This article is published in association with United Nations. As violence forces tens of thousands to flee Sudan’s South Kordofan state, doctors in a key maternity hospital are facing impossible choices – with too few supplies, too many patients, and lives slipping away. “We had to watch two of the babies die before our eyes,” said […]‘We watched them die before our eyes’: Sudan health workers helpless amid medical shortages
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As violence forces tens of thousands to flee Sudan’s South Kordofan state, doctors in a key maternity hospital are facing impossible choices – with too few supplies, too many patients, and lives slipping away. “We had to watch two of the babies die before our eyes,” said […]Middle East crisis exposes global energy fault line as UN urges shift to renewables
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The ongoing crisis in the Middle East is exposing a central vulnerability in the global economy: the dependence on fossil fuels flowing through regions affected by conflict, a situation which is strengthening the UN’s case for a faster transition to cheaper, more resilient renewable power. The Hormuz Strait in […]World News in Brief: South Sudan rights, opioid guidelines update, DR Congo crisis continues
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. South Sudan is evolving into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts warned on Thursday. They urged immediate steps to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and enable internally displaced persons to return safely and with dignity. “South Sudan stands at a […]Deminers race to keep up with military technology
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. In conflict zones where new technologies are making landmines more dangerous, deminers must innovate at the same pace to avoid being left behind, a leading UN mines expert has told UN News. In the Ukraine conflict, landmine technology is setting a precedent for a new era of development. […]Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications. Speaking to the press outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly […]Women leaders unite to advance gender equality, defend multilateralism amid growing global pushback
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The Secretary-General’s commitment towards women leadership in the United Nations was recognized at a pivotal moment marked by global uncertainty, economic volatility and increasing pressure on hard-won rights. The Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed recently convened women leaders who met in Manhasset, Long Island, for the fifth year, to reaffirm their […]Middle East war: UN’s Türk decries ‘severe restrictions’ on free speech
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. From Iran to multiple nations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, around 3,000 people have reportedly been arrested in the first month of the ongoing war across the region, sparking alarm over free speech restrictions and state repression. “Repression of civic space and freedom of […]World News in Brief: Lebanon peacekeeper deaths, Haiti mission support, drought and conflict in Somalia
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
![“These incidents are unacceptable and demand full accountability,” he said after the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, suffered three fatalities within 24 hours at the end of March. Attacks on United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. Tweet URL Situation continually monitored Earlier in the day, the head of Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, told troop-contributing countries that the UN has a firm commitment to establish the full facts and circumstances surrounding the deaths and injuries sustained by ‘blue helmets’ serving the mission. Hostilities continue between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, which has led to mass displacement across the country with over 1,200 Lebanese killed and more than 3,500 injured. Many women, children and first responders are among the dead He stressed that developments on the ground will continue to be monitored to enhance safety and security and to mitigate risks. Under these challenging conditions, Mr. Lacroix also expressed his sincere gratitude for the commitment of the courageous women and men serving in the UN’s peace operations in the Middle East, in line with Security Council mandates. More than 200,000 have crossed from Lebanon into neighbouring Syria since the escalation began. UN mission in Haiti starts to support gang fighting force A UN mission tasked with supporting the Security Council-backed Gang Suppression Force in Haiti began work in the crisis-hit Caribbean island nation on Wednesday. Criminal gangs have terrorized local people in Haiti for years and are responsible for murders, rape, kidnaps for ransom, extortion and coercing children into their ranks. The UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH) will provide logistical support including providing living and office accommodation, medical support, rations, water, wastewater and solid waste management, as well as power, fuel, ground mobility, aviation, ICT support and security services. Check out our explainer here on what the UN is doing in Haiti. Capital under siege Gangs are thought to control around 90 per cent of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and have recently expanded into more rural areas. The Gang Suppression Force – a multinational mission authorised by the UN Security Council - is tasked with conducting operations to counter armed gangs, protecting critical infrastructure and assisting in establishing security conditions necessary for elections and the delivery of humanitarian aid. When fully staffed it will have some 5,550 personnel. Tweet URL Drought and conflict drive hunger crisis in Somalia Drought, conflict and cuts to aid funding “could spell catastrophe” for the Somalia's children, the UN’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said. In Baidoa, capital of South West state, families have come to seek shelter and assistance, after fleeing their homes and livelihoods. The town now hosts around 430,000 uprooted people. For the most severe cases of malnutrition, the agency provides emergency medical treatment and fortified milk for infants. “The majority of children survive after receiving care,” but malnutrition is increasing the longer the drought goes on, UNICEF said. Recent conflict fuelling crisis The Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia, George Conway, called for de-escalation in South West State, where tensions and clashes forced some 45,000 people to flee their homes over the last week. Mr. Conway said that these knew pressures add further strain to the 30 per cent of the population who live in displacement sites. “[They] were already struggling to cope with the compounded impacts of severe drought”, he said.](https://i0.wp.com/europeansting.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-3.png?fit=300%2C136&ssl=1)
Middle East war: Energy crunch hits vulnerable nations
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The war in the Middle East and the near halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has amplified the energy crunch facing developing nations in Africa and South Asia that rely heavily on imported liquid gas, food and fertilizers. And with Brent Crude still trading at more than $100 per barrel, many workers and households have reverted to […]Breaking the Gaza aid bottleneck: 106-tonne delivery arrives via new sea route
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has facilitated the delivery of some 106 metric tonnes of lifesaving nutrition supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a mechanism to deliver aid by sea, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war […]Lebanon: The UN peacekeepers helping communities who’ve stayed behind
April 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The killing of three UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon in the past two days has highlighted the grave dangers for the 10,000 military personnel who make up the bulk of UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon – and for the communities caught up in intense clashes […]Lebanon at ‘breaking point’ as displacement soars and strikes intensify
April 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN’s top humanitarian official warned the Security Council on Tuesday that Lebanon is facing one of its most dangerous moments in years, with escalating violence, mass displacement and deepening human suffering pushing the country to “breaking point”. Briefing ambassadors from Beirut, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher […]‘No precedent’ for seafarers caught in war zone in post-WW2 era
April 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 20,000 seafarers remain stranded on ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the war in the Middle East continues, a situation which has been described as unprecedented in the post-Second World War era. The seafarers are working on some 2,000 ships including oil and gas tankers, […]Developing countries are being priced out, in struggle for affordable finance
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Developing countries are being priced out of the affordable finance they desperately need for sustainable development, with sovereign credit ratings often overstating risk and overlooking long-term economic potential, the UN said on Monday. A credit rating is an assessment of how likely a borrower, such as a government, is to […]World News in Brief: Ukraine drone attacks, Afghan rights, Zero-Waste Day
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A night of drone attacks reportedly killed two people and injured 12 in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, as a maternity hospital and three educational facilities were also damaged. In a night of further terror for civilians, on 28 March, a drone strike hit the Odesa […]Airstrike on funeral underscores rising civilian toll in Sudan
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Fears are mounting for civilians caught up in Sudan’s deadly war between rival militaries as attacks intensify and humanitarian access shrinks, following a deadly airstrike on a funeral gathering in West Kordofan. Seven people were killed and dozens injured when an airstrike hit a funeral gathering in […]The image from Gaza that still haunts me: Palestine relief agency chief
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question. “No doubt that I have mixed feelings today,” he says. […]UN condemns killing of two more peacekeepers in Lebanon
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two consecutive days of deadly attacks on peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid rising hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday, and two more were injured, in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying […]Syria: UN Commission documents grave violations in July 2025 escalation in Sweida
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 1,700 people were killed and nearly 200,000 more displaced in the July 2025 massacres in Sweida, Syria, UN human rights investigators said on Friday in a report that called for greater action towards accountability. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria documented widespread violations mainly against the Druze and Bedouin communities, including executions, torture, gender-based violence and the burning of homes. […]Middle East war: UN initiatives support mediation efforts, ‘lifesaving’ fertiliser shipments
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Just hours after war broke out in the Middle East last month, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the fighting risked “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.” The humanitarian fallout continues to deepen […]UN peacekeeper killed, another seriously injured, in southern Lebanon
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for accountability after a peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon on Sunday amid hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The blue helmet from Indonesia was deployed with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which reported that a projectile exploded at its position near Adchit Al […]Middle East war: Attacks on vital healthcare, evacuation strike fears
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Almost one month since Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, sparking a wider regional war, UN agencies and partners on Friday highlighted the terror among civilians fleeing bombardment, with “no safe space” to go. In a rare piece of good news, though, the UN World Health […]Ukraine: danger is only increasing, warns UN human rights office
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “danger is only increasing”, particularly from attack drones, a top UN human rights official warned on Thursday. “During the first two months of this year, 60 per cent of all civilian casualties were in frontline regions […]DR Congo: violence intensifies as UN mission pledges continued support
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The security and political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains “extremely tense”, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Thursday. Despite the volatility, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, remains committed to delivering on its mandate, as regional efforts to restore peace continue. […]Persian Gulf crisis impacting food security, FAO warns
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. The crisis is affecting agricultural production and food security worldwide, with impacts […]UN resolution urges reparations for slavery’s ‘historical wrongs’
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Applause erupted in the UN General Assembly Hall on Wednesday as Member States adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution spearheaded by Ghana received 123 votes in favour. Three countries – Argentina, Israel and the United States – voted against and 52 abstained. “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity […]World News in Brief: 273 million out of school, deadly attacks on Ukraine, migratory species in danger
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has climbed for the seventh consecutive year, reaching 273 million, according to a new report from the UN education agency, UNESCO. The 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report finds that one in six school-age children are excluded from education, […]Gulf war ‘out of control’, Guterres warns, as UN appoints envoy to push for peace
March 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the escalating Gulf war is “out of control”, urging all sides to step back from the brink and allow diplomacy to prevail, as he announced the appointment of a senior envoy to spearhead peace efforts. Speaking outside the UN Security Council in New York […]Gaza: Commitment to US-backed plan crucial to recovery, Security Council hears
March 25, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the international community must not lose sight of the situation in Gaza, an official with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace across the shattered enclave said on Tuesday in his first appearance in the UN Security Council. High Representative […]War in the Middle East: Cultural treasures damaged, with more at risk
March 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Since the outbreak of war on 28 February, several unique sites of cultural significance have been damaged in Iran, Israel and Lebanon, alongside immense suffering, displacement and death. In Iran, these sites include Golestan Palace, Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan, Masjed-e Jame mosque (also in Isfahan) and buildings located near Prehistoric Sites […]WHO verifies deadly hospital attack in war-torn Sudan
March 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) verified on Saturday a hospital attack in war-torn Sudan that killed 64 people. The Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur’s capital, Al Deain, was struck late Friday, killing scores of people, including 13 children, two nurses, a doctor and multiple patients. […]Dire fertiliser shortage a lurking threat due to Hormuz crisis
March 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Since the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, concerns have been growing over rising oil and commodity prices. At the centre of it lies the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints […]UN weather agency warns of record ‘climate imbalance’ as planetary warming accelerates
March 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. All-time high greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere continue to drive heat records on land and sea, with long-lasting consequences for humanity, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Monday. Hot on the heels of a scorching decade, the UN’s weather agency has said that the planet’s […]
