Five countries elected to serve on UN Security Council

Five countries elected to serve on UN Security Council

They will serve through the end of 2027 on the UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. They will join the five non-permanent members elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia – who will serve through 2026. The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members – China, France, Russia, […]

Gaza: UN rights chief condemns new killings around private aid hub

Gaza: UN rights chief condemns new killings around private aid hub

“Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, issued after Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking assistance for a third day running. Mr. Türk also urged Israel to respect “binding orders” issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the […]

World News in Brief: Guterres condemns antisemitic attacks, ILO to debate pros and cons of working online, Sudan, Ukraine updates

World News in Brief: Guterres condemns antisemitic attacks, ILO to debate pros and cons of working online, Sudan, Ukraine updates

A man was arrested in Boulder after reportedly using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set people on fire at an event in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza on Sunday. The suspect reportedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack and now faces federal hate crime charges along with multiple felonies. The attack injured at […]

UN calls for ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of aid workers arbitrarily detained in Yemen

UN calls for ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of aid workers arbitrarily detained in Yemen

In a statement on Monday, António Guterres strongly condemned the death in detention of a World Food Programme (WFP) staff member earlier this year. The Houthis have yet to provide “an explanation for this deplorable tragedy,” António Guterres said, renewing his call for “an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and accountability.” Profound injustice “The UN and its humanitarian […]

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock elected President of the 80th General Assembly

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock elected President of the 80th General Assembly

She assumes the role at a challenging time, with ongoing conflicts, faltering development goals, mounting financial pressures, and the upcoming selection of the next Secretary-General. Ms. Baerbock received 167 votes following the secret ballot. Write-in candidate Helga Schmid (also from Germany) received seven. Fourteen delegations abstained. She becomes the first woman from the Western European […]

Gaza: Guterres urges probe into killings at food distribution sites

Gaza: Guterres urges probe into killings at food distribution sites

More than 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded while waiting in the early morning to get food from two sites in Rafah and Middle Gaza run by the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to media reports. The organization is backed by Israel and the United States and uses private US security […]

As AI evolves, pressure mounts to regulate ‘killer robots’

As AI evolves, pressure mounts to regulate ‘killer robots’

Every day, we voluntarily give up information about ourselves to machines. This happens when we accept an online cookie or use a search engine. We barely think about how our data is sold and used before clicking “agree” to get to the page we want, dimly aware that it will be used to target us […]

‘Justice is long overdue’: Guterres calls for reparations for enslavement and colonialism

‘Justice is long overdue’: Guterres calls for reparations for enslavement and colonialism

“Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility. But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed,” he said. The United Nations has repeatedly said that slavery and the transatlantic slave trade constituted crimes against humanity, and the Secretary-General has repeatedly […]

World News in Brief: Education suffers amid DR Congo violence, WHO greenlights RSV vaccines, more hurricanes ahead for Haiti

World News in Brief: Education suffers amid DR Congo violence, WHO greenlights RSV vaccines, more hurricanes ahead for Haiti

According to UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, more than 290 schools have been damaged or destroyed in Ituri this year alone, bringing the total number of out-of-school children in the province to over 1.3 million. Protection crisis Between January and April 2025, a surge in violence displaced more than 100,000 people – half of them children. […]

Songs of hope rise from Gaza’s ruins

Songs of hope rise from Gaza’s ruins

Among them is Ahmed Abu Amsha, a music teacher who has become something of a humanitarian troubadour. Fleeting moments of joy Living in a worn tent with his family, he refuses to let despair drown out hope. Instead, he teaches music to displaced children, helping them find moments of joy through rhythm and song. Originally […]

UN’s lifesaving programmes under threat as budget crisis hits hard

UN’s lifesaving programmes under threat as budget crisis hits hard

Member States had paid just $1.8 billion towards the UN’s $3.7 billion regular budget for 2025, as of 9 May. Including unpaid contributions from previous years, total unpaid assessments stand at approximately $2.4 billion as of 30 April. The United States is the largest debtor at about $1.5 billion, as the Trump Administration is withholding […]

Ukraine: Hopes for peace on life support, Security Council hears

Ukraine: Hopes for peace on life support, Security Council hears

“The longer the war continues, the longer its regional and global impacts will be felt, and the more difficult it will be to find a peaceful resolution,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. She recalled the adoption of Security Council resolution 2774 in February – the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion […]

UN searches for solutions to global housing crisis

UN searches for solutions to global housing crisis

This includes more than 1.12 billion people living in slums or informal settlements. An additional 300 million face absolute homelessness, lacking any form of stable shelter, UN-Habitat estimates. Living without The crisis is particularly acute in rapidly urbanising regions such as Africa and the Asia-Pacific. As cities grow, housing development and infrastructure fail to keep […]

‘We are the present’: Tajik climate activist urges leaders to include youth voices in dialogue

‘We are the present’: Tajik climate activist urges leaders to include youth voices in dialogue

At the end of April, Fariza Dzhobirova attended a Model United Nations Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, where she represented Switzerland. For Ms. Dzhobirova, it was a rehearsal of sorts for the actual High-level Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation which began on Thursday in Dushanbe. There, she will serve as a panel member representing […]

Desperate hunger drives crowd to storm UN food warehouse in Gaza

Desperate hunger drives crowd to storm UN food warehouse in Gaza

UN agencies warn that the decimated enclave is teetering on the brink of further chaos after months of war and the collapse of all essential services. The incident took place at WFP’s Al-Ghafari facility in Deir Al-Balah, where limited stocks of wheat flour had been pre-positioned for use by the few bakeries which have been […]

UN honours service and sacrifice of its peacekeepers

UN honours service and sacrifice of its peacekeepers

The first UN peacekeeping operation was established in 1948 and today more than 68,000 civilian, military, and police personnel are posted at 11 missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The Day pays tribute to their unwavering service and sacrifice while honouring the more than 4,400 blue helmets who have died in the […]

UN awards 2025 Mandela Prize to Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede

UN awards 2025 Mandela Prize to Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede

Secretary-General António Guterres will present the award to Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede on 18 July, Nelson Mandela International Day. Established in 2014, the prize is awarded every five years to two individuals whose work reflects the late South African President’s legacy of leadership, humility, service, and unity across borders. “This year’s Mandela prize winners […]