energy efficiency and sustainability of data centres in the EU

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission proposed today a common rating scheme for data centres aimed at increasing transparency on their energy use and supporting their sustainable integration into Europe’s energy system. Data centres are essential to Europe’s digital future. Increasing computing capacity in Europe is important […]

Substantial agreement on EU-Philippines trade deal

philippinoThis article is published in association with United Nations. Today, the EU and the Philippines reached substantial agreement in their negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), envisaged to deepen economic ties between the EU and another strategic, fast-growing partner in Southeast Asia.  Maros Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, and Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque Philippine, […]

Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’

Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’This article is published in association with United Nations. Over 1,000 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine have been documented from the start of Russia’s invasion to the end of July this year. That’s according to a new UN human rights office (OHCHR) report which details violations including gang rape, […]

Why the UN General Assembly still matters

UN Photo/Archive View of empty General Assembly hallThis article is published in association with United Nations. More than eight decades on from its founding, the UN General Assembly remains the place where the UN’s 193 Member States come together to debate the defining challenges of the day, from war and peace – to development, climate change and human rights. Richard Gowan, Director of […]

The race to build a pandemic-proof world

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Six years after COVID-19 killed millions, battered health systems, disrupted lives and brought the global economy to a virtual standstill, the world is still grappling with how we can prepare better for the next pandemic. The need is even greater amid growing threats to global stability and […]
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