The meals which families are able to obtain are nutritiously poor — thin broths, lentils or rice, one piece of bread or sometimes just a combination of herbs and olive oil known as duqqa. Adults are routinely skipping meals in order to leave more for children, the elderly and the ill. And still, on average […]
Under cooler skies after days of intense heat, the run ended where it all began, at the original UN Charter – the document that launched the Organization and reshaped the modern international order – now on display at UN Headquarters. Inside the General Assembly Hall, delegates gathered to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its signing. […]
At least 400 people were injured, including police officers, according to media reports. The official death toll has not been confirmed, with estimates ranging from eight to 16. The demonstrations marked the anniversary of last year’s anti-tax protests, when 60 people were reportedly killed and dozens abducted by police. This year, anger intensified following the […]
Despite the current government’s hostility to the trade, the country remains a hub for the production and distribution of the drug. During the country’s long-running civil war, the Assad regime was hit by sanctions and diplomatic isolation, and the trade in Captagon is believed to have brought in billions of dollars for the dictator and […]
Today, a $4 trillion financing gap is hindering progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the end of this decade. In response, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) will take place in Sevilla, Spain, beginning on 30 June, bringing together stakeholders to advance solutions to the financing challenges threatening sustainable […]
Addressing the General Assembly, António Guterres said that the world is witnessing more armed conflicts than at any time since the end of the Second World War. “Too often, early warnings go unheeded, and alleged evidence of crimes committed by States and non-State actors are met with denial, indifference, or repression,” he told Member States […]
At least 24 people were reported killed and over 300 injured – including 32 children – when ballistic missiles struck Ukraine’s Dnipro and Odesa regions on Monday and Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said on Wednesday. The attacks destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure, and left hundreds wounded. […]
“Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving people,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his regular press briefing in New York. Conditions in the enclave remain bleak, as Israeli operations continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, […]
“From that day on, our home became a travel bag and our path became that of displacement … My childhood was filled with fear and anxiety and people I was deprived of,” she said, speaking via videoconference from Syria. Seema Sen Gupta, director of child protection and migration at UNICEF, briefs the Security Council. […]
Rafael Mariano Grossi was speaking to reporters in Austria following a briefing to the Government in Vienna. Israel began launching air and missile strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites nearly two weeks ago, and the United States carried out surprise bombing raids on three Iranian uranium enrichment facilities this past weekend. A ceasefire between […]
The informal meeting on the UN80 Initiative also provided a chance for ambassadors to share their views on the reform agenda, launched by Secretary-General António Guterres in March. UN80 is centred around three workstreams focused on efficiencies and improvements, a mandate implementation review, and structural changes and programme realignments across the entire UN system. Improving […]
Amid this relative calm, the United Nations has renewed its call for a diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear issue, warning that the objectives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and the resolution that endorsed it – remain unmet. Addressing a planned Security Council meeting on Tuesday to try and revive the […]
Nearly 15 years after Gaddafi’s fall, Libya remains split between the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, and the rival Government of National Stability in Benghazi. Although a truce was reached on 14 May, the outbreak of fighting last month in the capital “temporarily disrupted UN development and humanitarian operations,” said top UN […]
The Security Council is meeting over the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action put in place in 2015 to prevent Iran from weaponising its ambitious nuclear programme, which has been in effective limbo since the US withdrawal in 2018 and Iran’s rejection of parts of the deal. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo […]
In the heart of Galmudug State, Somalia, the dream of two young women, Iftin and Aminaa, to attend university in Abudwaq was fraught with challenges. Frequent power cuts and a long, dark and possibly dangerous road between the campus and town made it nearly impossible for them and other girls to attend evening classes. Determined […]
Currently, she’s a qualified refugee and human rights lawyer in New Zealand – but on Tuesday she recalled becoming displaced aged 14 and described the harrowing limbo that followed. Invisible and alone “I grew up invisible to the world,” she said. “Without rights, opportunities, or safety.” That all changed in 2018, when her family was […]
“I welcome announcements on Iran situation. Resuming cooperation with [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is key to a successful agreement,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the (IAEA). In a short online post on X, Mr. Grossi added that he had offered to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on working together, “stressing this […]
The alert comes nearly a month since the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) started operating on 27 May in select hubs, bypassing the UN and other established NGOs. Its food distribution points have been associated frequently with confusion and shooting as desperate and hungry Gazans rush to fetch supplies, said UN human rights office spokesperson […]
Surely, you might think, we can just agree that one Earth time zone can be used for “Moon time”? Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), for example. How hard can it be? Unfortunately, this doesn’t work, for several reasons. Here on Earth, timekeeping is easy to take for granted: we divide our world into 24 time zones, […]
“This is a good time to take a look at ourselves and see how fit for purpose we are in a set of circumstances which, let’s be honest, are quite challenging for multilateralism and for the UN,” says Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy and chair of the UN80 Task Force. Known as the UN80 Initiative, […]