In the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, housing remains one of the country’s most urgent humanitarian and recovery challenges. The destruction has been widespread and ongoing. According to the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, 13 per cent of Ukraine’s housing stock has been damaged since February 2022, impacting an estimated 2.5 […]
The outbreak – which started in September 2024 and was confirmed a month later – comes amidst a protracted humanitarian crisis exacerbated by rising intercommunal violence, climate shocks such as flooding and catastrophic hunger. “Now, more than ever, collective action is needed to reduce tensions, resolve political differences and make tangible progress in implementing […]
What little fuel remains is powering essential operations, but it is running out fast, and there are virtually no additional accessible stocks left, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, citing reports from the UN relief coordination office, OCHA. “Hospitals are rationing. Ambulances are stalling. Water systems are on the brink. And the deaths this is […]
The AI for Good Global Summit 2025 brings together governments, tech leaders, academics, civil society and young people to explore how artificial intelligence can be directed toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and away from growing risks of inequality, disinformation and environmental strain. “We are the AI generation,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, chief of the International […]
The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries. Those remaining in El Fasher are facing “extreme shortages” of food and clean water, with markets repeatedly disrupted, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the […]
“I have survived a genocide,” said Munira Subašić, whose youngest son – her favourite – and 21 other family members were murdered in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre. “And the world and Europe was just watching in silence.” Now president of the Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa, Ms. Subašić spoke at a special commemoration, urging […]
Digital technologies have the potential to drive progress and strengthen rights, including connecting people, improving access to health and education, and much more. But the pace of their evolution also poses serious risks, warned Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – from restrictions on free expression and privacy violations to discrimination and growing […]
Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani cited Kenyan police reports of at least 11 deaths, 52 injured police officers, and 567 arrests. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reported slightly different figures: at least 10 fatalities, 29 injuries, 37 arrests, and two abductions. Protests erupted in 16 counties, with police reportedly using live ammunition, rubber bullets, […]
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, António Guterres said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, notably of a large number of children,” during what should have been a time of celebration. Friday, 4 July, marked Independence Day in the United States – a time when families and communities […]
Haruki Ume spoke to UN News at the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 currently being held in the Japanese city of Osaka. One section of the pavilion features a rotating presentation focusing on a specific UN agency or entity and recently, attention turned to the UN Volunteers programme. “As a 17-year-old, I travelled to the […]
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, António Guterres expressed alarm over the dangerous escalation and the rising toll on civilians. He reiterated that attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure are prohibited under international law and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. “These strikes disrupted the power supply to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, […]
“Cooperatives are a system that enables the South Sudanese to improve their livelihoods, but at the same time also contributes to the economy… this is the only way for South Sudan to move out of poverty,” said Louis Bagare project manager of cooperatives at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in South Sudan. He was speaking […]
Since September 2023, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan. Women and girls account for about half of the returnees from Pakistan, while their share among those returning from Iran has been steadily rising, reaching around 30 per cent in June. The escalating pace of returns is straining Afghanistan’s […]
Escalating conflict in Ukraine In an oral update, Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported a sharp escalation in hostilities in Ukraine. Civilian casualties have surged, with April to June seeing nearly 50 per cent more deaths and injuries compared to the same period in 2024. “More than 90 per cent of […]
However, this creates challenges by limiting land access for the next generation and diminishing their voice in agricultural policymaking. Without land assets, young people struggle to secure the resources needed to become agricultural producers themselves. Between 2005 and 2021, the number of youth employed in agrifood jobs declined by 10 per cent, prompting concerns for […]
Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life,” Mr. Dujarric said. On just one day this week, nearly 30,000 […]
“The human consequences of rising debt burdens, escalating trade tensions and steep cuts to official development assistance have been brought into sharp relief this week,” she told the closing session of the pivotal gathering, amid sizzling temperatures across southern Spain. Multilateralism at work But against that backdrop, the conference has delivered a strong response – […]
On 30 June, both Chile and Argentina ranked among the coldest places on Earth, outside the polar regions. Governments in both countries issued early warnings and cold-weather alerts in response to the “polar-origin anticyclone” behind the extreme conditions, WMO said. The cold snap in South America contrasts blistering heat in the northern hemisphere, especially in […]
Activists, many from the Global South, attending the talks in Spain, are calling for greater leadership and commitment from wealthier nations to help address long-standing structural inequalities. The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) carries strong symbolic weight, reflected in the agreed priorities of the Sevilla Commitment. Courtesy of Paula Sevilla Paula Sevilla, […]
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine have taken or are considering steps to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction – known also as the Ottawa Convention, after the Canadian city where the process was launched. “These weapons risk causing […]