Last Sunday, a joint PRCS and UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) mission uncovered a shallow grave in Rafah. The bodies of eight PRCS paramedics, six civil defence workers, and one UN staff member were found.

They had been killed by the Israeli military while attempting to reach victims of shelling on 23 March.

“They were humanitarians. They wore emblems. They should have been protected,” the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC)’s Permanent Observer, Dylan Winder, told journalists during a briefing at UN Headquarters on Friday.

Dr. Younes al-Khatib, PRCS President, confirmed that one of the team members – now identified as Assad – is still unaccounted for.

He explained that the incident was the “single most deadly attack” against Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017.

Investigation in progress

PRCS officials said it remains unclear whether their colleague, Assad, had been killed at the scene or taken into detention.

A video recorded from one of the PRCS ambulances appears to show Israeli tanks firing on clearly marked emergency vehicles, refuting claims that the ambulances were unidentifiable or operating without sirens.

“It’s a trap,” one responder can be heard shouting in the footage, according to PRCS Vice President Marwan Jilani.

The final words of one PRCS paramedic, captured in an audio recording found on his phone, were also shared during the briefing.

“Forgive me, mom. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives,” he said, moments before he was killed. His phone was discovered with his body.

Dr. al-Khatib noted that a forensic report is being prepared and will be released in due course.

PRCS officials reiterated calls for an international, independent investigation, challenging the “narrative” put forward by the Israeli Government and demanding justice for the victims and their families.

Humanitarian operations under siege

The grim discovery comes as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens, with all crossings still closed.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that thousands more families have been forced to flee westward in the Gaza Strip, following new displacement orders issued by Israeli forces in parts of Gaza City.

“These displacement orders have left civilians exposed to hostilities and deprive them of access to essential services for their basic survival,” he said, citing information from OCHA.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), food parcel distributions are expected to end soon. Hot meal distributions continue but supplies are running low.

Meanwhile, sanitation conditions are worsening. OCHA reports infestations of fleas and mites in three makeshift displacement sites in Al-Mawasi, causing rashes and other health issues.

Treatment is impossible without the chemicals and medical supplies that remain blocked at closed border crossings.

UN humanitarian partners also report a spike in criminal looting and insecurity – a food distribution centre from the Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) and surrounding buildings were looted on Wednesday.

West Bank operations

In the West Bank, OCHA reports that tens of thousands of people remain displaced due to ongoing Israeli operations, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm.

Mr. Dujarric noted that humanitarian partners are providing urgent assistance and psychosocial support to affected communities, but conditions continue to deteriorate.

‘Gaza cannot be left alone’

More than 220 PRCS staff have been killed over the last 50 years, noted Dr. al-Khatib, stressing: “We are looking for action.”

The PRCS leadership made five formal appeals to the international community, including an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access and an end to impunity for attacks on aid workers.

“Gaza cannot be left alone,” Dr. al-Khatib concluded. “This is a cry to our international community.”

During a discussion on early childhood development, the High Commissioner for Human Rights underscored that 80 per cent of the human brain is formed in the first three years of life, as he appealed for a reset in youth-centred policy.

“Investments in early childhood are one of the smartest ways to achieve sustainable economic development; studies indicate that the economic return can be up to 13 times the amount invested,” he insisted.

Citing South Africa’s Child Support Grant and the Bolsa Familia programme in Brazil, the High Commissioner pointed out that they “help to ensure that children born into the toughest circumstances can still have the most essential needs covered”.

Today’s threats to children are also virtual, and youngsters everywhere lack the tools to stay safe online, Mr. Türk continued, before warning that children’s access to food, basic sanitation and drinking water remains unequal across the world; two in five lack access even to basic sanitation.

Children suffering extreme heat to rise eight-fold

Climate change is also likely to make children and future generations more vulnerable, Mr. Türk told the Council, noting that in the next 30 years, eight times as many children could be exposed to extreme heat waves and twice as many to extreme wildfires.  

Emphasising the wider benefit to society of early childhood development, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on violence against children, said that that “even the very youngest and those in the most vulnerable situations have rights, including rights to development, protection and participation”, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UN Human Rights Council/Marie Bambi

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. (file)

Brain drain

More than one million new neural connections form every second in the first few years of life, the practicing paediatrician explained, as she warned of the long-term impacts on very young children’s health, learning and behaviour when caregivers are unable to provide nurturing and safe care.

Many children with disabilities or from minorities have no access to supportive early child development services, along with others in poor or emergency settings, Dr. M’jid noted.

“Given the unprecedented humanitarian crisis – due to conflict and forced displacement – we must ensure that [early child development] programmes are embedded in the humanitarian response,” she insisted.

One chance at parenting  

Also taking part in the debate at the Human Rights Council was 13-year-old child rights advocate, Vlad.  

“Raising a child is not a maths test that you can retake it if you haven’t done it right the first time,” said the young Moldovan, noting that parents, family and the community form the pillars of a child’s first year of life.  

“But what happens when a child is born with a disability or into a family that doesn’t have enough resource to rise them? Do we step aside because this is not our problem or – on the contrary – do we help the child and the family to develop and overcome those difficulties?” he asked.

Vlad, who volunteers at a free centre for children with disabilities and developmental difficulties run by NGO Lumos Foundation, stressed “how important it is to intervene early in child development, because the earlier we react, the more chances we give to the child to develop harmoniously … a child’s difficulties, however great they may be, can be overcome or, at least, minimized.”

‘I miss my home, my family and friends’

Ten-year-old Joyce, who was forced to flee Syria’s civil war, told the Council precisely what children needed in her home country, so that other youngsters just like her could stay there in safety: “Education, safety and child friendly spaces – not shootings, missiles, bombs or kidnappings,” she said.

Speaking via videolink, Joyce addressed world leaders directly, asking them to understand that for children to live happily and safely, “you need to stop the wars”.

She added: “We need to go to school, to play, to have food and water and most importantly, not to live in fear.”

Admitting that one can’t really argue with Joyce’s statements, Mr. Philip Jaffé, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child said, that it wasn’t needed to be verbose, “when what is being said, is essential.”

The Convention on the Rights of the Child calls on all countries “to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child”.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee on the Rights of the Child which assesses the progress that countries make in adhering to the Convention, Philip Jaffé insisted that for children to thrive in their early years, governments should implement comprehensive and rights-based, coordinated strategies and across departments and at central and local levels.

In addition, “there must be special consideration and social support given to the early childhood needs of children with disabilities and their families,” Mr. Jaffé said.

The Palestinian co-director of the documentary, Basel Adra, delivered remarks to the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Ambassador Riyad Mansour of the Observer State of Palestine and Israeli Human Rights lawyer Netta Amar Schiff – who joined via videolink – also took part.

No Other Land, directed by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, sheds light on the lived reality of Palestinians under occupation in Masafer Yatta, a collection of 19 hamlets, in the occupied West Bank.

‘The same reality’

“I wanted the world to know that we exist in this land…But even after winning the Oscar we went back to the same reality,” said Mr. Adra at the beginning of his remarks.

Addressing the overall human rights situation, James Turpin, who heads the Prevention and Sustaining Peace Section at OHCHR, said that for 15 years his office “has monitored, recorded and warned about the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the widespread violations resulting from Israel’s 57-year military occupation.”

“The documentary film, No Other Land, brings to life, in a compelling and accessible way, what the UN has documented in countless reports,” added Mr. Turpin.

As of 2022, approximately 20 per cent of the West Bank had been designated as “firing zones” by Israeli authorities – or military areas closed to civilians – affecting over 5,000 Palestinians from 38 communities.

Settlement expansion continues

“There are now over 737,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank” and “steps are regularly taken to accelerate construction of additional housing units in new or existing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem”, Mr. Turpin said.

Israel’s policies and practices in the OPT “undermines the territorial integrity essential to the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and violates the prohibition against acquiring territory by force,” he added.

In October 2023, in Masafer Yatta, Basel Adra’s cousin was shot in the chest by an Israeli settler. The scene unfolded in front of an Israeli soldier, Mr. Adra told the committee.

“Israel systematically fails to prevent or punish settler attacks, with a reported policy of police non-enforcement in relation to settler violence, leaving Palestinians bereft of any hope of obtaining justice and accountability,” said Mr. Turpin.

Livelihoods lost

The OHCHR official added that settler violence “combined with arbitrary movement restrictions devastates Palestinian livelihoods,” highlighting also the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force against Palestinians, movement restrictions, and mass displacement.

“Israel’s illegal presence in the OPT must end, as confirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ)” said Mr. Turpin, referring to the July 2024 Advisory opinion from the ICJ.

“Almost every day there are settler attacks against Masafer Yatta,” added Basel Adra, co-director of No Other Land. 

The latest State of the Global Climate report confirms 2024 as the hottest year since records began 175 years ago, with a global mean temperature of 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels – surpassing the critical warming threshold of 1.5°C for the first time.  

While a single year above 1.5°C doesn’t break the Paris Agreement‘s long-term goals (a long-term average below 1.5°C), it is a stark warning of the urgent need for emissions reduction.

Multiple climate indicators also set new records. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are at their highest in 800,000 years, and the oceans continue to warm at unprecedented rates.  

Glaciers and sea ice are rapidly melting, contributing to a rise in global sea levels that threatens coastal ecosystems and infrastructure worldwide.

Furthermore, tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, and other hazards last year led to the highest number of new displacements recorded in 16 years, contributing to worsening food crises, and fuelling massive economic losses.  

Leveraging renewables and early warning systems

Despite these alarming trends, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the Paris Agreement goals are still achievable and called on world leaders to step up their efforts in response to the mounting crisis.

“Our planet is issuing more distress signals – but this report shows that limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible. Leaders must step up to make it happen –seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies – with new national climate plans due this year’’, he urged.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo called the report findings a “wake-up call” to the increasing level of deadly risk facing human life, economies and the planet.

“WMO and the global community are intensifying efforts to strengthen early warning systems and climate services to help decision-makers and society at large be more resilient to extreme weather and climate. We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster”, she said.  

Irreversible changes

The report explains that the record-breaking global temperatures in 2023 and 2024 were primarily driven by increasing greenhouse gas emissions, amplified by the transition from La Niña to El Niño.  

Other factors that might have contributed include solar cycle variation, volcanic activity and changes in ocean circulation.

Scientists also underscore the urgency of taking action, outlining some already irreversible changes – including the rate of sea level rise – that has doubled since satellite measurements began.

Projections show that ocean warming, which reached its highest level on record, will continue over the rest of the 21st century and beyond, even if the world were to significantly reduce emissions. Similarly, ocean acidification will continue to increase for the rest of this century, at rates dependent on future emissions.

Other key findings

• Globally, each of the past ten years were individually the ten warmest years on record.
• Each of the past eight years has set a new record for ocean heat content.
• The 18 lowest Arctic sea-ice extents on record were all in the past 18 years.
• The three lowest Antarctic ice extents were in the past three years.
• The largest three-year loss of glacier mass on record occurred in the past three years.
• In 2024, ocean heat content reached its highest level in the 65-year observational record.
• Tropical cyclones were responsible for many of the highest-impact events of 2024. These included Typhoon Yagi in Viet Nam, the Philippines and southern China.  

No aid has been allowed into Gaza since 2 March, representing the longest period of aid blockage since the start of the war, resulting in shortages of food, safe water, shelter, and medical supplies.

UNICEF said that without these essentials, malnutrition, diseases and other preventable conditions will likely surge, leading to an increase in preventable child deaths.

The agency has thousands of pallets of aid waiting to enter the enclave, said Edouard Beigbeder, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Most of this aid is lifesaving – yet instead of saving lives, it is sitting in storage,” he said.

“It must be allowed in immediately. This is not a choice or charity; it is an obligation under international law.”

Young lives at risk

UNICEF warned that children receiving malnutrition treatment are at serious risk as 21 treatment centres, representing 15 per cent of total outpatient facilities, have closed due to displacement orders or bombardments.

Furthermore, only enough ready-to-use infant formula (RUIF) is currently available for 400 children for a month. Estimates indicate that nearly 10,000 infants under six months old require supplementary feeding, which could force families to use alternatives mixed with unsafe water.

Meanwhile, UNICEF has also had to scale back mental health and psychosocial support, mine education, and child protection case management due to the ongoing hostilities and displacement.

Water access plummets

During the ceasefire, UNICEF began repairing critical wells and waterpoints, but the collapse of the truce means that many remain unrepaired or at risk of further damage.

The agency further noted that drinking water access for one million people, including 400,000 children, has dropped from 16 litres per person per day to just six.

If fuel runs out, it could plunge to below four litres, forcing families to use unsafe water and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, especially among children.

Ensure basic needs

“For the sake of more than one million children in the Gaza Strip, we urge the Israeli authorities to ensure, at a minimum, people’s basic needs are met, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law,” said Mr. Beigbeder.

“This includes their legal responsibility to ensure that families are supplied with the food, medical and other essential supplies they need to survive.”

Meanwhile, UNICEF and partners are maintaining a critical presence in Gaza.

The agency continues to call on the parties to cease hostilities and reinstate the ceasefire, stressing that humanitarian aid and commercial goods mut be allowed to enter and move freely across the Gaza Strip.

Together with ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, glaciers lock up about 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater reserves. They are striking indicators of climate change as they typically remain about the same size in a stable climate.

But, with rising temperatures and global warming triggered by human-induced climate change, they are melting at unprecedented speed, said Sulagna Mishra, a scientific officer at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Hundreds of millions of livelihoods at risk

Last year, glaciers in Scandinavia, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and North Asia experienced the largest annual loss of overall mass on record. Glaciologists determine the state of a glacier by measuring how much snow falls on it and how much melt occurs every year, according to UN partner the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) at the University of Zurich.

In the 500-mile-long Hindu Kush mountain range, located in the western Himalayas and stretching from Afghanistan to Pakistan, the livelihoods of more than 120 million farmers are under threat from glacial loss, Ms. Mishra explained.

The mountain range has been dubbed the “third pole” because of the extraordinary water resources it holds, she noted.

‘Irreversible’ retreat

Despite these vast freshwater reserves, it may already be too late to save them for future generations.

Large masses of perennial ice are disappearing quickly, with five out of the past six years seeing the most rapid glacier retreat on record, according to WMO.

The period from 2022 to 2024 also experienced the largest-ever three-year loss.

“We are seeing an unprecedented change in the glaciers,” which in many cases may be irreversible, said Ms. Mishra.

Ice melt the size of Germany

WGMS estimates that glaciers, which do not include the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets, have lost more than 9,000 billion tonnes of mass since 1975.

“This is equivalent to a huge ice block of the size of Germany with a thickness of 25 metres,” said WGMS director Michael Zemp. The world has lost 273 billion tonnes of ice on average every year since 2000, he added, highlighting the findings of a new international study into glacier mass change.

“To put that into context, 273 billion tonnes of ice lost every year corresponds about to the water intake of the entire [world] population for 30 years,” Mr. Zemp said. In central Europe, almost 40 per cent of the remaining ice has melted. If this continues at the current rate, “glaciers will not survive this century in the Alps.”

Echoing those concerns, WMO’s Ms. Mishra added that if emissions of warming greenhouse gases are not slowed “and the temperatures are rising at the rate they are at the moment, by the end of 2100, we are going to lose 80 per cent of the small glaciers” across Europe, East Africa, Indonesia and elsewhere.

A trigger for large-scale floods

Glacial melt has immediate, large-scale repercussions for the economy, ecosystems and communities.

The latest data indicates that 25 to 30 per cent of sea level rise comes from glacier melt, according to the World Glacier Monitoring Service.

Melting snowcaps are causing sea levels to rise about one millimetre higher every year, a figure that might seem insignificant, yet every millimetre will flood another 200,000 to 300,000 persons every year.

“Small number, huge impact,” glaciologist Mr. Zemp said.

Glacier cumulative mass balance change since 1970.

Everyone is affected

Floods can affect people’s livelihoods and compel them to emigrate from one place to another, WMO’s Ms. Mishra continued.

“When you ask me how many people are actually impacted, it’s really everyone,” she stressed.

From a multilateral perspective, “it is really high time that we create awareness, and we change our policies and…we mobilise resources to make sure that we have good, policy frameworks in place, we have good research in place that can help us to mitigate and also adapt to these new changes,” Ms. Mishra insisted.

A day to consider world’s glaciers

Providing added momentum to this campaign, the World Day for Glaciers on 21 March aims to raise awareness about the critical role that these massive frozen rivers of snow and ice play in the climate system. It coincides with World Water Day.

To mark the occasion, which is one of the highlights of the 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, global leaders, policymakers, scientists and civil society representatives are due to gather at UN Headquarters in New York to highlight the importance of glaciers and to boost worldwide monitoring of the cryospheric processes of freezing and melting that affect them.

WGMS’s Mr. Zemp, who also teaches glaciology at the University of Zurich, is already preparing for a world without glaciers.

“If I think of my children, I am living in a world with maybe no glaciers. That’s actually quite alarming,” he told UN News.  

“I really recommend going with your children there and having a look at it because you can see the dramatic changes that are going on, and you will also realise that we are putting a big burden on our next generation.”

Scientists collecting data on South Cascade Glacier in the US state of Washington.

Glacier of the Year

This year’s Glacier of the Year 2025 is South Cascade Glacier in the US state of Washington.

The body of ice, which has been continuously monitored since 1952, provides one of the longest uninterrupted records of glaciological mass balance in the western hemisphere.

“South Cascade Glacier exemplifies both the beauty of glaciers and the long-term commitment of dedicated scientists and volunteers who have collected direct field data to quantify glacier mass change for more than six decades,” said Caitlyn Florentine, from the U.S. Geological Survey.

In a joint statement, the heads of the UN’s aid agencies warned that “we are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life,” with Israeli displacement orders forcing hundreds of thousands to flee – with nowhere safe to go.

“With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act – firmly, urgently and decisively – to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld.

“Protect civilians, facilitate aid, release hostages – renew a ceasefire,” they urged.

Trapped, starved, bombed

More than 2.1 million Gazans are being “trapped, bombed and starved again,” top UN officials said.

Any assertions that there is sufficient food inside the Strip to feed everyone is far from the reality on the ground, they added.

Over the weekend the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced the closure of 21 malnutrition treatment centres in Gaza, owing to the resumption of hostilities and the recent evacuation orders issued for areas where the centres were operating.

The development came as the UN agency warned that more than one million children in Gaza have been impacted by the Israeli embargo.

Spokesperson Abu Khalaf condemned the blockade while confirming it has thousands of aid parcels waiting to be delivered to Gaza.

Milk supplies dwindle

Complementary food supplies for infants in Gaza have now run out, he said, with only enough ready-to-use milk left to feed 400 children for a month.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees and the largest in Gaza, highlighted the increasingly dire impact of Israel’s 2 April decision to stop allowing all humanitarian and commercial supplies into the enclave.

Media reports citing the Gazan health authorities on Sunday said that Israeli strikes killed at least 32 people, including over a dozen women and children.

In other reports, the Israeli military was alleged to have completely destroyed almost all homes in Rafah and isolated the southern city from the rest of the enclave.

“It’s been over a month since the State of Israel banned the entry of aid and commercial supplies into #Gaza,” UNRWA said. “Stocks are getting low and the situation is becoming desperate.”

Although the United Nations agency continues to provide assistance “with whatever supplies remain”, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday reported that its 25 subsidized bakeries have had to close.

Stocks are dwindling and prices of the few remaining items in shops have soared because no food aid nor cooking gas is entering Gaza.

“Poor kids are looking all day for food to eat, and they can’t find any,” said Jalila Abu Laila, at a camp for displaced Gazans in the north of the enclave. “Basically, nothing is available; they might only get some rice from the good people who give some out, but in general, we are unable to provide anything.”

Israeli cities also reportedly came under attack on Sunday – including the southern city of Ashkelon – after Palestinian fighters Hamas claimed responsibility for firing rockets at Israel.

Israel’s military said around 10 projectiles were fired, but most were successfully intercepted. 

Córdoba in Argentina, Fortaleza in Brazil and Manchester in the UK picked up accolades at a healthy cities summit, co-hosted by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Bloomberg Philanthropies and Vital Strategies.

The Argentinian city won recognition for its policy to eliminate sugary and artificially sweetened drinks – along with ultra-processed foods – from all schools by 2026. So far, 15,000 primary schoolchildren in 26 schools have benefited.

“We’re seeing a lot of progress in local leadership and mayors from across the world taking on the fight and trying to lower rates of the world’s biggest killers, heart disease, diabetes, cancers and respiratory diseases,” said Jaimie Guerra, Communications Officer at WHO.

The Summit in Paris brought togethers mayors and officials from 61 cities around the world to discuss how to build healthier local communities.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the three winners, who he said were a model for other cities to follow, at the forefront of the fight against non-communicable diseases and injuries.

Non-communicable illnesses include heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease. They are responsible for the vast majority of fatalities, said UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael Bloomberg, who was also at the summit in France.

The diseases “are responsible for more than 80 percent of all deaths globally, but the good news is, they are preventable”, said Mr. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and the three-time former mayor of New York City.

Breathing more easily

Winner Fortaleza established its first legal framework for air quality surveillance in a bid to curb air pollution and help people breathe more easily.

The Brazilian city authorities in 2023 adopted a decree ensuring local monitoring of air pollutants and the installation of low-cost sensors for better data collection.

Greater Manchester meanwhile has continued its efforts to curb tobacco use, introducing its first smoke-free 6.5-acre park.  

The northern English city also launched a smoke-free toolkit for hospitals and is developing a broader toolkit to support organizations to create tobacco-free spaces.

Tackling the world’s biggest killers

Participants in the healthy cities summit included representatives from Dhaka in Bangladesh, Helsinki in Finland, the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, Lusaka in Zambia and Quito in Ecuador.

The participating urban centres are part of the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a global network of 74 cities launched in 2017 to prevent non-communicable diseases and injuries through policy and programmes.  

“These programmes are really making a difference,” said WHO’s Ms. Guerra. “And in the partnership, most of the cities are one million-plus people. In total, it covers more than 300 million people.” 

Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters, António Guterres also repeated his call for a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the release of all hostages still being held inside the shattered enclave.

No food, fuel, medicine and commercial items have entered Gaza since 2 March following the Israeli blockade, and supplies are piling up at crossing points.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire announced in January following 15 months of war has collapsed, amid airstrikes, renewed ground operations and rocket launches into Israel by Palestinian militants. 

‘An endless death loop’

“As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have re-opened,” Mr. Guterres said.

“Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop.”

He noted that “certain truths are clear since the atrocious October 7 attacks by Hamas,” chiefly that ceasefires work.

The truce allowed for the release of hostages, as well as the distribution of lifesaving aid, and proved that the humanitarian community can deliver.

Shattered hope

He recalled that “for weeks, guns fell silent, obstacles were removed, looting ended – and we were able to deliver lifesaving supplies to virtually every part of the Gaza Strip,” which ended with the “shattering” of the deal.  

“Hope sank for Palestinian families in Gaza and families of hostages in Israel – as I was reminded when I met again with hostage families yesterday,” he added.

For this reason, the Secretary-General has consistently been pushing for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access to the territory.

“In times like this, we must be crystal clear,” he said, noting that with crossing points shut and aid blockaded, there is no effective security and the ability to deliver assistance has been strangled.

He also cited a joint statement by UN humanitarian chiefs, issued on Monday, which refuted assertions that there is enough food in Gaza to feed everyone there.  

International obligations 

“We must also be clear about the obligations,” Mr. Guterres continued, emphasizing the “unequivocal obligations” of Israel, as the occupying power, in line with international law.

He pointed to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlines the duty to ensure food and medical supplies for the population, as well as ensuring and maintaining medical and hospital establishments and services, public health and hygiene.

Additionally, medical personnel shall be allowed to carry out their duties.

“And Article 59, paragraph 1, of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides that ‘if the whole or part of the population of an occupied territory is inadequately supplied, the Occupying Power shall agree to relief schemes on behalf of the said population, and shall facilitate them by all means at its disposal,’” he quoted.

International humanitarian law also includes the obligation to respect humanitarian relief personnel, he added, paying tribute to the “humanitarian heroes” under fire in Gaza. 

Against new ‘authorization mechanisms’ 

While UN agencies and partners stand ready and determined to deliver, “the Israeli authorities newly proposed ‘authorization mechanisms’ for aid delivery risk further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour,” the Secretary-General said. 

“Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”  

Mr. Guterres said unimpeded humanitarian access must be guaranteed, and humanitarian personnel must be given protection, in line with international law.  

He stressed that “the inviolability of United Nations premises and assets must be respected,” and again called for an independent investigation into the killing of humanitarians, including UN personnel.

Dead end ahead 

The Secretary-General concluded the briefing by underlining the need to stick to core principles. He urged UN Member States to adhere to their obligations, adding that there must be justice and accountability when they do not. 

“The world may be running out of words to describe the situation in Gaza, but we will never run away from the truth,” he said. 

He warned that “the current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history,” while the risk of the occupied West Bank transforming into another Gaza makes the situation even worse.

“It is time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid, and renew the ceasefire,” he said.

2025 marks a milestone: the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the deadline for countries to submit their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), designed to keep the global goal alive of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Addressing the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) in Berlin – the first official gathering on climate since last year’s COP29 summit in Baku – the UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a strong call for decisive climate action.

He said the year had begun against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and widespread cuts to overseas aid budgets.

“There is much uncertainty and instability in our world,” which is why “every country must step up and play their part,” he emphasised.

Renewables: A bright spot

Despite global tensions, Mr. Guterres pointed to a promising development: 2024 was officially a record year for global renewable energy production, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Renewables made up over 92 per cent of all new electricity capacity installed last year – equivalent to the total electricity capacity of Brazil and Japan combined.

Europe’s capacity rose by nine per cent, with Germany contributing over a quarter of that growth. Meanwhile, Africa’s grew by nearly seven per cent.

“All of this is another reminder of a 21st century truth: Renewables are renewing economies,” Mr. Guterres said. They are “powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills, and cleaning our air.”

Wind power has dropped in cost by 60 per cent since 2010; solar is now 90 per cent cheaper.

Clean energy contributed significantly to economic growth in 2023 – accounting for five per cent of India’s GDP growth, six per cent of the US’, and one-third of the EU’s.

The rising toll of inaction

Nevertheless, climate challenges are piling up, the UN chief continued.

“It seems records are shattered at every turn – the hottest day of the hottest month of the hottest year of the hottest decade ever,” Mr. Guterres said.

Those suffering most are the world’s most vulnerable – grappling with rising food and insurance costs, displacement and growing insecurity.

The World Meteorological Organization confirmed in late December that 2024 was another year of alarming climate records. For the first time, global temperatures were 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels during a calendar year.

“Scientists are clear – it is still possible to meet the long-term 1.5 degree limit,” the Secretary-General stressed. “But it requires urgent action. And it requires leadership.”

Call for ambition

New NDCs are due by September 2025. These plans must align with the 1.5°C target and collectively cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2035, compared with 2019 levels.

“These new plans are a unique opportunity to deliver – and lay out a coherent vision for a just green transition,” Mr. Guterres said.

He reiterated that efforts must be made according to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities but added: “Everybody must do more.”

The G20 most industralised nations – responsible for most global emissions – must lead the way.

The UN Climate Promise is already supporting 100 countries in preparing their next plans. A high-level event in September will take stock of progress and push for greater action.

Financing action

Implementation of the COP29 finance agreement is crucial to support developing countries.

“I count on the leadership of the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies to deliver a credible roadmap to mobilise $1.3 trillion a year by 2035,” said the Secretary-General.

He also called for doubling adaptation finance to at least $40 billion annually by the end of this year and for serious contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund.

To get there, stronger collaboration – across governments, societies, and sectors – is vital.

Looking ahead

As the Petersberg Dialogue sets the tone for the year ahead, Mr. Guterres issued a final rallying cry:

“Those who lag behind must not discourage us but rather strengthen our resolve. The rewards are there for the taking, for all those ready and willing to lead the world through these troubled times.”

“We are at a turning point.  I urge you to seize this moment; and seize the prize,” he concluded. 

OCHA said dozens of people, including at least eight children, were killed in Gaza City on Wednesday after an Israeli strike hit a residential building. Many others are still missing under the rubble. 

The agency stressed that civilians must be protected and should never be a target.

Medical evacuations and displacement orders

Israel’s total blockade on all commercial and lifesaving relief supplies remains in place, though the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed to some good news as 18 Gazans were medically evacuated for specialized treatment abroad. 

The patients along with nearly 30 companions headed for Norway, Malta, Luxembourg and Romania via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Wednesday.

WHO noted, however, that some 12,500 patients in the enclave still need to be evacuated.

Access to healthcare facilities has been impacted by displacement orders issued by the Israeli military and the safety of healthcare workers remains at risk.

At least two medical professionals were reported killed as they left their health facility in Gaza City on Monday, according to OCHA.

Today, 12 out of 17 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are partially functional and there is only one field hospital. 

Blockade’s devastating impacts

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the dire health conditions in a media briefing on Thursday.

He said the blockade, which took effect on 2 March, has prevented the entry of all food and medicine. Additionally, 75 per cent of UN missions within Gaza over the past week were denied or impeded.

“This blockade is leaving families hungry, malnourished, without clean water, shelter, and adequate healthcare, and increasing the risk of disease and death,” he said, speaking from WHO Headquarters in Geneva.

He noted that during the recent “precious ceasefire” WHO was able to re-supply the Gaza health system as well as its warehouses. Stocks are now dangerously low and will run out within two to four weeks.

Healthcare under attack

Tedros said that “180,000 doses of routine childhood vaccines – enough to fully protect 60,000 children under the age of two – have not been allowed to enter, leaving newborns and young children at risk.”

Furthermore, it is estimated that since the ceasefire collapsed, almost 1,500 people have been killed, including 500 children, and almost 400,000 people have been displaced again.

“The health system is only functioning partially and is overwhelmed. Meanwhile, healthcare continues to be attacked,” Tedros said, recalling that more than 400 humanitarians have been killed since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023, following the deadly Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel.

Looting on the rise

As supplies inside the Gaza Strip near exhaustion and the situation becomes increasingly dire, there has been an increase in looting in recent days, OCHA said.  

Several incidents were reported in Rafah, and Deir Al-Balah, and Al Zawaida earlier this week.

OCHA once again reiterated the urgency of re-opening crossings to allow the entry of critical supplies. 

Children going hungry

Currently, more than 60,000 children are reportedly suffering from malnutrition at a time when community kitchens are rapidly running out of fuel and supplies.   

Humanitarian partners are also warning of acute water shortages in shelters hosting displaced people. 

“The loss of water – together with the lack of cleaning supplies and cohabitation with livestock – are having a dire public health impact. In March, more than one third of households in Gaza experienced lice infestations,” OCHA said.

This week, humanitarian partners also identified more than a dozen unaccompanied and separated children and are doing everything possible to reunite them with their families. 

The race toward renewable energy is accelerating. And for all the looming challenges of the climate crisis, signs of progress are clear: Solar panels are beginning to blanket deserts, wind turbines dot coastlines, and hydropower dams are harnessing powerful rivers to generate electricity without the carbon pollution that has made fossil fuels the single largest driver of global warming.

In fact, new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows that global renewable capacity grew by a record 585 gigawatts in 2024, representing over 90 percent of all new power added worldwide, and the fastest annual growth rate in two decades.

Yet, as the push for renewables gains momentum—fueled by falling costs and the urgent need to phase out oil, gas, and coal—experts are warning that climate change, largely caused by decades of fossil fuel combustion, is now increasingly shaping—and in some cases, threatening—the way clean energy is produced.

This trend became more pronounced in 2023, marked by a volatility that disrupted renewable energy generation globally. Temperatures soared 1.45°C above pre-industrial levels, and the shift from La Niña to El Niño altered rainfall, wind patterns, and solar radiation.

Hamid Bastani, a climate and energy expert with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), provided a stark example of this impact. “In Sudan and Namibia, hydropower output dropped by more than 50 per cent due to unusually low rainfall,” he said in an interview with UN News.

In Sudan, rainfall totaled just 100 millimeters (less than four inches) in 2023—less than half the national long-term average.

“This is a country where hydropower makes up around 60 per cent of the electricity mix. These reductions could have significant implications,” Mr. Bastani explained, noting that the power system supports a large and rapidly growing population of about 48 million.

These shifts were not limited to hydropower. Wind energy, too, showed signs of stress under changing climate conditions.

China, which accounts for 40 per cent of global onshore wind capacity, saw only a modest 4 to 8 per cent increase in output in 2023, as wind anomalies disrupted generation. In India, production declined amid weaker monsoon winds, while some regions in Africa experienced even sharper losses, with wind output falling by as much as 20 to 30 per cent.

South America, meanwhile, saw the scale tip in the other direction. Clear skies and elevated solar radiation boosted solar panel performance, particularly in countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia.

As such, the region saw a four to six per cent increase in solar generation – a climate-driven bump that translated to roughly three terawatt-hours of additional electricity, enough to power over two million homes for a year at average consumption rates.

“This is a good example of how climate variability can sometimes create opportunity,” explains Roberta Boscolo, who leads WMO’s New York Office and formerly the agency’s climate and energy work. “In Europe, too, we are seeing more days with high solar radiation, meaning solar power is becoming more efficient over time.”

Ms. Boscolo and Mr. Bastani are among the contributors to a recent WMO–IRENA study examining how climate conditions in 2023, shaped by El Niño, global warming, and regional extremes, affected both renewable energy generation and energy demand worldwide.

Solar power accounted for over 73 percent of all new renewable capacity added globally in 2023, making it the fastest-growing source of energy worldwide.​

Systems built on stability, in a world that is anything but

Ms. Boscolo, who has spent years working at the intersection of climate science and energy policy, is quick to point out the vulnerability of renewable energy infrastructure. Dams, solar farms, and wind turbines are all designed based on past climate patterns, making them susceptible to the changing climate.

Take hydropower. Dams rely on predictable seasonal flows, often fed by snowmelt or glacial runoff. “There will be a short-term boost in hydropower as glaciers melt,” she said. “But once those glaciers are gone, so is the water. And that is irreversible – at least on human timescales.”

This pattern is already unfolding in regions like the Andes and the Himalayas. If the meltwater disappears, countries will need to replace the way they generate power or face long-term energy deficits.

A recent report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), for example, pointed out that rising sea levels and stronger storms pose growing risks to energy production facilities, including solar farms located near coastlines.

Similarly, increasingly intense and frequent wildfires can also take down power lines and black out entire regions, while extreme heat can reduce the efficiency of solar panels and strain grid infrastructure—just as demand for cooling peaks.

Nuclear power plants are also at risk in the changing climate.

“We have seen nuclear power plants that could not operate because of the lack of water… for cooling,” Ms. Boscolo said. As heatwaves become more frequent and river levels drop, some older nuclear facilities may no longer be viable in their current locations.

“This is another thing that should be looked at with different eyes in the future . When we design, when we build, when we project power generation infrastructure, we really need to think about what the climate of the future will be, not what was the climate of the past”.

Global renewable electricity capacity grew by nearly 50 percent in 2023—the largest annual increase in two decades—with most additions coming from solar and wind.​

Adapting to the future through data, AI and technology

The expert underscores that one thing is certain: Our planet is heading towards a future in which electricity, especially from renewable sources, will be central.

“Our transport is going to be electric; our cooking is going to be electric; our heating is going to be electric. So, if we do not have a reliable electricity system, everything is going to collapse. We will need to have this climate intelligence when we think about how to change our energy systems and the reliability and the resilience of our energy system in the future.”

Indeed, to adapt, both experts emphasized a need to embrace what they call climate intelligence – the integration of climate forecasts, data, and science into every level of energy planning.

“In the past, energy planners worked with historical averages,” Mr. Bastani explained. “But the past is no longer a reliable guide. We need to know what the wind will be doing next season, what rainfall will look like next year – not just what it looked like a decade ago.”

In Chile, for instance, hydropower generation surged by as much as 80 per cent in November 2023, due to unusually high rainfall. While this increase was climate-driven, experts say advanced seasonal forecasting could help dam operators better anticipate such events in the future and manage reservoirs to store water more effectively.

Similarly, wind farm workers can use forecasts to schedule maintenance during low-wind periods – minimizing downtime and avoiding losses. Grid operators, too, can plan for energy spikes during heatwaves or droughts.

“We now have forecasts that span from a few seconds ahead to several months,” Mr. Bastani said. “Each one has a specific application – from immediate grid balancing to long-term investment decisions.”

Improved climate forecasting can help energy systems plan days to seasons ahead.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is lending a hand: Machine learning models trained on climate and energy data can now predict resource fluctuations with higher resolution and accuracy. These tools could help optimize when to deploy battery storage or shift energy between regions, making the system more flexible and responsive.

“These models can help operators better anticipate fluctuations in wind, rainfall, or solar radiation”, Mr. Bastain explained.

For example, two recent WMO energy mini projects illustrated how artificial intelligence can be applied in real-world renewable energy planning. In Costa Rica, the agency worked with national energy authorities to develop and implement an AI-based model for short-term wind speed forecasting. The tool is now integrated into the Costa Rican Electricity Institute’s internal energy forecasting platform, helping optimize operations at selected wind farms.

In Chile, another project focused on floating solar technology, using AI to estimate evaporation rates on reservoirs. The results, now incorporated into Chile’s official Solar Energy Explorer platform, showed that floating solar panels can reduce water evaporation by up to 85 per cent in summer, with a national average of 77 per cent.

Indeed, the promise and challenge of climate-smart renewable planning are most evident in the Global South. Africa, for instance, boasts some of the best solar potential on the planet, yet only two per cent of the world’s installed renewable capacity is found on the continent.

Why the gap? Ms. Boscolo points to a lack of data and investment.

“In many parts of the Global South, there just is not enough observational data to create accurate forecasts or make energy projects bankable,” she said. “Investors need to see reliable long-term projections. Without that, the risk is too high.”

WMO is working to improve weather and energy monitoring in underserved regions, but progress is uneven. The agency is calling for more funding for local data networks, cross-border energy planning, and climate services tailored to regional needs.

“This is not just about climate mitigation,” Ms. Boscolo added. “It is a development opportunity. Renewable energy can bring electricity to communities, drive industrial growth, and create jobs if the systems are designed right.”

Mr. Bastani sees a need for global data sharing between energy companies and climate scientists.

“There is a huge untapped potential in the data collected by the private sector… integrating historical and real-time observations from power plants – solar, wind, hydropower, even nuclear – can significantly improve weather and climate models. This is a win-win.”

Climate forecasting helps energy companies anticipate weather-driven changes in supply and demand, improving reliability and reducing risk.

Diversifying the energy portfolio to adapt

Another key action to guarantee clean energy in the near future is diversification. Relying too heavily on only one renewable source can expose countries to seasonal or long-term shifts in climate, Mr. Bastani explains.

In Europe, for example, energy planners are increasingly concerned about something called “dunkelflaute”— a period of cloudy, windless weather in winter that undermines both solar power and wind generation. This phenomenon, linked to high-pressure systems known as anticyclonic gloom, has prompted calls for more energy storage and backup power.

“A diversified mix that includes solar, wind, hydro, battery storage, and even low-carbon sources (like geothermal) is essential,” Mr. Bastani said. “Especially as extreme weather becomes more frequent.”

Into the future

As the world races towards a future powered by renewable energy, addressing the challenges posed by climate change is imperative. The volatility experienced in 2023 underscores the need for climate-smart planning and infrastructure that can withstand unpredictable shifts in weather patterns.

For renewable energy to truly fulfill its promise, the world must invest not only in expanding capacity but also in building a system that is resilient, adaptable, and informed by the best available climate science.

WMO experts Hamid Bastani and Roberta Boscolo emphasize the importance of integrating climate intelligence into energy systems to ensure their reliability and resilience. By leveraging advanced forecasting and artificial intelligence, we can better anticipate and adapt to these changes, optimizing renewable energy production and safeguarding our future.

The future of energy is not just about more wind turbines and solar panels, but also about ensuring they can withstand the very forces they are meant to mitigate.