Ukraine wakes to more violence as Russia’s invasion enters fifth year

© UNOCHA Many rural areas of Ukraine have been blasted by shelling and drone strikes. The country is also one of the most mined in the world, top UN aid officials warn.This article is published in association with United Nations. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. “Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another […]

Myriad fragments, one tragedy: How four years of war changed Ukraine

© UNICEF/Ian Dobronosov A mother and her daughter walk past a heavily damaged industrial building in Kyiv following an overnight attack, as firefighters continue to spray water at the remains.This article is published in association with United Nations. Although fighting had been raging in the east of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, most in the country did not believe all-out war would occur. With the full-scale invasion now reaching the four-year mark, many Ukrainians cannot believe it has gone on for so […]

Ukraine: $588 million recovery cost over the next 10 years

Ukraine: $588 million recovery cost over the next 10 yearswith United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine will cost almost $588 million over the next decade, or nearly three times the estimated GDP in 2025, as housing, energy and other critical sectors continue to come under fire from Russian forces.  The finding comes in the updated joint Rapid Damage and […]

‘Alarming increase’ in recruitment of children into gangs in Haiti

HaitiThis article is published in association with United Nations. There has been an “alarming increase” in the number of children being recruited into gangs in Haiti with “devastating consequences” for children, families and society as a whole, the UN reported on Friday. The big picture The Caribbean nation is in the grip of a deepening security, […]

UN report exposes torture, rape in Southeast Asia’s multi-billion-dollar scam centres

© UNICEF/Ron Haviv A UN human rights report has found that people trafficked and forced to work at scam centres are subjected to torture, sexual abuse and prison-like conditions. (representational photo)This article is published in association with United Nations. A sprawling online scam industry worth an estimated tens of billions of dollars a year is being powered by trafficked workers subjected to torture, sexual abuse and forced labour inside heavily guarded compounds in Southeast Asia, a new UN human rights report has found. Behind the staggering […]

World News in Brief: UN humanitarian chief visits South Sudan, shelter fire risks in Gaza, West Bank violence

© UNICEF/Bullen Chol A grandmother takes care of her 17-month-old malnourished grandson in South Sudan.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator arrived in South Sudan on Friday to visit one of the most under-reported humanitarian crises in the world, as clashes between government and opposition forces continue in Jonglei state.  Tom Fletcher will focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country and escalating protection risks for both civilians and aid workers.  […]

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitarians

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitariansThis article is published in association with United Nations. Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, millions in Ukraine struggle to keep the lights on and heat their homes, with the crisis taking a particular toll on women, humanitarians warned on Friday. Freshly back from a visit to the country UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia […]

World News in Brief: Conflict deepens hunger crisis in South Sudan, restrictions hinder aid delivery in Gaza, UN child rights envoy concludes first visit to Syria

© WFP/Samantha Reinders A convoy of WFP trucks carrying food aid leaves Bor, a town in central South Sudan.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its emergency response in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, where escalating conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and pushed hunger to critical levels. About 60 per cent of the population – some 1.2 million people – is […]

UNICEF calls for release of children detained during Iran protests

© Unsplash/Arman Taherian Tehran, the capital of Iran.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for the immediate release of all children detained during the recent public unrest in Iran, expressing deep concern that minors arrested in connection with the protests remain behind bars. The unrest erupted in late December 2025 in cities across Iran […]

UN rights chief: AI must be based on inclusivity, accountability and global standards

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has warned that without urgent guardrails, AI risks deepening inequality, amplifying bias and fuelling real-world harm.  Volker Türk on AI: Key points Soundcloud https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/2269668188&visual=&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_artwork=true&show_playcount=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&download=false&buying=false&sharing=false&show_teaser=false&single_active=true&color=%23ff5500 Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Mr. Türk told UN News that the technology […]

‘No corner of Sudan is safe’: UN officials warn of famine and atrocities as war intensifies

UNAMID/Albert González Farran The war between rival militaries has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and driven millions from their homes. (file photo)This article is published in association with United Nations. Nearly three years into Sudan’s war, violence is intensifying, famine conditions are looming in parts of the country, and civilians remain trapped between shifting front lines, senior UN political and humanitarian officials told the Security Council on Thursday, warning that the risk of further mass atrocities remains […]

Fears of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank: UN rights report

Fears of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank: UN rights reportThis article is published in association with United Nations. Increased Israeli attacks and the forced transfer of Palestinians have sparked concern over ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday.  The report covers the period from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025 and is […]

Floods, drought and insecurity drive acute hunger for 7.5 million in Pakistan

© UNICEF/Fahad Ahmed A young boy stands in floodwaters in Punjab, Pakistan. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. After a year that saw heavy monsoon floods, prolonged drought and dry spells, and a surge in violence, 7.5 million people in Pakistan face high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition according to a report from the global hunger monitor.  At the top end, in the period from last December to […]

Sudan: Rights chief alarmed after at least 57 killed in drone attacks in two days

© UNICEF A woman who fled violence in Sudan's Kordofan region receives treatment at a UN-supported clinic.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Wednesday for warring parties in Sudan to take urgent steps to protect civilians after at least 57 people were killed in separate drone strikes over two days this week.  Volker Türk was alarmed by the reports, which said that at least […]

Artists face steep income decline due to AI, UNESCO finds

Apply AI Strategy: Building trustworthy AI can be Europe's competitive advantageThis article is published in association with United Nations. Creators worldwide are facing mounting financial pressures as rapid advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence continue to transform the cultural and creative industries, according to a new global report released by the UN culture agency, UNESCO, on Wednesday.  The latest edition of Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity, UNESCO’s […]

World News in Brief: Guterres calls for fair swtich to clean energy, Ramadan in Gaza, violence and displacement escalate in South Sudan

World News in Brief: Guterres calls for fair swtich to clean energy, Ramadan in Gaza, violence and displacement escalate in South SudanThis article is published in association with United Nations. The world has “entered the age of clean energy” and renewables are now the cheapest, fastest and safest source of new electricity almost everywhere, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message to the International Energy Agency ministerial meeting in Paris on Wednesday. He warned that […]

From India, Guterres calls for $3 billion fund to ensure AI benefits all

From India, Guterres calls for $3 billion fund to ensure AI benefits allion with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Thefuture of Artificial Intelligence “cannot be decided by a handful of countries or left to the whims of a few billionaires,” the UN Secretary-General told the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Friday, calling for a Global Fund to help developing nations to better access these […]

Migrants and refugees in Libya subjected to ‘systematic’ abuse: UN report

Migrants and refugees in Libya subjected to ‘systematic’ abuse: UN reportThis article is published in association with United Nations. Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya are enduring ruthless and systematic human rights violations, including killings, torture, sexual violence and trafficking, according to a new report published today by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.    Covering the period from January 2024 to December 2025, the report documents what it calls an […]

Humanitarian access to Gaza still insufficient for relief and rebuilding: UN development chief

UN News UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo (centre) tours the Rubble and Debris Management Programme site in Gaza, implemented by his agency.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN has the funds and capacity to scale up relief and reconstruction operations in Gaza but does not have the necessary access to carry out these vital tasks, Alexander De Croo, the head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), told journalists on Tuesday. Mr. De Croo, […]

Epstein files: ‘No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law’; rights experts demand accountability

IOM Women make up the majority of victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. (file photo)This article is published in association with United Nations. The large-scale disclosure of materials known as the “Epstein Files” has revealed “disturbing and credible evidence” of what independent human rights experts describe as a possible global criminal enterprise involving systematic sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of women and girls. In a statement on Monday, the independent […]

World Entrepreneurs and Investment Forum puts women at the heart of economic transformation

World Entrepreneurs and Investment Forum puts women at the heart of economic transformationThis article is published in association with United Nations. Women entrepreneurs must be recognized as the architects of economic change and not the beneficiaries. That was the central message of the Manama Declaration, issued at the close of the World Entrepreneurs and Investment Forum (WEIF) held this week in Bahrain. The declaration places women at the […]

World News in Brief: Madagascar hunger crisis, Colombia aid appeal, Cuba fuel shortages

© WFP/Jerry Andrianaivoarivony Cyclone Gezani made landfall in Toamasina on the east coast of Madagascar.This article is published in association with United Nations. Back-to-back cyclones in Madagascar have left more than 400,000 people in need of food assistance, according to estimates by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), while roads, power lines and homes have been severely damaged. Between 31 January and 10 February, tropical cyclones Fytia and Gezani struck […]

UN forum calls for overhaul of agrifood systems

ESCAP/Jophel Botero Ybiosa A woman farmer tends to her paddy field in the Batad region of the Philippines.This article is published in association with United Nations. Rising food prices and declining farm incomes are putting increasing pressure on the global food system, with up to 720 million people facing hunger last year, and billions more struggling to afford healthy diets. These numbers point to an even deeper crisis: in 2024, an estimated 2.3 […]

Sudan: Thousands cling to a fragile hope in makeshift tents

© UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal Two malnourished children receive food supplements at a health centre in Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan.This article is published in association with United Nations. The Tawila camp for internally displaced in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region is home to more than half a million people who live in makeshift huts of sticks, hay and plastic sheeting. Some families have survived in those harsh conditions for months. Among them, 17-year-old Doha and her […]

Guterres deplores Israel’s move to resume land registration in the West Bank

© UNOCHA Children stand on a home demolished in Beit Sira, a Palestinian village in the central West Bank. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Israel’s decision to resume land registration procedures in a large part of the occupied West Bank, his Spokesman said on Monday.  The development follows an Israeli cabinet decision from May 2025 and applies to Area C of the West Bank, which […]

As conditions worsen in Ukraine, refugees struggle to return

© UNICEF/Dmytrii Bortkevych A young girl carries firewood for a warming stove at a house in the Kyiv region.This article is published in association with United Nations. As Ukraine prepares to enter the fifth year of the full-scale Russian invasion on 24 February, UN monitors say harm to civilians has “demonstrably worsened”, while energy attacks and freezing temperatures are making it harder for displaced families to return. “More people are killed and injured each […]

World News in Brief: Deadly strikes in Sudan, health systems in South Sudan near the brink, Guterres calls for unity ahead of Ramadan

© IOM/Philippa Lowe Thousands remain trapped in Kordofan, Darfur and El Fasher, where war continues to rage.This article is published in association with United Nations. A sharp increase in drone attacks across the Kordofan region in the centre of Sudan is endangering civilians and damaging critical infrastructure.    Over the past week, North Kordofan state recorded more than a dozen attacks in and around the towns of El Obeid, Bara, Rahad and Um Rawaba.   In South Kordofan, […]

‘Like a scene out of a horror movie’: UN report warns of war crimes in Sudan’s El Fasher

© UNICEF/Rogier van Zeventer Many Sudanese families have fled fighting in El Fasher and are now living in a camp for displaced people in Zalingi in western Darfur.This article is published in association with United Nations. Paramilitary forces in Sudan unleashed “a wave of intense violence…shocking in its scale and brutality” during their final offensive to capture the besieged city of El Fasher last October, committing atrocities that amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, according to a report released on […]

In the hands of innovators from the Global South, AI can transform lives

In the hands of innovators from the Global South, AI can transform livesThis article is published in association with United Nations. Artificial intelligence is no longer the sole preserve of rich western nations. The applications for the Global South, in areas ranging from health to agriculture and industry, are having a transformative effect on people’s lives. Fodder cutters are fearsome machines with huge circular blades spinning at high […]

Gaza: Lifesaving aid operations continue despite restrictions

© UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel A young boy in Gaza City eats a plate of food.This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarians in the Gaza Strip continue to face impediments in their efforts to deliver lifesaving aid to the population.  The United Nations said that its teams attempted to coordinate eight humanitarian missions on Friday and five were fully facilitated.  The remaining three – which included a mission to reach a water treatment plant in Khan Younis – were denied […]

New recombinant mpox strain detected in UK and India, WHO urges continued monitoring

© CDC/Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regnery Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) is a viral disease caused by an orthopoxvirus called monkeypox virus (MPXV).This article is published in association with United Nations. The detection of a newly identified recombinant mpox virus containing genetic material from two known strains underscores the need for continued genomic surveillance, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday, as the overall global public health risk assessment remains unchanged. WHO confirmed that two cases […]

Measles cases drop in 2025 across Europe and Central Asia, but outbreak risks remain

© UNICEF/Giacomo Pirozzi A young boy receives a measles immunization in Osh city in southwestern Kyrgyzstan.This article is published in association with United Nations. Measles cases across Europe and Central Asia declined by 75 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, according to preliminary data released on Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO), which warned of remaining outbreak risks. “While cases have reduced, the conditions that led to the resurgence […]

West Bank: UN rights chief warns against deepening Israeli control over Palestinian land

West Bank: UN rights chief warns against deepening Israeli control over Palestinian landThis article is published in association with United Nations. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Wednesday for Israel to rescind recent measures to expand control over Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank.   “This is yet another step by the Israeli authorities towards rendering a viable Palestinian State impossible, in violation of the […]
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