“It’s not a peace conference,” Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the UN, told UN News ahead of the event, mandated by the General Assembly, in which his country will play a leading role. “It’s a way of trying to maintain the debate and get beyond the sticking points to the solutions. We hope there’ll be […]
The development comes as UN Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that conflict-driven hunger is spreading “from Gaza to Sudan and beyond”. “Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,” he said in a video message to the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, citing reports […]
But as starvation tightens its grip and “children are dying before our eyes,” UN officials and aid workers warn that the measures fall far short of the much-needed ceasefire and unfettered aid access that could help stem the spiralling humanitarian catastrophe. “Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,” UN Emergency […]
From ancient microbes awakening in melting glaciers to toxic pollutants unleashed by floods, the dangers are no longer distant or theoretical. They are here, and they are growing. The Frontiers Report 2025, released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlights four critical areas where environmental degradation intersects with human vulnerability: legacy pollution, melting glacier microbes, undamming […]
The clashes, which began on 24 July, reportedly involved exchanges of gunfire, artillery shelling and rocket fire, with Thailand having conducted airstrikes inside Cambodian territory. UN humanitarian officials confirmed civilian casualties, including children. More than 131,000 people in Thailand and over 4,000 in Cambodia have been displaced, according to relief partners. Temporary shelters, including schools […]
In an update on Friday, OCHA said that the starvation crisis is deepening across the enclave, with the local health authorities announcing that two more people had died from starvation the previous day. Hunger and malnutrition increase the risk of illnesses that weaken the immune system, particularly among women, children, older people and persons with […]
Since 13 July, around 176,000 people have been displaced from Sweida, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Mostly migrating to neighbouring Dar’a and Rural Damascus governorates, civilians are fleeing violent clashes between Bedouin tribal fighters, Syrian caretaker government forces and Druze militias. Meanwhile in the north of the country, […]
Recalling his own experience living under dictatorship in Portugal, Mr. Guterres told participants at the Global Assembly of the international rights charity Amnesty International on Friday that the fight for human rights is “more important than ever”. He called on States to uphold international law and defend human rights “consistently and universally, even or especially […]
Sonia Silva has been working in the embattled enclave since the beginning of November 2023, just one-month after the terror attack by Hamas and other armed groups in southern Israel that sparked the brutal conflict. She spoke to UN News about the misery people have experienced in recent days. “In my one year and eight […]
“Nowhere is safe in Ukraine,” said Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe at the UN Department of Political Affairs (UNDPPA). Citing figures from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, he said civilian casualties reached a three-year high in June, with 6,754 civilians killed or injured in the first half of 2025 alone. Russian forces launched […]
“The thousands of people seeking to return home are driven by hope, resilience and an enduring connection to their country,” said Othman Belbeisi, regional director of the International Organization of Migration (IOM). While this development does offer hope, many of these people are returning to states and cities whose resources have been devastated by […]
The UN Security Council is meeting on Friday morning to discuss the situation in Ukraine amid mounting concerns over the intensifying hostilities and growing humanitarian needs. Senior UN political affairs and humanitarian officials are expected to brief the Council. Follow our live coverage from UN News, in coordination with UN Meetings Coverage, for updates from […]
It recognizes their immense contributions to society but also acknowledges the challenges they face due to the double burden of racism and sexism. Although woman and girls of African descent embody strength, resilience, and untapped potential, they remain among the most marginalized groups globally due to the intersection of racial, gender, and socio-economic discrimination. For […]
Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona received prison sentences of 15 and 12 years for their roles in brutal attacks against civilians – primarily from the country’s mainly Muslim Seleka population – during the 2013-14 civil war. They were found guilty “beyond any reasonable doubt” of leading and facilitating attacks on civilians in the capital, Bangui, […]
The dispute dates to 1953 when France first mapped the border, but tensions resurfaced in May after the death of a Cambodian soldier in a border skirmish. Secretary-General António Guterres is “following with concern” reports of the clashes, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York. “The Secretary-General urges both sides to exercise […]
“I started feeling very idealistic about the UN, and I’ve never lost that feeling,” Mr. Stewart told UN News in an exclusive interview. In early August, he steps down as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). His departure comes at a moment of cautious optimism […]
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said that is what one of its workers told him on Thursday morning. This sobering comment comes amidst increasingly severe malnutrition for children and adults throughout the Gaza Strip. “When child malnutrition surges, coping mechanisms fail, access to food […]
At the end of the conference, Member States adopted a Ministerial Declaration by a vote of 154-2-2, with the United States and Israel voting against the document and Paraguay and Iran abstaining. “We strongly reaffirm our commitment to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda [which]… remains our overarching roadmap for achieving sustainable development and overcoming […]
Briefing the Security Council on Thursday, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, said the OIC remains an “indispensable” partner in efforts to promote peace, uphold international law and deliver durable political solutions in a range of crisis contexts. Headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OIC has 57 member states and five observers, representing […]
These abuses include threats, cases of torture, mistreatment and arbitrary arrest and detention, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report said these violations were committed against Afghans “based on their profile” and targeted women, media workers and civil society […]