This article is published in association with United Nations. Moving goods around the world could soon become cheaper, faster and far more flexible, following the adoption of a new United Nations-backed agreement that modernises the paperwork behind global shipping. The UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents creates, for the first time, a single document that can […]UN deal delivers a smoother ride for global trade
December 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Moving goods around the world could soon become cheaper, faster and far more flexible, following the adoption of a new United Nations-backed agreement that modernises the paperwork behind global shipping. The UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents creates, for the first time, a single document that can […]Gaza ceasefire still fragile as cold turns deadly, Security Council hears
December 17, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile, while humanitarians continue to face obstructions in delivering aid to the people, a senior UN official working to promote greater peace in the region told the Security Council on Tuesday. Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, provided the update […]New influenza variant is surging, but vaccination still our best bet: WHO
December 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
© UNICEF/Andriy Vashkiv.Waiting for vaccination against influenza at a health centre in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district. This article is published in association with United Nations. Amid an early start to the Northern Hemisphere influenza season a new variant of the virus is rapidly gaining ground – but vaccination remains the “most effective defence”, the UN health agency […]Corruption costs lives and livelihoods: Why this week’s UN summit in Doha matters
December 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Last year, one in five people who dealt with a public official were asked to pay a bribe, according to a UN report. The world is doing something about it. Heads of State, civil society and private sector leaders will be discussing the most pressing issues surrounding corruption and […]World News in Brief: Türk condemns ‘abhorrent’ attack in Sydney, UNHCR chief calls for solidarity with refugees, Ukraine latest
December 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN human rights chief said on Monday the antisemitic attack on the Jewish community in Sydney which left fifteen dead at the weekend, including a 10-year-old girl, was “a moment of deep sadness.” Volker Türk said the “heinous” shootings targeting a Hannukah celebration on Bondi Beach […]‘Africa’s biggest challenge is a mindset challenge’: UN Special Adviser
December 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Africa does not have a million problems, it only has one – a mindset problem, says UN Special Adviser on Africa Cristina Duarte. The 2025 Academic Conference on Africa at UN Headquarters earlier this month, brought together leading African scholars, ministers, and activists to examine why many on the […]Aid deprioritised as commercial goods flow into Gaza, UN warns
December 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian assistance in Gaza is being delayed because aid cargo is routinely deprioritised in favour of commercial goods, the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) warned on Monday, as winter storms continue to worsen already dire living conditions for displaced families. Despite sustained efforts by the UN and […]Sudan: UN strongly condemns deadly drone attack on peacekeeping base in Kordofan
December 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Drone attacks targeting the UN logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan, on Saturday killed six peacekeepers and injured eight others – all members of the Bangladeshi contingent serving in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The oil-rich region is located between Sudan and South Sudan and […]Dialogue is ‘not naïve – it’s necessary’ as global divisions deepen, UN Riyadh forum hears
December 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The 11th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations opened in Riyadh on Sunday with a blunt message for a world riven by distrust: dialogue is not a luxury – it’s a survival strategy. The 11th Global Forum opened in Riyadh on Sunday with a blunt […]Peace falters as fighting in eastern DR Congo raises fears of regional war
December 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Civilians across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are facing collapsing health services and mass displacement as fighting spreads, undermining recent peace efforts and raising fears of a wider regional crisis. A new offensive by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) has reignited large-scale […]Guterres condemns deadly attack on Hannukah celebration in Sydney
December 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the “heinous deadly attack” on Sunday against Jewish families gathered in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate Hanukkah. In a social media post, Mr. Guterres said he was “horrified” by the incident. “My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this […]UN sounds alarm over rising demands on water resources as scarcity increases
December 14, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Pressure on freshwater resources is growing as demand increases in regions marked by scarcity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report published on Friday. It provides an update on renewable water availability, which refers to the amount of freshwater that is replenished each […]Deep concerns for Palestinians amid intense Israeli raids in occupied West Bank
December 13, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed alarm at reports of a so-called “settler road” being built in the occupied West Bank. Around 100 hectares of Palestinian land have been reportedly confiscated to make way for the new route. This would mark another step towards the […]Risks mount for pregnant women in Ukraine
December 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Pregnant women took shelter in a bunkerised maternity unit in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last week, after a hospital was struck just 1.5 km from the frontline. The incident comes amid alarming new data from the UN’s reproductive health agency (UNFPA), showing a sharp rise in the […]WHO expert group reaffirms no link between vaccines and autism
December 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee has again confirmed that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), following a new review of global scientific evidence. Meeting on 27 November, the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety examined 31 major research studies […]Gaza’s maternal and newborn health system ‘decimated’, UN warns
December 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Gaza’s health system for mothers and newborns has been “decimated”, the UN said on Thursday, with Israeli attacks destroying almost all hospitals, cutting off medical supplies and driving sharp rises in maternal deaths, miscarriages and newborn fatalities amid mass displacement and hunger. According to the UN human […]Social media: Age-related bans won’t keep kids safe, UNICEF warns
December 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A social media ban for children under 16 came into effect in Australia on Wednesday, marking a global first. After months of anticipation and debate over the government’s controversial move, under 16s woke up to find themselves locked out of popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, according to media […]World News in Brief: Gaza winter storm, $7 billion UNICEF appeal, support for emergency response fund
December 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As another winter storm hits the Gaza Strip, low temperatures and rains are putting the lives of newborns and other vulnerable groups at risk, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Wednesday. Following two years of war, most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents are living in makeshift shelters. Humanitarians […]Traditional medicine is now a global reality: WHO
December 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The vast majority of World Health Organization (WHO) member States say 40 to 90 per cent of their populations now use traditional medicine. That’s according to Shyama Kuruvilla, director of WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Centre, established in 2022 to tap into the potential of these systems […]Peace proves relative in Gaza with no let-up in deadly airstrikes
December 11, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. In Gaza, as airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continued to kill and maim Palestinians, UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Wednesday rejected suggestions by the Israeli military that the so-called “Yellow Line” of concrete blocks it has erected inside the enclave represented a new border. “The Security […]‘All we want for Sudan is peace’ say children fleeing violence
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nahed was visiting Sudan’s capital Khartoum with her family to celebrate Eid, a major Islamic holiday, when the war broke out between the rival armies vying for control of her homeland. Only 16 at the time, she saw armed men attacking her village and killing people – […]UN seeks $1 billion for ‘first-responder fund’ in emergencies
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian Aid Countries rallied at UN Headquarters on Tuesday to shore up a key humanitarian fund that provides timely assistance for millions worldwide when conflict and climate-related disasters strike. Since 2006, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated nearly $10 billion in more than 110 countries through rapid and strategic financing that […]Ukraine faces freezing winter under fire as UN warns of rising civilian toll
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. With temperatures plunging below freezing and cities facing long, daily power cuts, Ukrainian civilians are again bracing for winter under fire, as UN officials warned the Security Council that intensified attacks on energy infrastructure and shrinking aid budgets are taking a major toll. Briefing ambassadors, Kayoko Gotoh, […]Gaza’s babies ‘scarred by war before first breath’ by malnutrition
December 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Mothers who’ve been left starving in Gaza are now giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. Speaking from the shattered enclave, UNICEF Communication Manager […]At UN, OSCE warns of erosion of security principles amid Ukraine conflict
December 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) chief on Monday urged the UN Security Council to uphold core principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and human rights, warning that Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to undermine European security. Addressing ambassadors, Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who […]Ukraine civilians bear brunt of escalating attacks as winter closes in
December 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Civilians across Ukraine endured a surge in deadly strikes over the weekend, with the UN warning of an “alarming pattern” of intensifying hostilities and mounting damage to essential services as temperatures continue to drop. Speaking in New York on Monday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists the […]UN strongly condemns Israel’s unauthorised entry of UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem
December 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said that Israeli police raided its compound in East Jerusalem early on Monday, representing “a new challenge to international law.” Israeli police accompanied by municipal officials forcibly entered the facility, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on the social media platform X. Police […]Humanitarians launch $33 billion appeal for 2026
December 8, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN and partners are seeking $23 billion to provide lifesaving support next year to 87 million people worldwide affected by war, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and crop failures. This is the immediate priority of the $33 billion Global Humanitarian Overview 2026, launched on Monday, which aims to reach 135 million people overall in […]One year after Assad’s fall, Syria’s future must be ‘free, sovereign and united’
December 8, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General has marked the first anniversary of the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, calling the moment “a day to honor [Syrians’] sacrifices and to renew the aspirations that fueled the historic change in the country.” In a statement on Sunday, António Guterres paid tribute to […]Lebanon: UN peacekeepers warn of ‘clear violations’ following latest Israeli airstrikes
December 7, 2025 by 1 Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli airstrikes took place within the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) area of operations, the mission said in a statement issued on Friday. The strikes come as the Lebanese Armed Forces continue operations to control unauthorised weapons and infrastructure in south Lebanon a year after a cessation […]A fragile peace, a harsh winter: Gaza’s families struggle to rebuild
December 6, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nearly two months after the latest ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on 10 October, a fragile calm has brought much-needed relief to families who have endured unimaginable suffering and repeated displacement. For months on end, thousands of families remain without a roof over their heads, laying beneath […]Mozambique’s displaced facing massive needs as attacks intensify
December 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The ongoing emergency in northern Mozambique continues to worsen as prolonged attacks by non-state armed groups in Nampula trigger one of the largest displacement surges of the year, the UN warned on Friday. According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, 107,000 people have fled their homes […]Sudan: Kordofan cannot become ‘another El Fasher,’ Türk warns
December 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday warned that Sudan risks “another El Fasher” as fierce fighting spreads across the Kordofan region, raising fears of a fresh wave of atrocities. The once allied Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked […]
