Security Council weighs future of UN war crimes mechanism as closure nears

UN Photo/Manuel Elías A wide view of the Security Council. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. The Security Council on Friday weighed the future of the UN mechanism responsible for completing the remaining work of the international tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as members debated how to preserve its legacy while bringing its mandate to an orderly close. The discussion focused […]

Guterres welcomes US-Iran peace deal as ‘critical step’ toward ending conflict

© NASA/GSFC/Jacques Descloitres The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow but vital shipping route linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. It lies between Iran to the north and Oman and UAE to the south.This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday a new peace deal between the United States and Iran, calling it a “critical step” toward ending the conflict. According to a statement issued by his Spokesman, the agreement provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of […]

DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child victims

© WHO/Joël Lumbala The World Health Organization (WHO) is among the UN agencies supporting the authorities in responding to the latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario in the days ahead, UN agencies said on Friday. “Every day, cases are being identified in new health zones. And that […]

Three seafarers killed in Hormuz strike as UN warns of widening fallout

This article is published in association with United Nations. Three Indian seafarers were killed in an attack on an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, as renewed hostilities in one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors once again heightened concern over food security, fuel prices and broken global supply chains. The latest […]

Refugee numbers drop for first time in a decade, but millions remain trapped

© UNICEF/Royena Rasnat A group of Rohingya refugee children attend an activity centre in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.This article is published in association with United Nations. Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives. UNHCR‘s flagship […]

Countries urged to ‘go further, faster’ and deliver on climate commitments

© Practical Action Bolivia A woman in rural Bolivia operates a solar power-driven irrigation system.This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations climate chief called on Monday for countries to step up action to implement existing commitments, warning that fossil fuel dependency is deepening economic instability and exposing vulnerable communities to worsening climate impacts.  Simon Stiell addressed the opening of the UN June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany – an important step ahead of […]

‘Rare, untreatable strain’: Ebola toll mounts in eastern DR Congo

© WHO/Joël Lumbala WHO has conducted field visits to Nyankunde, Ituri to intensify the response to the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. The top UN aid official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in Ituri province – the epicentre of the country’s Ebola outbreak – for a three-day assessment visit, as the confirmed case count reaches 515 across three eastern provinces. Damien Mama, interim Humanitarian Coordinator […]

Children are dying as US sanctions push Cuba to the brink, warns UN human rights chief

© UNICEF A child is vaccinated against multiple diseases at a health centre in Cuba.This article is published in association with United Nations. Children are dying because doctors cannot access essential medicines, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said in a stark warning on Monday, calling for the immediate lifting of United States sanctions against the Caribbean nation that were causing “widespread harm”. “The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of […]

Faith, fear and trust: Inside DR Congo’s fight against Ebola

© WHO/Joël Lumbala Health teams in personal protective equipment (PPE) respond to the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. In a village in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers arrived a few days ago to help bury a person who had died from Ebola. Instead, they were threatened, told armed rebels would be called if they stayed, and forced to leave. The family […]

AI’s environmental costs threaten water, land and climate

AIThis article is published in association with United Nations. Artificial Intelligence is not only responsible for worrying amounts of earth-warming greenhouse gases: the technology’s environmental footprint is also expanding at a pace that could strain the planet’s natural resources. Data centres, the global infrastructure powering AI, could consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030 – […]

World News in Brief: Millions displaced in South Sudan, global meat supply quadruples, Middle East crisis deepens global hunger

© UNOCHA/Adedeji Ademigbuji Children displaced by the recent violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan, sit outside a church, home to thousands of displaced people.This article is published in association with United Nations. Months of fighting and insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei State, triggering “one of the most severe conflict-related displacement emergencies in recent years”, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.  Tweet URL Fighting between the […]

Humanity’s future depends on protecting the rapidly changing ocean

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. When US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, triggering one of the most serious geopolitical crises in years, the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow channel just 34 kilometres wide at its narrowest point – became a global flashpoint overnight. Iran closed the waterway […]

Humanity’s future depends on protecting the rapidly changing ocean

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The ocean covers more than 70 per cent of the planetand regulates climate, sustains biodiversity, and supports economies and cultures worldwide. It’s the foundation of life on Earth. However, it has been under duress for some time and going forward faces multiple threats which not only gravely […]

Five things you need to know about ocean plastics

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.This article is published in association with United Nations. From surgical gloves to water bottles, shopping bags and chewing gum, every part of our daily lives includes plastic. They epitomise convenience – their durability makes our dependence on them inextricable, but it also stifles the environment. Once plastics are released into the marine environment, large pieces choke wildlife […]

Lebanon crisis: Needs soar as UN launches new funding appeal

© WFP/Marco Frattini Aid is distributed to displaced families in northern Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months since deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces. “Humanitarian needs are soaring with each day of the […]

World Ocean Assessment highlights urgent need for science and global action

© Permanent Mission of the Netherlands Left to right: Bahia Tahzib-Lie is Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, Richard Vevers, Sylvia Earle and Fabien Cousteau at the Explorers Club in New York City.This article is published in association with United Nations. In the wood-panelled rooms of New York’s storied Explorers Club, where portraits of pioneering adventurers line the walls, diplomats, scientists and ocean advocates gathered on Tuesday evening with a shared sense of urgency – and anticipation. They were joined by renowned ocean advocate Sylvia Earle and explorer […]

Killed for speaking up: UN sounds alarm over attacks on environmental defenders

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Thursday for greater protection for environmental and land defenders, noting that hundreds worldwide have been killed or detained in recent years. His appeal came in remarks to the first-ever European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders held in Strasbourg, France, […]

Undeclared chemical weapons found in Syria, including type used in notorious Ghouta massacre

© UNICEF/Amer Almohibany Destroyed buildings in Harasta, Ghouta. A suburb of Damascus, Ghouta was the site of a deadly chemical weapons attack in August 2013.This article is published in association with United Nations. Chemical weapons inspectors have uncovered a significant cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons in Syria – including rockets of the same type used in the notorious 2013 Ghouta attack – in what the UN’s top disarmament official called a “momentous discovery” for international security. Izumi Nakamitsu briefed […]

Yemen: Hunger crisis deepens as funding cuts leave millions without support

© UNICEF/Mohanad Waqqas An 18-month-old girl suffering from malnutrition is weighed at a displaced camp in Lahj, Yemen.This article is published in association with United Nations. Nearly half of the population in Government-controlled areas of Yemen are facing high levels of acute food insecurity with the crisis set to deepen further if international aid cuts continue, according to the latest analysis by the leading UN-backed global food security platform. Around five million people – or […]

‘We are catching up’ – WHO chief on DR Congo’s Ebola fight

This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is showing signs of progress – but significant challenges remain in testing, surveillance, vaccine development and building community trust.  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus briefed journalists […]

Unsafe food kills 1.5 million people each year; children most at risk: WHO

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths every year worldwide, highlighting the often-overlooked toll of contaminated food on health, development and fragile economies, according to new data from the UN health agency. The new insights released on Wednesday ahead of next week’s […]

Growing up with sirens: UN child rights envoy on the toll of the Ukraine-Russia war

© UNICEF Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, during a visit to frontline areas in Ukraine.This article is published in association with United Nations. Children in Ukraine have been profoundly impacted by years of war, sheltering in underground schools – or forced to study online – and living with the psychological strain of constant air raid sirens that could spell death for them and their families. But children on both sides […]

Haiti: UN rights office welcomes new judicial units to tackle gang violence and impunity

© WFP/Odelyn Joseph People who have fled their homes carry possessions through the streets of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Tuesday welcomed theopening of two specialised judicial units in Haiti, saying the move marked “a significant step toward tackling widespread impunity in the country.”  Launched by the Haitian government at the end of May, they are expected to address complex corruption cases, including the illicit trade of arms and money […]

UN urges world not to forget Rohingya refugees as aid cuts threaten vital support

© UNICEF/Ilvy Njiokiktjien A two-year-old girl suffering from malnutrition is fed by her mother at their shelter in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.This article is published in association with United Nations. As the world approaches nine years since the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Bangladesh, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has appealed to the international community not to abandon the 1.2 million refugees living in the country, most of them in camps in Cox’s Bazar. […]

World News in Brief: Violence hampers Ebola efforts, aid delivery in Darfur and Gaza, Nicaraguan activist’s death in custody

© UNICEF/Carmel Ndomba Mbikayi A girl washes her hands at a primary school in Bunia during the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. Escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to impact civilians and efforts to fight Ebola, UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Tuesday.  At least seven civilians were killed in villages in Mambasa Territory, Ituri province, on Sunday, humanitarian partners reported.  The attack followed weeks of mounting violence […]

UN deplores another wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine

© UNICEF The aftermath of a Russian strike on a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.This article is published in association with United Nations. Overnight attacks in three key cities in Ukraine have left several civilians dead, scores more injured, and homes, hospitals and shops destroyed or damaged, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday.  Matthias Schmale condemned the large-scale Russian assault on the capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipro and Kharkiv, […]

UN stresses the need for de-escalation in Ukraine war as attacks rise

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Kayoko Gotoh, Director and Officer-in-Charge for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, addresses the Security Council meeting on Threats to International Peace and SecurityThis article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations continues to warn against the dangerous escalation in the war in Ukraine, a senior official told the Security Council on Monday, underlining the need for restraint and dialogue.  Romania requested the urgent meeting after a Russian drone entered its airspace on Friday night, hitting an apartment building in the eastern […]

From Libyan deserts to 3D-printed guns: The weapons that never go away

© Wikipedia/Hotsauce 3D-printed guns are near impossible for authorities to trace, primarily because they are produced outside traditional manufacturing and regulatory systems.This article is published in association with United Nations. Years after conflicts fade from the headlines, the weapons used to fight them often continue to circulate – crossing borders, fuelling crime and undermining an often-fragile peace. Now, ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks are creating new challenges for governments worldwide. The issue is […]

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Nurses discharged after full recovery

© WHO/Joël Lumbala A shipment of essential medical supplies for the Ebola response arrives at Bunia airport in Ituri province, DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. Four nurses who fell ill with Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been discharged from hospital after recovering from the often-fatal illness that sparked an international health alert.  “More recoveries are expected, especially when people are diagnosed early and able to access care, and […]

‘You are not alone’: WHO chief vows to stand with DR Congo through Ebola outbreak

© WHO/Joël Lumbala A health worker screens a man at the entrance of a hospital in Ituri, DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. Community trust will be decisive in bringing the rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo under control, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday, as health teams race to contain the emergency that has spread across multiple provinces and into neighbouring Uganda. […]

Under fire, Kharkiv is already building for a peaceful tomorrow

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Every day in Kharkiv begins with uncertainty: air raid sirens interrupt sleep; missiles strike residential neighbourhoods, industrial sites, and roads. Anxious citizens rush into metro stations during bombardments and children study underground. Yet amid the destruction, Ukraine’s second-largest city is doing something that may seem almost impossible […]

Global temperatures set to stay near record levels: UN weather agency

© WMO/Muhammad Amdad Hossain A young man braves the drought in Satkhira region of Bangladesh, as he wa;ks to a reservoir to collect water.This article is published in association with United Nations. The world is heading into another period of dangerous heat, a new UN report warns on Thursday, and it’s nearly certain global temperatures over the next five years will stay “at or near record levels” as climate change accelerates across land and sea. A report produced by […]

UN warns Ukraine war risks spiralling ‘out of control’

© UNOCHA A heavily damaged apartment building in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine.This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations on Thursday warned of a dangerous escalation in the war in Ukraine after a wave of large-scale Russian strikes and threats of further attacks, with Secretary-General António Guterres saying “the death spiral must stop.” Addressing the Security Council in New York, Mr. Guterres said […]
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