This article is published in association with United Nations. The wildfires burning across Europe and North America highlight the urgent need for action now – as climate change, land-use pressures and human activity make severe fires more likely in the future. The warning comes from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) which said that more than 434,000 hectares […]Wildfires: Prevention is the best defence, UN says
July 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The wildfires burning across Europe and North America highlight the urgent need for action now – as climate change, land-use pressures and human activity make severe fires more likely in the future. The warning comes from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) which said that more than 434,000 hectares […]Middle East crisis: Humanitarian fallout ‘worsening by the day’
July 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The humanitarian toll is mounting as fighting continues in the Middle East beyond strikes and counterstrikes between the US and Iran, the UN aid coordination office OCHA warned on Thursday, with civilians increasingly at risk and essential infrastructure disrupted in several countries across the region. “The humanitarian consequences of the Middle East escalation are worsening […]Forced online scams: IOM warns trafficking networks are booming
July 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A job advert can hide a criminal network, and a single click can lead to a nightmare. Hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked every year on the promise of legitimate work abroad, only to be held captive and forced into online scam operations. The UN International […]Climate alarm ‘blaring from every direction’
July 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Climate-driven disasters are reaching “nightmare proportions” due to humanity’s “addiction” to fossil fuels, a top UN official warned on Tuesday. “The climate alarm is blaring from every direction,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in a statement. “With the mercury set to soar again this […]Syria’s hopes for renewal hinge on rebuilding trust, lives and livelihoods
July 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A country long known as a meeting point of civilizations, Syria stands once again at a crossroads. Across Syria, the scars of war remain etched into communities that have endured years of violence, displacement and loss. Yet amid the devastation, hopes are also taking root, hopes for […]75 years later, the promise to protect refugees faces its greatest test
July 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has launched a global campaign urging governments, organizations and individuals to renew their commitment to protecting people forced to flee war, violence and persecution. The initiative, called The Promise, comes at a time when […]Syria’s hopes for renewal hinge on rebuilding trust, lives and livelihoods
July 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A country long known as a meeting point of civilizations, Syria stands once again at a crossroads. Across Syria, the scars of war remain etched into communities that have endured years of violence, displacement and loss. Yet amid the devastation, hopes are also taking root, hopes for […]Stranded seafarers remain trapped as Hormuz shipping stalls
July 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Iran-US war continues, the key question remains unanswered about how shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be managed in future – although the UN has reiterated that charging tolls for safe passage runs contrary to international law. Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, […]Deadly Afghanistan floods kill at least 26 as aid agencies race to reach survivors
July 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Flash floods have killed at least 26 people across eastern Afghanistan, including 23 in the mountainous province of Nuristan, where homes, markets and roads were swept away and search teams continued looking for people reported missing. The flooding, triggered by heavy rainfall on 20 July, also claimed […]Nicaragua continues to weaken political freedoms, UN warns
July 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Wednesday condemned new threats from Nicaragua’s co-president Daniel Ortega to hinder civil rights and prevent dissenting individuals and groups from participating in elections. Mr. Ortega said on Sunday that the country would no longer hold elections, which were scheduled […]From lithium to nickel: How the UN is helping countries make the most of critical minerals
July 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The world’s shift to clean energy is driving huge demand for critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper. Digging them out of the ground may be the most straightforward part of the process. Around the world, the United Nations is helping countries make sure these […]World News in Brief: Aid for Ukraine, drone attacks in Sudan, DR Congo deaths, neurological disorders in the Americas
July 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN partners launched the Winter Response Plan to help 2.1 million people in Ukraine survive another cold season as the country grapples with the on-going Russian invasion. Tweet URL The UN’s office in Ukraine announced on Wednesday that its partners are seeking $358.4 million to provide heating assistance, shelter […]Critical minerals: The hidden resources powering the clean energy future
July 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Why are critical minerals suddenly at the centre of global politics? The story in 60 seconds Every electric vehicle, wind turbine, solar panel, smart phone; they all depend on minerals extracted from the earth. As countries accelerate the transition to clean (non-fossil fuel) energy, demand for minerals […]‘Business as usual is a business of death’: UN adopts road safety pledge over US objection
July 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN General Assembly closed its first ever High-level Meeting on road safety on Tuesday by adopting a sweeping new declaration aimed at halving road deaths by 2030 – over the sole objection of the United States. The Progress Declaration passed by a recorded vote of 162 […]World News in Brief: Sexual violence in DR Congo, deaths in Ukraine and Russia, crime in Southeast Asia
July 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
World News in Brief: Sexual violence in DR Congo, deaths in Ukraine and Russia, crime in Southeast AsiaUkraine: Deadly Russian attacks severely damage aid warehouses
July 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Russian attacks and drone strikes killed at least two children and injured dozens more across Ukraine over recent days while severely damaging three critical aid warehouses, UN agencies reported on Monday. The UN aid coordination agency, OCHA, said attacks over the past days killed and injured dozens […]US-Iran war: UN chief calls for new diplomatic push following attacks on civilian areas
July 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by the continuing deadly military escalation between Iran and the United States, his spokesperson said on Friday as attacks destroyed key civilian and military infrastructure across the Gulf region. “He is particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and […]Gulf crisis: Guterres calls for de-escalation, warns against return to full-on war
July 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern on Wednesday over the continuing military escalation in the Middle East amid ongoing strikes by the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting has broken an interim truce established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by […]World Cup football’s other goal: Helping young people talk about mental health
July 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. When Dr. Sahira Al Nahari founded Shifā Art, a Saudi Arabia-based organization using art to create conversations around mental health, she noticed that men attending her therapeutic art workshops often felt uncomfortable opening up about their feelings. At these workshops, however, men often begin by sketching football […]‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
July 14, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday. Why this matters Speaking to reporters […]World News in Brief: Aid deliveries to Gaza restricted, UN prepares El Nino response, El Salvador eliminates disease
July 14, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for greater humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that restrictions on aid deliveries, ongoing violence and funding shortages are severely limiting its ability to reach people in need. Tweet URL Reporting from a recent aid convoy mission, WFP Country Director for Palestine […]World must move faster on Ebola response for DR Congo: UN relief chief
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The world must move faster to contain the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Thursday. Mr. Fletcher warned that while Ituri province remains the centre of the outbreak, the virus is spreading to other provinces […]Peak heat in Europe just broke historic 1970s records
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. This year marks the hottest June recorded for Western Europe and the second warmest globally, according to the latest report from a climate tracking service released on Thursday. “Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate […]Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Ramiz Alakbarov, and his […]Aid cuts leave at least one million women and girls without vital support
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. At least one million women and girls have lost access to critical humanitarian support since January 2025 as unprecedented aid cuts push women’s organizations in crisis zones to the brink of collapse, the UN’s gender equality agency, UN Women, said on Friday. The warning comes in a […]South Sudan: UN acts ahead of drought to protect thousands
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As drought risk intensifies in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state, a new UN-backed plan aims to protect thousands of people before the worst impacts take hold. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of South Sudan on Friday activated the country’s first-ever drought anticipatory plan targeting more than 65,000 people […]New cholera outbreak alert for Sudan’s war-weary communities
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks have continued to hamper aid access. “Cholera is back and it’s affecting several states, mainly in the western part […]World News in Brief: UN spotlights education aid solution, Sri Lanka prison violence, humanitarian aid to Venezuela
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged international lenders to expand debt-for-education swaps, warning in a Friday report that many developing countries are spending more on debt servicing than on schooling their children. At the same time, low and middle-income countries are projected to lose […]‘We face a new ordeal’: Gaza’s search for the dead goes on
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. After thousands of buildings were destroyed in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war, local teams and civil defense personnel continue the arduous and delicate mission to remove rubble and search for the remains of missing persons believed to still be buried under the debris of homes […]Reviving communities home by home in Gaza
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Displacement has drastically reshaped every aspect of daily life in war-ravaged Gaza for 24-year-old Mayyada, who is seven months pregnant with twins and caring for her two-year-old daughter, but now she and her family are getting settled into a temporary home of their own. “I hope my […]From NASA to the classroom: The engineer bringing AI to those left behind
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Nia Jetter spent two decades building spacecraft and robots. Now she is trying to make sure the artificial intelligence revolution doesn’t leave anyone behind. Growing up in New Jersey, Ms. Jetter saved the quarters her grandfather gave her – not for sweets, but for batteries and light bulbs, so she […]UN chief urges Iran and US to ‘urgently resume negotiations’ as Gulf strikes escalate
July 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war, with Washington denying Tehran’s claim that it had closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The US said it had struck around 140 […]Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close
July 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Ramiz Alakbarov, and his […]
