About Arun Kumar N

Arun has been associated with India International Times since 2018 and he has been a key reporter in covering science and space related stories. He can be reached at arunKnn@indiainternationaltimes.com.

Yemen: Security Council votes on final extension of Hudaydah Mission

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Resolution 2813 (2026), submitted by the United Kingdom, received 13 votes in favour and none against. Two countries – China and Russia – abstained.

It calls for the effective, efficient and safe drawdown of the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), as well as planning and preparation for transitioning any residual functions to the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen.

Liquidation will commence on 1 April.

Tireless efforts

UNMHA was established by the Council in 2019 to support implementation of an agreement signed by the Yemeni Government and Houthi rebels in Stockholm, Sweden, the previous year.

The UN brokered the accord at a time when a battle over Hudaydah – critical for the entry of food and medicine into war-ravaged Yemen – appeared imminent.

UK Deputy Permanent Representative Archie Young welcomed the mandate extension.

He also thanked “those UNMHA officials who have worked tirelessly since 2019, especially in the face of continued Houthi restrictions which inhibited the Mission’s ability to fulfill its mandate.”

Concern for UN personnel

He stressed that the safety of UN personnel in Yemen “remains of the utmost importance” and reiterated the UK’s condemnation of arbitrary detentions by the Houthis.

The rebel movement which controls much of the country, including the capital, is holding 69 UN staff, alongside personnel from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and diplomatic missions.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, his Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and other senior officials have repeatedly called for their immediate and unconditional release.

Important stabilising role

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva explained why Moscow abstained from voting.

“We did not block the adoption of this resolution purely due to the request of representatives of Yemen, as the host state, as well as from some of our regional partners,” she said.

“In principle, we do not agree with the idea set out by the authors of this document: the idea that UNMHA is ineffective and incapable of duly fulfilling the mandate entrusted to it by the Council, hence the need to sunset the Mission.”

She said the Mission “has played and continues to play an important stabilising role on the ground, notwithstanding the operational difficulties linked to implementation of its mandate, which arise from time to time.”

Among its “still relevant functions” are monitoring implementation of the Stockholm Agreement; facilitating maintenance of the civilian nature of the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa, and oversight of mine clearance operations.

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From lunch tray to lifelong health: WHO sets global standards for school meals

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

The UN agency’s new global guidance on evidence-based policies and interventions shows that healthy food in schools can help children develop healthy dietary habits for life.

“The food children eat at school, and the environments that shape what they eat, can have a profound impact on their learning, and lifelong consequences for their health and well-being,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Food habits start early

Overweight childhood obesity and obesity are rising globally, while undernutrition remains a persistent challenge.

Child obesity levels surpassed underweight cases around the world for the first time in 2025.

Around one in 10 school-aged children and adolescents were living with obesity last year, and one in five – or 391 million – were overweight.

Additionally, a recent WHO report revealed that diabetes now affects over 800 million people globally and one in 6 pregnancies.

As of October 2025, 104 Member States had policies relating to healthy school food, but only 48 countries had policies that restrict the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt or unhealthy fats, according to WHO.

For the millions of children that spend a large chunk of their day at school, the food environment they are exposed to can shape their future dietary habits.

“Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life and creating healthier adults,” said Tedros.

More pulses, less sugar

WHO recommends increasing the availability of healthy foods and beverages while reducing unhealthy foods. That means limiting free sugars, saturated fats and sodium, while offering more whole grains, fruits, nuts and pulses.

Other recommendations include implementing ‘nudging interventions’ – changes in the packaging, placement or portion size of foods designed to encourage children to select healthier foods.

The organisation will support countries with technical assistance, knowledge-sharing and other collaborative measures, to realise the new guidance.

‘We must stand up for our shared humanity – each and every day’: UN human rights chief

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Tuesday’s solemn commemoration marks the day 81 years ago that the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp – where over a million people were murdered – was liberated by Allied forces towards the end of World War Two.

Commenting on the disturbing rise of antisemitism in recent years – including the “heinous attacks” targeting Jewish communities in Sydney and Manchester – Mr. Türk warned that “hatred and dehumanization are creeping into our daily lives.”

He urged people to remember the lessons of the Holocaust, during which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators.

“The genocide did not begin with concentration camps and gas chambers; it started with apathy and silence in the face of injustice, and with the corrosive dehumanization of the other.”

The need for remembrance

The central theme of this year’s commemoration is Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights.

Reflecting this theme and addressing some of today’s challenges, the High Commissioner emphasised the need for “laws that prohibit discrimination, and politicians who do not polarize by calling out differences – but unite by calling out injustice.”

To protect humanity from repeating its darkest chapters, Mr Türk stated: “We need education about the Holocaust, human rights for all ages, and robust, inclusive systems to moderate digital content, so that people can express their concerns without fear.”

Reasons for hope

Calling on the world to use available tools today such as international human rights law, unprecedented access to verifiable information and “the memory of how exclusion can turn into annihilation”, Mr Türk demanded action to counter the “plague” of racism, antisemitism, and dehumanisation.

“Together, we must challenge exceptionalism, supremacy, and bigotry wherever we encounter them: at the dinner table, at our workplaces, and on social media,” the rights chief continued.

“Each of us can be an architect of a world free from discrimination and intolerance.”

Echoing the words of Anne Frank and remembering her step sister, Eva Schloss, who died a few weeks ago, Mr Türk emphasised that “nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Listen to our interview with Ms. Schloss, who spoke to UN News in Geneva in 2018, here.

The UN commemorates

New York – United Nations Holocaust Memorial Observance

Start Time: 11:00am EST, General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters

Exhibition: Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust | Visitors’ Lobby, United Nations Headquarters |15 January – 20 February 2026

Exhibition: Holocaust Remembrance – A Commitment to Truth | Visitors’ Lobby, United Nations Headquarters | 15 January – 8 February 2026

Geneva – Holocaust Remembrance

Start Time: 1pm CET, Palais des Nations, Room XVI

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Remembering the Holocaust: ‘You are here because you choose hope over hate’

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

In his 10^th Holocaust Remembrance Day address, Secretary-General António Guterres told survivors and their families gathered in the General Assembly Hall that honouring the dead “and the fight against the ancient poison of antisemitism – is not abstract, but personal”.

Every year on the day the concentration camps were liberated in 1945, the world unites to honour the memory of the six million Jews – mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents – who perished at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.

Included in the commemoration are the Roma and Sinti communities, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and all others who suffered from the systemic violence, torture, and genocide of the Nazi regime.

Mr. Guterres emphasised that the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.

“Remembrance is more than honouring the past. It is a duty and a promise – to defend dignity, to protect the vulnerable, and to keep faith with those whose names and stories we refuse to forget.”

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the UN Holocaust Memorial Ceremony, held in observance of the international day of commemoration in memory of the victims.

Combat antisemitism

Reiterating his condemnation of the horrific Hamas-led terror attacks on southern Israel of 7 October 2023, Mr. Guterres said although we are haunted by those horrors, coming together to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust brings hope.

“You are here because you choose hope over hate. You choose remembrance as a living force – a shield against prejudice, a spark for justice, a pledge to protect every human being,” he told the assembly.

Reminding that the Holocaust began with words, not killing, the Secretary-General underscored that “this dark chapter of our common history reveals sobering truths”.

“When those with power fail to act, evil goes unpunished,” he added, calling for widespread condemnation of antisemitism and all forms of hatred, anywhere and everywhere.

“Our duty is clear: to speak the truth. To educate new generations. To confront antisemitism, and all forms of hatred and discrimination. And to defend the dignity of every human being”, he concluded.

‘Never again’, etched into our DNA

The President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock recounted that ahead of the ceremony she had met death camp survivor, Blumenthal Lazan, who was deported to Bergen-Belsen as a child during World War Two.

Ms. Baerbock – former German foreign minister – said she had visited the notorious concentration camp as a young student, which left a powerful impression on her.

Reminding that the ‘Never Again’ promise is “etched into the very DNA of the United Nations, its Charter, and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, Ms. Baerbock said that it is “our duty to speak out, even louder than before, when signs of dehumanization emerge”.

Quoting Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal, Ms. Baerbock added that “for evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing”.

She said that ‘Never Again’ had to represent more than a slogan: “It is a duty to speak up, to stand up, and to defend the dignity and human rights of every member of our human family, everywhere, every day”.

Remembering the lessons of the Holocaust

As part of ongoing efforts to combat hate speech, UN Holocaust commemorations worldwide highlight the importance of educating future generations.

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Independent experts alarmed by child rights violations in US immigration procedures

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Thousands of children remain in custody without access to legal counsel; a situation the experts warn is forcing minors to navigate complex immigration proceedings alone and undermining their fundamental rights.

The three Special Rapporteurs, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, said they are in contact with the US Government on the issue.

Duty to care

They explained that under the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), the US Office of Refugee Resettlement is responsible for the care and custody of unaccompanied children.

The law requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect children from mistreatment, exploitation and trafficking in persons.

It also guarantees that unaccompanied children in federal custody have access to legal counsel and should not be subjected to expedited removal – that is, deportation without a court hearing.

Legal support ended

The experts noted, however, that on 18 February 2025, the US Department of the Interior ordered nonprofit legal service providers to halt work and ended funding for attorneys representing unaccompanied children.

Although the development has been challenged in the courts, many of the 26,000 affected children lost legal counsel and remain at risk of forced removal.

Reports indicate that young migrants are being held in windowless cells, denied adequate medical care and separated from their parents or caregivers for long periods.

In fact, between January and August 2025, average custody time rose from roughly one month to six, while releases to family caregivers dropped by more than half: from approximately 95 per cent to 45 per cent.

Pressured or paid to self-deport

“There have been consistent accounts of unlawful deportations of unaccompanied children, in breach of the obligation of non-refoulement, including child victims of trafficking, and children at risk of trafficking in persons,” the independent experts said.

Children have been reportedly pressured to either accept a $2,500 cash payment to self-deport or face indefinite detention and transfer to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody upon turning 18.

 The experts stressed that children should have access to administrative and judicial remedies against decisions affecting their own situation, or that of their parents or caregivers.

Measures should be taken also to avoid undue procedural delays that could negatively affect their rights.

 “Expedited proceedings should only be pursued when they are consistent with the child’s best interests and without restricting any due process guarantees,” they said.

Independent voices

The three Special Rapporteurs receive separate mandates from the UN Human Rights Council to report on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; the human rights of migrants, and the independence of judges and lawyers.

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.

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Gaza ceasefire improves aid access, but children still face deadly conditions

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

That’s the assessment of two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking on Monday to journalists in New York following a week-long visit to the enclave and the occupied West Bank.

The two agencies have brought more than 10,000 trucks of aid into Gaza since the 10 October truce between Israel and Hamas, representing some 80 per cent of all humanitarian cargo.

Three months later, “the food security situation has improved and famine has been reversed,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations.

Carl Skau, WFP Deputy Executive Director, added that most families he met “were eating at least once a day” – sometimes twice.

Commercial goods have reappeared in Gaza’s markets, including vegetables, fruits, chicken and eggs. Recreational kits to help children heal from the stress and trauma of two years of war are now in their hands.

‘These gains matter’

UNICEF and partners have provided more than 1.6 million people with clean drinking water and distributed blankets and winter clothes to 700,000. They have also restored essential life-saving paediatric intensive care services at embattled Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The second round of a Gaza-wide “catch-up campaign” for routine childhood vaccinations is currently underway, while another 72 UNICEF-supported nutrition facilities have been established, bringing the total to 196.

“These gains matter,” said Mr. Chaiban. “They show what is possible when the fighting pauses, political commitments are sustained and humanitarian access opens.”

Hot meals and school snacks

WFP has also scaled up massively over the past 100 days, said Mr. Skau, speaking from Rome. Teams have reached more than a million people every month with full rations for the first time since the war began.

They are “serving 400,000 hot meals every day and delivering school snacks to some 230,000 children in 250 temporary learning centres,” in addition to operating hundreds of distribution points and some 20 warehouses.

Other humanitarian organizations are bringing in tents, blankets, mattresses and other essentials thanks to WFP’s shared logistics services.

The agency is also helping to facilitate more regular aid convoys and is expanding common storage facilities so that more aid can be positioned closer to the population. It has also ramped up cash support to roughly 60,000 households.

Although more aid is entering Gaza, quantities are not yet sufficient to meet the immense needs. Furthermore, “the situation also remains extremely precarious and deadly for many children,” said Mr. Chaiban.

“More than 100 children have been reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire of early October. Despite the progress with food security,100,000 children remain acutely malnourished and require long term care. 1.3 million people, many of them children, are in urgent need of proper shelter.”

Families are shivering in fabric tents and bombed-out buildings amid freezing temperatures that have killed at least 10 children this winter season.

Mr. Sklau met a young woman with a 10-day-old baby who “was sitting on a wet mattress in this cold tent on the beach,” describing their plight as “just absolutely brutal.”

Hopes for a brighter future

Yet hope blossoms in the Gaza Strip. UNICEF and partners are supporting over 250,000 children to resume learning – a critical element to mental health and psychosocial support for more than 700,000 students who have been out of school for two years.

Mr. Skau recalled a conversation with young girls at a temporary learning space who “were happy to be back learning and eating more regularly,” he said. “They could see a future again as nurses or engineers or restaurant owners, and they seemed impressively confident and determined to build a future for themselves.”

Humanitarians need essential items – such as water and sanitation provision, as well as educational supplies – to be allowed to enter Gaza which can help jump start recovery and reconstruction.

Mr. Chaiban said WFP and UNICEF are ready to scale up operations.

“The children of Gaza and the State of Palestine including the West Bank, which is also experiencing a wave of violence do not need sympathy. They need decisions now that give them warmth, safety, food, education, and a future,” he said.  “We have an opportunity, a window, to change the trajectory for these children. We can’t waste it.”

A new blow for UNRWA as headquarters in East Jerusalem ‘set on fire’

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

It comes after Israeli authorities “stormed and demolished” buildings in the compound last week, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.

“Allowing this unprecedented destruction is the latest attack on the UN in the ongoing attempt to dismantle the status of Palestine Refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and erase their history,” Mr. Lazzarini said.

In a short statement, the senior UN official added that there were “no limits to the defiance of the United Nations” and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Last Tuesday’s move by Israeli authorities to send bulldozers into the Sheikh Jarrah compound where they tore down UNRWA structures prompted swift condemnation from senior UN officials including Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.

Ahead of that dramatic development, on 14 January, Israeli forces entered an UNRWA health centre in East Jerusalem and ordered it to close. The agency reported that its workers were “terrified” and that the deteriorating situation was a direct result of legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in December, stepping up existing anti-UNRWA laws adopted in 2024.

UNRWA premises have also been targeted by arsonists amid a “large-scale disinformation campaign” against it by Israel, the agency’s Commissioner-General has previously maintained.

This was despite a ruling last October by the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice, which restated that Israel was obliged “to facilitate UNRWA’s operations, not hinder or prevent them. The court also stressed that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem,” Mr. Lazzarini noted.

Between fear and survival: Women and girls flee violence in northern Syria

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Now eight months pregnant and sheltering in a makeshift camp, the mother of three said her biggest fear isn’t the biting cold – it’s what will happen if she goes into labour.

“I worry about my health, but I worry more about where to go if something happens,” said Fatima. “Displacement is not just losing your home. It’s losing your privacy, your safety and access to healthcare, especially as a woman.”

Every step we took felt like it could be our last

She is one of tens of thousands of women and girls affected by the uptick in violence and insecurity around Aleppo in the past few weeks, which has forced large numbers to flee, disrupted essential services and shut down hospitals.

“We fled under bombardment, with nothing but our fear,” Farida, 39, told the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency.

“Every step we took felt like it could be our last.”

A UNFPA-supported health worker delivers essential healthcare at a clinic in Al-Hassakeh, for women and girls forced to flee Aleppo in Northern Syria.

Unbearable cold

In Aleppo, some 58,000 are still displaced following recent clashes between the transitional Government’s security forces and the mostly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with insecurity spreading to surrounding areas.

To make matters worse, winter conditions have only deepened the suffering: thousands are now enduring freezing temperatures, sheltering in makeshift camps, former schools and unfinished buildings across the country.

Ruhan, a mother of three from Aleppo, fled with only what she could carry.

“The cold is unbearable. My biggest fear is keeping my children warm and safe,” she told UNFPA aid workers, who provided her with reproductive health services, counselling and a dignity kit.

Delivering aid

More than 890,000 people had been newly displaced as of December 2025 in Syria, adding to almost seven million already displaced inside the country.

Fourteen years of conflict, climate shocks, and economic decline have left Syria’s recovery fragile and uneven, with immense humanitarian needs and severely damaged healthcare systems.

In response, UNFPA and its partners have sent mobile health teams to reach displaced communities with life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare, dignity kits with essential hygiene items, and psychosocial counselling.

Around 400,000 pregnant women in Syria are struggling to access essential maternity services – a situation worsened by deep funding cuts which began last year that have further restricted access.

Women and girls displaced by violence receive reproductive health support and dignity kits in a neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria.

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UN chief warns ‘law of the jungle’ is replacing rule of law

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

António Guterres was addressing a high-level open debate of the UN Security Council convened by Somalia, which holds the Council presidency for January.

The discussion comes as conflicts multiply, global tensions rise, and confidence in international institutions and rules is fading – even as the UN marks 80 years since the adoption of its founding Charter, which set out principles meant to prevent wars and reduce suffering.

“The rule of law is a cornerstone of global peace and security,” Mr. Guterres said, calling it “the beating heart” of the UN Charter.

For eight decades, he said, the Charter, alongside the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions and other core legal instruments, has helped humanity avoid another world war and limit the toll of countless conflicts.

Secretary-General Guterres addresses the Security Council.

Flagrant violations

But the Secretary-General warned that commitments to international law are increasingly being ignored.

“Around the world, the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle,” he said, pointing to what he described as flagrant violations of the UN Charter and international law, including the illegal use of force, attacks on civilian infrastructure, human rights abuses and the denial of life-saving humanitarian aid.

From Gaza to Ukraine and beyond, he said, the rule of law is being treated as “an à la carte menu,” with States choosing which rules to follow. Such violations, he warned, set dangerous precedents, encourage impunity and erode trust among nations.

A lifeline and a guardrail

For smaller and less-powerful countries, particularly those affected by historical inequities and the legacies of colonialism, international law is “a lifeline promising equal treatment, sovereignty, dignity and justice,” Mr. Guterres said.

“For powerful countries, it is a guardrail defining what is acceptable – and what is not, in times of disagreement, division and outright conflict,” he added.

He underscored the unique responsibility of the Security Council, the only body with Charter-mandated authority to adopt decisions binding on all Member States and to authorize the use of force under international law.

“Its responsibility is singular. Its obligation is universal,” he said.

Priorities for action

Looking ahead, the UN chief outlined three priority areas for action.

First, he urged countries to honour the commitments they made under the Charter, including settling disputes peacefully, safeguarding human rights and respecting the sovereign equality of States.

Second, he called for the use of peaceful tools to settle disputes – negotiation, mediation and judicial settlement, alongside stronger partnerships with regional organizations – and more investment in development to address the root causes of inequality and exclusion.

Third, he stressed the need for fair, independent judicial proceedings. He encouraged greater reliance on independent courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and stronger support for international criminal justice.

“There can be no sustainable or just peace without accountability,” Mr. Guterres said. “The rule of law must prevail.”

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South Sudan: UN and rights experts warn against risk of mass violence in Jonglei

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

UNMISS expressed grave concern following reports that a senior military leader is urging troops to inflict discriminate violence against civilians, with more than 180,000 people fleeing their homes.

“Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now,” Graham Maitland, Officer in Charge, said on Sunday.

Ongoing hostilities

South Sudan – the world’s youngest country – gained independence in July 2011 but soon slid into civil war with fighting between forces loyal to either President Salva Kiir or the main opposition leader, First Vice President Riek Machar.

Despite a 2018 peace agreement and the establishment of a transitional unity government, clashes and tensions persist.

UNMISS said communities in Jonglei and other locations are suffering immense harm from the escalating conflict, including direct military confrontations between forces.

Put people first

Although South Sudan’s leaders continue to underline their commitment to peace, hostilities and violations of the ceasefire continue unabated.

The Mission urged leaders to put the interests of the people first by stopping the fighting and upholding their commitments under the peace agreement.

“This includes returning to consensus-based decision-making, adhering to power-sharing arrangements, and agreeing on a path to peacefully end the transitional period through inclusive dialogue,” said Mr. Maitland.

‘Risk of mass violence’

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan expressed grave alarm over the situation in Jonglei, saying the inflammatory rhetoric by senior military figures and reports of force mobilisation “significantly heighten the risk of mass violence against civilians and further erode the peace agreement.”

Members noted that under international law, military and civilian leaders who incite crimes or who exercise effective control over forces may be held criminally responsible.

Furthermore, those who fail to prevent or punish crimes they knew about – or should have known were being committed – are equally criminally liable.

Dangerous words

“Language that calls for the killing of those who are hors de combat (no longer participating in hostilities) and civilians, including the elderly – with assertions that ‘no one should be spared’ – is not only shocking, it is profoundly dangerous,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.

“In South Sudan’s past, such rhetoric has preceded mass atrocities. When such language is issued or tolerated by those in positions of command, it signals permission to commit violence and removes any expectation of restraint.”

The current escalation is not an isolated incident, but part of a wider political breakdown, the Commission said. This is being driven by sustained violations of the peace deal and the erosion of command discipline in an already volatile and ethnically fractured environment.

Appeal for de-escalation

“When senior figures issue reckless or violent rhetoric, or fail to counter it decisively, they lower the threshold for abuses and send a signal that restraint no longer applies,” Commissioner Barney Afako said.

“The mobilisation of forces in this context, coupled with ethnicised messaging, risks triggering a spiral of retaliatory violence that could rapidly escalate beyond control.”

The Commission called for all parties to immediately cease inflammatory rhetoric and force mobilisation to de-escalate tensions.

Furthermore, as Commander-in-Chief, President Kiir bears a heightened duty to exercise effective control over forces. Other senior officials such as the Chief of Defence Forces and the Minister of Defence also share in this duty.

Avert a catastrophe

The Commission also called on South Sudan’s regional and international partners to urgently re-engage to preserve the peace deal and press leaders to return to the political path.

Failure to do so risks an all-out ethnic conflict and another preventable tragedy, they said.

“This crisis is not inevitable,” Ms. Sooka insisted. “Leadership, restraint and accountability can still avert catastrophe. But deliberate incitement and the abuse of command authority will have consequences, and the window to act is closing fast.”

About the Commission

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan was first established by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016, and its mandate has been renewed annually.

The three commissioners who serve are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.

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From deepfakes to grooming: UN warns of escalating AI threats to children

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – one of the key agencies that drafted the statement, which includes guidelines and recommendations – catalogues a dizzying array of ways that children are targeted.

This extends from grooming to deepfakes, the embedding of harmful features, cyberbullying and inappropriate content: “We saw that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many children, particularly girls and young women, were abused online and, in many cases, that translated to physical harm,” he says.

Organisations that advocate for children report that predators can use AI to analyse a child’s online behaviour, emotional state, and interests to tailor their grooming strategy.

AI is also enabling offenders to generate explicit fake images of real children, driving a new form of sexual extortion.

The Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, an independent global institute established to gather the most reliable data available on child sexual exploitation and abuse, found in a 2025 report that technology‑facilitated child abuse cases in the US increased from 4,700 in 2023 to more than 67,000 in 2024.

Young adults check social media in North Macedonia.

Australia leads the way

UN Member States are taking stronger measures, as they learn about the scale and severity of the problem.

At the end of 2025, Australia became the first nation in the world to ban social-media accounts for children under 16, on the basis that the risks from the content they share far outweighs the potential benefits.

The Government there cited a report it had commissioned, which showed that almost two-thirds of children aged between 10 and 15 had viewed hateful, violent or distressing content and more than half had been cyberbullied. Most of this content was seen on social media platforms.

Several other countries, including Malaysia, the UK, France and Canada, look set to follow Australia’s lead, preparing regulations and laws for similar bans or restrictions.

AI-illiteracy

And, at the beginning of 2026, a wide variety of UN bodies with a stake in child safety put their names to a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child, published on 19 January, which pulls no punches in its description of the risks – and society’s collective inability to cope with them.

The statement identifies a lack of AI literacy among children, teachers, parents and caregivers, as well as a dearth of technical training for policymakers and governments on AI frameworks, data protection methods and child rights impact assessments.

Responsibility of the tech giants

Tech companies are also in the frame: the statement says that most of the AI-supported tools they make – along with their underlying models, techniques and systems – are currently not designed with children and their well-being in mind.

“We are really concerned and we would like the private sector to be involved, to engage, to be part of the story that we are writing together with the other UN agencies and other players who believe that technology can be an enabler, but it can also destroy,” says Mr. Zavazava.

The senior UN official is confident however, that these businesses are committed to making their tools safer.

“Initially, we got the feeling that they were concerned about stifling innovation, but our message is very clear: with responsible deployment of AI, you can still make a profit, you can still do business, you can still get market share.

“The private sector is a partner, but we have to raise a red flag when we see something that is going to lead to unwanted outcomes.

We have regular meetings where we talk about their responsibilities, and some of them already have statements on how they should protect populations and children. It is our duty together to be fighting the ills that come with the technology.”

A children’s rights issue

While the UN bodies named in the document (full list below) stress the need for these companies to make sure their products are designed to respect children’s rights, they are also calling on all parts of society to take responsibility for the way they are used.

This is far from the first time that concerns have been raised from a rights perspective: in 2021, new language was attached to the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a cornerstone of international child rights law and the most ratified human rights treaty in history – to reflect the dangers of the digital age.

However, the UN bodies feel more guidance is needed to help countries regulate more effectively and have produced a comprehensive list of recommendations.

“Children are getting online at a younger age, and they should be protected, says Mr. Zavazava. That’s why we set out these child online protection guidelines. The first part of the guidelines addresses parents, the second is for the teachers, the third part is for regulators, and the fourth is relevant to industry and private sector.”

Gaza reconstruction talks must not distract from massive needs, say UN aid agencies

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Briefing journalists, Juliette Touma, Director of Communications at UNOPS, the United Nations Office for Project Services highlighted that although the 3 October ceasefire agreement had brought some respite to families, “people continue to be killed, day in, day out”.

“It’s absolutely critical to unlock the congestion…at crossing points and to reopen critical lifelines like the Jordan corridor,” said Touma.

She said that Gaza’s highly vulnerable people simply “cannot wait” for a reconstruction plan to take shape – one of the stated aims of the US-led Board of Peace. “They need supplies at the same time, it’s not just the services,” she stressed.

UNRWA commitment

Echoing those concerns, the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, underscored its key and longstanding role in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Gaza. This mission was entrusted to UNRWA by UN Member States at the global body’s General Assembly in December 1949.

“We are the largest United Nations agency operating in the Gaza Strip,” said Jonathan Fowler, UNRWA Senior Communications Manager. “We must be able to continue doing our work; that’s crystal clear.”

Board of Peace

While it has yet to be made clear exactly how the UN will support Board of Peace launched by President Trump at Davos on Thursday, last November’s Security Council resolution 2803 that welcomed its creation highlighted the importance of working with “cooperating organizations” including the United Nations.

“We are very strongly committed to do whatever we can to ensure the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803,” said Alessandra Vellucci, Director, UN Information Service, Geneva. “There is a role for the UN there about the UN leading on humanitarian aid delivery, which we have been doing for such a long time and we will continue to do the best of our capacities.”

Since Sunday, humanitarian partners providing emergency shelter assistance have reached over 13,000 households in Gaza, distributing hundreds of tents and thousands of tarpaulins, aid coordination office, OCHA, said in its latest update.

Gaza distribution obstacles remain

The UN office noted that “capacity and funding constraints” have limited support to only around 40 per cent of the existing 970 displacement sites across the Strip.

Healthcare needs remain enormous across Gaza, too, where providers such as UNRWA try to help around 15,000 patients a day, despite numerous challenges.

“We had 22 clinics operating across the Gaza Strip before the start of the war, we’re now down to half a dozen,” said Mr. Fowler. “And we have mobile health teams that operate, but in incredibly complicated circumstances.”

A number of UNRWA facilities are located behind the so-called Yellow Line – a series of concrete blocks installed by the Israeli authorities which separates Gazans from the Israel Defense Forces – envisaged in the three-step Gaza peace plan.

“That makes it incredibly difficult to do our work and so many of our locations have been heavily damaged or indeed completely destroyed,” Mr. Fowler continued. “On top of that, we remain banned by the Israeli authorities from bringing in any of our own supplies.”

UNRWA premises ‘stormed’

Turning to the destruction of UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, Mr. Fowler described how visiting diplomats had been caught up in the dramatic events when Israeli forces “stormed and demolished” buildings in the compound and fired tear gas. “This is a United Nations compound, so this is an attack on the United Nations,” he told journalists.

Highlighting concerns that the UNRWA-supported Kalandia Training Centre could be shut down “within days”, Mr. Fowler explained that it principally helped lower-income families to earn the skills they needed to earn a living: “If the centre were to be forcibly closed – and we do fear that this could happen within days – there is no educational alternative for these students.”

The UN agency remains deeply worried about developments in the occupied West Bank, one year since the Israeli forces launched operation Iron Wall. “This led to the mass displacement of people from three camps in the north of the West Bank,” Mr. Fletcher explained, in reference to Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee settlements.

“The camps are progressively being demolished by the Israeli military. So therefore, changing the facts on the ground, changing the topography and the demography of these large communities,” Mr. Fowler insisted.

US withdrawal from WHO ‘risks global safety’, agency says in detailed rebuttal

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

The statement, released on Saturday, also includes a rebuttal of the US administration’s reasoning for the measures. In response to government statements that the WHO has “trashed and tarnished” and insulted it, and compromised its independence, the agency notes that “the reverse true,” and that the WHO has always sought to “engage with the United States in good faith, with full respect for its sovereignty.”

The accusation by the US administration that the WHO has “pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests” is countered and described as untrue. The agency, the statement reads “has always been and remains impartial and exists to serve all countries, with respect for their sovereignty, and without fear or favour.”

Defence of COVID-19 response

A significant portion of the statement is dedicated to defending the WHO against US accusations of “failures” during the COVID-19 pandemic: according to the administration, the WHO obstructed the “timely and accurate sharing of critical information” and “concealed those failures”.

The agency counters this by noting that, throughout the pandemic, it acted quickly, shared all information it had rapidly and transparently with the world, and advised Member States on the basis of the best available evidence.

WHO recommended the use of masks, vaccines and physical distancing, but at no stage recommended mask mandates, vaccine mandates or lockdowns.

Immediately after receiving the first reports of a cluster of cases of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China on 31 December 2019, WHO asked China for more information and activated its emergency incident management system.

By the time the first death was reported from China on 11 January 2020, WHO had already alerted the world through formal channels, public statements and social media, convened global experts, and published comprehensive guidance for countries on how to protect their populations and health systems.

When the WHO Director-General declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations on 30 January 2020 – the highest level of alarm under international health law – outside of China there were fewer than 100 reported cases, and no reported deaths.

In the first weeks and months of the pandemic, the Director-General urged all countries repeatedly to take immediate action to protect their populations, warning that “the window of opportunity is closing”, “this is not a drill” and describing COVID-19 as “public enemy number one”.

In response to the multiple reviews of the COVID-19 pandemic, including of WHO’s performance, WHO has taken steps to strengthen its own work, and to support countries to bolster their own pandemic preparedness and response capacities. The systems WHO developed and managed before, during and after the emergency phase of the pandemic, have contributed to keeping all countries safe, including the United States.

Door open for US return

Despite the withdrawal notice, WHO remains committed to global cooperation and expresses hope that the United States will re-engage in the future. The agency highlights recent milestones, including the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, described as “a landmark instrument of international law” aimed at preventing and responding to future pandemics.

As a founding member of the WHO, the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of the agency’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.

“WHO remains steadfastly committed to working with all countries in pursuit of its core mission,” the statement concludes, reaffirming its mandate to advance “the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for all people.”

From family farm to climate tech: How one Kenyan woman is helping farmers outsmart drought

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

In Kenya, agriculture employs up to 75 per cent of the population, but farmers’ livelihoods are being threatened by a changing climate and the loss of productive land, which is impacting the whole of Africa.

As droughts and extreme weather events in the East African nation increase in frequency and intensity, Maryanne Gichanga believes innovation is vital in helping Kenya’s agricultural community build resilience.

Farmers in Kenya are using new data tools to improve their productivity.

16-01-2026-Maryanne-Gichanga-03

Speaking to the UN ahead of the International Day of Clean Energy Day, marked annually on 26 January, she explains how in a ‘male-dominated field’, she has succeeded in providing farmers with insights into soil and crop health as well as weather patterns by using solar-powered sensors and AI-powered satellite data.

From farmers to helping farmers

“I grew up in a farming set-up. My parents are farmers. I witnessed a lot of harvests, but when climate change started happening, we could not understand what was happening. Since our source of income was farming, when the harvest was bad, it directly affected our quality of life, and it meant that we could not go to school.

I always wanted to offer solutions to my parents and other people from farming families. That is what inspired me to start my company and get people who are like-minded to build this solution to support smallholder farmers.

Greenovations Africa, an initiative supported by the UN which supports women entrepreneurs like myself, was a very important part of the process, because they believed in companies that are small and offered them training and seed capital to help them grow.

Giving up is not an option

In Africa, communities are quite patriarchal. So, trying to get into this male-dominated field is a thing. It is hard. It has its own challenges, because people would rather work with a man. They feel that men understand what you do better than you do. In many places, they do not believe in female leadership; Even women offering solutions is not a thing they would take up.

What really helped me on this journey was persistence and having training and demonstrations to show what we do and that we know what we are doing. You cannot give up. Collaborate with the people you meet and eventually it will work out.

It is also important to keep your eyes on why you started; knowing that my parents are no longer struggling and thinking about the millions of children whose parents are farmers, and the futures of those children that would be jeopardized if their parents don’t have stable incomes.

Sometimes you look at how far you have come and think, giving up is not an option. So many people depend on you. That is what keeps me focused.

The reward

My highest point is when I see lives changed directly.

When you empower farmers, their lives change.

When you see a direct increase in crop yields or when people are no longer struggling, it makes you want to work even harder.

When you see that the farmer, who did not even have the money to buy seeds, is in control of the prices they sell their harvest on, that is very encouraging for me.

The call to others

To other women and girls who want to innovate in agriculture or climate action, I would just say go for it.

You will learn along the way, and there are a lot of people who will support you financially or offer technical support, advice, and training. There is no right time to start, and you will never be prepared enough – you just have do it…don’t be scared!”

‘Cycle of attacks must end’: Lead UN official in Ukraine

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

The attacks on some of Ukraine’s most important population centres, which reportedly involved almost 400 drones, also left thousands without electricity, heating and water.

Temperatures in the country have dropped to -20° Celsius, and the attacks on energy infrastructure have left families in freezing conditions. Many older persons and people with disabilities are often stuck in their homes in high-rise apartment buildings, without electricity and heating, unable to cook hot meals or recharge their devices to stay connected.

The latest attacks took place during ongoing peace talks in the United Arab Emirates, involving delegates from Russia, Ukraine and the United States

In Kharkiv, a dormitory housing displaced persons who fled the fighting on the front line came under fire. A hospital and residential buildings were also damaged.

In the capital, Kyiv, thousands of apartment buildings which were gradually being reconnected to basic utilities after the previous wave of attacks on January 9 and 20, were again left without electricity in sub-zero temperatures.

The entire city of Chernihiv and hundreds of thousands of families in the surrounding region were left without electricity.

Repair crews and humanitarian workers continue to work in low temperatures to help the victims.

According to media reports, more than one million people are without power across the country, around 800,000 of whom are in Kyiv.

“This systematic cycle of attacks on energy infrastructure violates international humanitarian law and must stop,” said Mr. Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator said in a statement. Ukrainian civilians, he said, should live in their homes in safety and warmth, and not in fear of the next round of destruction.

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Young people must be ‘truly involved’ in transforming education

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Yet stark inequalities remain — in the poorest countries, 36 per cent of children and youth are out of school compared to just 3 per cent in the richest — underscoring the urgent need for inclusive, youth-driven approaches to education policy and transformation.

Marco Pasqualini (2nd left) works for UNESCO in Paris.

Ahead of the International Day of Education, the theme for which this year is “The power of youth in co-creating education,” UN News’s Charlotte Frantz spoke with Marco Pasqualini from UNESCO and Jacques Kwibuka, a UN young leader from Rwanda, about the importance of young people’s voices in shaping education systems around the world.

Marco Pasqualini: When it comes to education, young people have a particular stake, because they’re the primary beneficiaries of education, and because educational priorities and reforms have a direct impact on them.

Co-creating education means giving them a voice to define their priorities and acknowledge young people’s willingness to make meaningful change.

Jacques Kwibuka: In the past, those designing policies in the education sector would think about what they were going to implement, assuming that because they were once young, they already understood what young people are facing.

But with co-creation, we don’t only think about young people, we engage them and give them the space and freedom to contribute to the programme or policy being developed.

Jacques Kwibuka participates in a UNICEF networking event.

It’s not just about consulting young people, but about truly involving them in the decision-making process of the policy, model, or system being built.

Marco Pasqualini: Despite a lot of progress being made, inequalities in access to education are still very strong. There still are 272 million children and youth out of school, and the regional disparities remain stark.

In the poorest countries, out-of-school children and youth represent 36 per cent of the age school population compared to 3 per cent only in the richest countries.

These inequalities are even higher for youth with disabilities, ethnic and linguistic minorities, refugees and migrants as well as LGBTQ youth.

Jacques Kwibuka: Two categories of challenges stand out to me.

The first one is about mindset — the mindset on the side of elders or institutions, especially those working in education.

They often undervalue the voices of young people. They want to hear what young people think, but without giving them a real opportunity to contribute meaningfully.

A young child attends school in Burera District, Rwanda.

Another mindset-related challenge is on the side of young people. Many young people, especially in rural areas, tend to undermine themselves because of low self-esteem or because they think such opportunities are meant only for highly educated individuals. Even when they are given the opportunity to contribute to a policy being designed or created, they hold themselves back and do not speak up.

For organisations like UNESCO, they should create more open spaces, including online platforms, to show that when young people — especially children — are meaningfully involved in co-creating education systems, the results improve.

When young people are not fully involved in shaping education systems or school environments, it often leads to gaps in learning and misinformation.

Marco Pasqualini: Indeed, the lack of platforms is also one of the main barriers.

So, what we created a few years ago is a network of young, I like to call them leaders and

experts, because young people really have an expertise in education. It’s called the SDG4 Youth and Student Network. Today, we have 110 members from 80 countries, which were selected out of 5000 applicants.

The opportunity that they have through this SDG4 Youth and Student Network to sit with leaders is really bringing a lot of visibility and interest.

SDG4 is the sustainable development goal number four of the agenda for sustainable development, which focuses on quality education. It’s a global commitment to achieve a certain level of quality education by 2030.

Jacques Kwibuka: I have hope for the future. As technology improves, young people are becoming more informed and meaningfully engaged.

In Rwanda, many young people are leading initiatives that support education. With platforms — such as those supported by UNICEF — we are empowering each other and strengthening our collective voice.

If this continues, I believe the future will include meaningful engagement of young people and children in co-creating health and education models and systems, in Rwanda and beyond.

Marco Pasqualini: Despite the world being in turmoil and multilateralism unfortunately at stake, I see a strong interest in education and everybody wanting to be part of the conversation.

UNESCO is the UN agency leading on education. Our commitment is very strong. And in my case, I’m very happy to be here. I think it’s the right place to be at the heart of this process to change education.

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Limited access restored to Syria’s Al Hol camp amid security concerns

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Briefing reporters in New York, Farhan Haq said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, was able to access the camp on Friday together with Syrian Government officials and establish contact with some residents. Essential supplies have also resumed.

Al Hol is one of the region’s largest displacement sites, housing tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, many with alleged family links to ISIL terrorist fighters.

UN agencies have long warned of dire humanitarian conditions there, including overcrowding, poor access to healthcare, water and sanitation, and persistent protection and security risks, while repeatedly urging durable solutions, including safe returns, reintegration and repatriation in line with international law.

“Trucks carrying bread entered the camp today, facilitated by UNHCR, following a three-day interruption caused by the volatile security situation inside the camp,” Mr. Haq said, adding that water trucks reached the camp on Thursday, helping to partially restore access to basic services for the camp population.

Al Hol camp, located in Syria’s northeast, hosts tens of thousands of people, including internally displaced Syrians and family members of suspected former fighters.

UN agencies have long warned that insecurity, overcrowding and limited services leave residents – many of them women and children – in extremely vulnerable conditions.

UN agencies and aid partners reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Syrian authorities in delivering humanitarian assistance, while underscoring the critical need to ensure security inside the camp.

They also highlighted the importance of facilitating the movement of personnel and supplies between Al-Hasakeh and Qamishli.

Concerns in Aleppo

Beyond Al Hol, the situation in Kobani, in Aleppo Governorate, remains concerning.

According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, all roads connecting to the city are currently closed, while disruptions to electricity, water and internet services are hampering access to basic needs.

Partners have begun reporting shortages of food, essential items and medicines, although health facilities remain operational, Mr. Haq said.

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World News in Brief: Iran in the Human Rights Council, Myanmar election ‘fraud’, migration chief in Cyprus, Mozambique flood update

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk said that although the “killing on the streets of Iran may have subsided…the brutality continues”.

He said that violent repression did not solve any of Iran’s problems but instead created conditions for further violations, instability and bloodshed.

“We have indications that the security forces made mass arrests in several cities, even pursuing injured people into hospitals, and detaining lawyers, human rights defenders, activists, and ordinary civilians,” he told diplomats.

Prosecutions ongoing

“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has reportedly opened criminal cases against athletes, actors, people involved in the movie industry, and the owners of cafes, on charges of supporting the protests,” Mr. Türk continued.

Protests erupted across Iran on 28 December in response to the collapse of the national currency, soaring inflation and worsening living conditions.

Also speaking at the Council, former international prosecutor Payam Akhavan described how one protester pretended to be dead in a body-bag for three days until his parents found him.

The civil society representative said that parents looking for their relatives usually started at hospitals, where “many of the wounded (protesters) have been abducted and killed”.

Others have been forced to sign confessions which blame imaginary “terrorists” for the murder of their children, Mr. Akhavan maintained.

He cited a medical report circulating among Iranian doctors that 16,500 people had been killed during the demonstrations. “The number increases by the day, because the killings haven’t stopped,” he said.

Rejection of Myanmar military’s ‘fraudulent’ election must be unequivocal: UN independent expert

The international community must unequivocally reject as illegitimate the election results in Myanmar and any power arrangement that follows, said Tom Andrews, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar on Friday.

The UN-appointed independent expert described the elections, which began in late December and are expected to be concluded this weekend, as ‘fraudulent’, urging countries not to accept the results.

“The junta is banking on the world’s fatigue, hoping that the international community will accept military rule dressed up in civilian clothing,” he said. “Governments must not allow that to happen.”

‘Fear and coercion’

The junta’s election scheme was marked by violence, low turnout and widespread coercion, said Mr. Andrews.

Voters reported being monitored and pressured by local authorities, with threats explicit or implied. Junta officials were pushing citizens to polling stations even as military jets bombed villages throughout the country.

Mr. Andrews added that the junta banned credible opposition parties, jailed popular political figures and muzzled the press, “crushing fundamental freedoms, and using fear and coercion to drive a reluctant electorate to the polls.”

UN migration chief backs EU presidency efforts on migration

This week, the UN migration agency (IOM) Chief Amy Pope concluded a visit to Cyprus after a round of high-level talks, which focused on advancing a comprehensive migration and asylum agenda.

“Cyprus knows what it means to be on the frontline – and that experience really matters right now,” said Ms Pope. “As the European Union (EU) moves from agreement to action, this is the moment to make sure policies really work – for migrants, for communities, and countries.

This trip marks the IOM Chief’s first visit to Cyprus in her current role, as Cyprus assumes the EU Council Presidency and the EU begins implementing the landmark Migration and Asylum Pact.

Humane returns

With persistent instability Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan and the Sahel, Ms Pope reaffirmed IOM’s support and engagement with the EU to ensure refugee returns are humane and dignified.

During her visit, she underscored the urgent need to address conditions along key migration routes, with IOM emphasising efforts to curb irregular migration, disrupt smuggling networks, meet humanitarian needs, and save lives.

Ms Pope also called for stronger migration data systems and evidence-based policymaking.

Nearly 600,000 people upended by Mozambique floods

Nearly 600,000 people have been affected by severe flooding across southern and central Mozambique. Weeks of heavy and sustained rainfall have caused homes to collapse and roads to wash away, displacing more than 73,000 people, according to figures from the IOM.

Flooding has been reported in 10 of Mozambique’s 11 provinces, with Gaza Province “hosting significant concentrations of displaced people”. Humanitarian response partners expect reported figures to rise as access to affected communities improves.

IOM teams there have described acute shortages of shelter, constraints on food and basic services, overcrowded centres, and limited access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene – increasing the risk of waterborne diseases spreading.

Preliminary reports from the International Red Cross (IFRC) indicated between 50 and 60 deaths, a figure likely to rise as waters levels recede.

Response ahead of cyclone season

Following a Government request for international support on 16 January including air assets for search and rescue efforts, the IOM plans to appeal for up to $20 million to reinforce life-saving assistance and strengthen water, sanitation and hygiene.

With this being only the start of the cyclone season and dams at near capacity, representatives from the IFRC have underscored the need for investment in early warning systems, climate‑resilient infrastructure, and locally led preparedness.

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UN envoy highlights ‘window to advance peace’ in Colombia

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

“At a time of tensions both globally and regionally, it is in everyone’s interest to secure lasting peace and security in Colombia,” said Miroslav Jenča, delivering his quarterly briefing.

He said the coming year “undoubtedly provides a window to advance peace as a strategic national objective, and for Colombia and its partners to engage constructively through dialogue to address shared challenges,” particularly in the border area with Venezuela “where cooperation on all sides is essential.”

Switch in focus

Mr. Jenča also heads the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, and he reported on re-organization outlined in Council resolution 2798 (2025), adopted last October.

The resolution extended the Mission’s mandate for a year and changed its focus to monitoring three provisions of the 2016 peace agreement signed by the Government and FARC-EP rebels:

Comprehensive rural reform
Reintegration of former combatants
Security of both ex-fighters and communities in conflict-affected regions

Previously mandated verification on transitional justice, ethnic-related issues and ceasefire monitoring was discontinued.

Challenges in conflict areas

Mr. Jenča has spent the past three months meeting key counterparts across Colombia who underscored that the three pillars are important for achieving peace.

During visits to several parts of the country, he was “struck not only by the immense challenges facing communities in conflict-affected regions, but also by their resilience and determination to achieve a better future.”

In some of the most remote areas, daily life is a struggle “due to the actions of different illegal armed actors and to the limited presence of the state, public services and development opportunities.”

Limited opportunities

He noted that re-integration of former combatants is essential to the success of peace agreements and ensuring their transition to civilian life is crucial to avoid a return to violence.

“Nevertheless, nine years after the FARC-EP laid down arms under the Peace Agreement, the path has proven challenging for the over 11,000 former combatants who remain active in the government’s reintegration programme,” he said.

These men and women often live in remote areas with limited infrastructure, access to markets, and threats to their security.

“For the authorities, it has also entailed major efforts, both financial and programmatic, to facilitate their transition into civilian life,” he added, noting that while substantial progress has been made but more is needed.

‘Fertile ground’ for armed groups

Access to land has progressed in Colombia but still needs to be fully resolved, Mr. Jenča said. Meanwhile, security remains fragile.

Some 487 former combatants have been killed since laying down their arms. He urged the authorities to step up investigations and prioritize security guarantees for those who signed the peace deal.

Although violence is far lower now than at the height of the conflict, “the presence of armed groups in areas still affected by conflict continues to inflict suffering on entire communities.”

This violence is being fuelled by a mix of factors and limited State presence “provides fertile ground for the armed groups to exert control, and for illicit economies to prevail.”

Rise in child recruitment

As a result, civilian populations have faced threats, killings of social leaders, forced displacement and confinement, and an alarming increase in child recruitment and use by armed groups.

The situation in border areas is particularly complex, he said. The UN Mission’s team in Cúcuta, a city on the border with Venezuela, supports response to continuing clashes between rival armed groups.

Thousands of civilians have been have forced to flee their homes in the Catatumbo region, which he described as “a hub of coca cultivation and cross-border armed activities and criminality.”

‘Holistic vision’ for peace

Mr. Jenča insisted that the Peace Agreement can significantly contribute to addressing many of these problems.

“It offers a much-needed holistic vision, by providing for the strengthening of the State’s capacity to dismantle criminal structures, to promote alternatives to coca cultivation and concrete development measures through its comprehensive rural reform,” he said.

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UN rights chief decries US treatment of migrants, as deaths in ICE custody rise

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

In a news release on Friday, High Commissioner Volker Türk said individuals suspected of being undocumented migrants are being surveilled, arrested and detained – sometimes violently – in locations ranging from hospitals and places of worship to courthouses, schools, markets and private homes.

The UN rights chief said he was “astounded by the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees.”

He warned that fear generated by such federal operations is rippling through communities, with children missing school and medical appointments, out of concern that their parents may not return.

“Those who dare to speak up or protest peacefully against heavy-handed immigration raids are vilified and threatened by officials, and on occasion subjected to arbitrary violence themselves,” Mr. Türk said.

He said numerous migration policies now being implemented by US authorities are resulting in arbitrary and unlawful arrests and detentions, as well as flawed removal decisions. He expressed concern that enforcement actions often lacked sufficient individualised assessments.

Due process

US immigration enforcement is primarily carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency responsible for identifying, arresting, detaining and removing non-citizens deemed to be in violation of immigration law.

Mr. Türk stressed that while national governments have the authority to establish and enforce migration policies, those powers must be exercised in full accordance with the law. Failure to respect due process, he said, risks eroding public trust, weakening institutional legitimacy and violating individuals’ rights.

He also deplored Washington’s use of large-scale enforcement operations, raising concerns that force has at times appeared unnecessary or disproportionate.

On 7 January 2026, a woman was fatally shot in Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis, during an operation involving federal officers.

“Under international law, the intentional use of lethal force is only permissible as a measure of last resort against an individual representing an imminent threat to life,” Mr. Türk said.

Families torn apart

The UN rights chief highlighted the human cost of these practices, particularly for families.

Mr. Türk cited cases in which parents were detained or transferred between facilities without adequate information being provided about their whereabouts or access to legal counsel, making it difficult to maintain family contact or pursue legal remedies.

“I call on the administration to end practices that are tearing apart families,” said the High Commissioner. He also called for independent and transparent investigations into a reported rise in the number of deaths in ICE custody.

At least 30 deaths were reported last year, with six more so far this year.

‘Xenophobic hostility’

Mr. Türk also expressed deep concern over what he described as “dehumanising narratives” used by some Government officials to portray migrants and refugees.

“I call on leaders at all levels in the US to halt the use of scapegoating tactics that seek to distract and divide, and which increase the exposure of migrants and refugees to xenophobic hostility and abuse,” he said.

He also recognised the efforts of a wide range of public officials, community groups and civil society representatives across the US, who are working to uphold dignity, fairness and accountability in the treatment of migrants and their communities.

Net benefits of migration

He highlighted that the US’ history has been “shaped profoundly” by the contributions that migrants, from all parts of the world, have made and continue to make.

“Demonising migrants and refugees collectively as criminals, threats, or burdens on society – based on their origin, nationality or migration status – is inhuman, wrong, and it goes against the very fabric and foundations of the nation,” he warned.

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