DPR Korea: UN report finds human rights situation still dire, a decade on

DPR Korea: UN report finds human rights situation still dire, a decade on

The rights office, OHCHR, interviewed 314 witnesses who left the DPRK – more commonly known as North Korea – and consulted with several organizations and experts to evaluate the human rights conditions there since 2014. The situation has not improved, and in many cases has worsened, “bringing even more suffering to the population,” said Spokesperson […]

Sudan: As children continue to suffer, school remains a distant hope

Sudan: As children continue to suffer, school remains a distant hope

After more than two years of civil war, more than 25 million people are now acutely hungry and at least 20 million require health services urgently. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also warned that displaced families in some areas have not received any aid for three months, as it announced that for the first time, […]

Afghanistan: Lifesaving services cut as Taliban bars women aid workers

Afghanistan: Lifesaving services cut as Taliban bars women aid workers

“All of us at the United Nations are suffering from a reinforcement of the ban on females working with us…We are simply unable to operate without females,” said Arafat Jamal, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Representative to Afghanistan, a day after agencies warned that the de facto authorities’ measures have impacted life-saving assistance for hundreds of […]

What is South-South cooperation, and can it be the gateway to a fairer world?

What is South-South cooperation, and can it be the gateway to a fairer world?

In practical terms, South-South cooperation is a process whereby developing countries – regardless of their actual geographical location – seek to achieve their individual or shared development goals through the exchange of knowledge, skills, and resources, in partnerships involving governments, regional organisations, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The experiences and goals of most […]

World News in Brief: Afghan quake update, diplomacy continues to end Sudan war, UN honours victims of 9/11

World News in Brief: Afghan quake update, diplomacy continues to end Sudan war, UN honours victims of 9/11

Women and children face heightened risks, while operational challenges – including restrictions on female UN staff – threaten life-saving relief efforts. The twin quakes, measuring 6.0 and 6.2, struck on 31 August and 4 September, flattening entire villages in Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces. Mountainous terrain and landslides blocked key roads, leaving air transport […]

Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said people are once again on the move after Israel placed the entire city under displacement orders. Aid partners recorded more than 25,000 displacements between Sunday through Wednesday. Some critical services have already been suspended while some humanitarian facilities have suffered severe damage, disrupting operations and the delivery of essential services. […]

‘Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar

‘Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar

Four years after the military coup which deposed the democratically elected government, Myanmar’s civil conflict grinds on, leaving millions displaced and without a home. “The suffering of millions of people across Myanmar is immense,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. “With aerial bombardments, destruction of property, and forced recruitment, they live in daily fear for their […]

Israeli strike in Doha marks ‘alarming escalation’, warns top UN official, in call to uphold diplomatic norms

Israeli strike in Doha marks ‘alarming escalation’, warns top UN official, in call to uphold diplomatic norms

Rosemary DiCarlo described Tuesday’s strike in a residential area of the Qatari capital – which targeted Hamas’s political leadership killing several affiliates along with a Qatari security officer – as potentially opening a “new and perilous chapter in this devastating conflict, seriously threatening regional peace and stability.” The attack occurred on 9 September in residential […]

Afghanistan: New restrictions on women nationals working for UN, put aid efforts at risk

Afghanistan: New restrictions on women nationals working for UN, put aid efforts at risk

These measures are putting life-saving humanitarian assistance and other essential services for hundreds of thousands of people affected by a recent deadly earthquake at risk, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned in a statement. On Sunday, the de facto security forces prevented women Afghan staff members and contractors from entering UN compounds in […]

Ukraine: Guterres greatly concerned over reported Russian incursion into Polish airspace

Ukraine: Guterres greatly concerned over reported Russian incursion into Polish airspace

Speaking at the regular news briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said António Guterres is following the ensuing diplomatic fallout across the NATO military alliance “with great concern” the incident, which reportedly occurred amid a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine. “There is an urgent need for a full, immediate and […]

Nepal crisis: Army deployed as death toll rises amid political turmoil

Nepal crisis: Army deployed as death toll rises amid political turmoil

The unrest began Monday as a self-styled “Gen Z protest” against corruption, nepotism and restrictions on social media. It quickly escalated after security forces opened fire on the crowds. By Tuesday, protesters had stormed and torched parliament, the Supreme Court and multiple government offices, including Singha Durbar – the central administrative complex. Homes of political […]

Nuclear watchdog chief announces breakthrough on Iran monitoring

Nuclear watchdog chief announces breakthrough on Iran monitoring

“Indispensable” monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ended in June, agency chief Rafael Grossi said, when Israel and US-backed airstrikes targeted Iran’s nuclear power installations. At the time, the Iranian authorities confirmed that the Natanz enrichment site had been “impacted” without affecting existing radiation levels, the top IAEA diplomat said. Practical step forward […]

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

Guterres condemns Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar as ‘flagrant violation’

In a statement, António Guterres spoke out against what he called a “flagrant violation” of Qatari sovereignty and territorial integrity. He insisted that all parties must focus on achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, “not (on) destroying it”. No senior leaders killed, claims Hamas Hamas reported that six people had been killed, including the son […]

Attacks on schools surge by ‘staggering’ 44 per cent over the past year

Attacks on schools surge by ‘staggering’ 44 per cent over the past year

Over 41,000 incidents of violence against school-age children were reported by the UN in 2024. Countries with the highest levels of violations in were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti. In a message to mark the International Day to Protect […]

Military spending worldwide hits record $2.7 trillion

Military spending worldwide hits record $2.7 trillion

“The world is spending far more on waging war than in building peace,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at a press briefing for his new report on the threat posed by the steady rise in military expenditure. Spending on security needs increased across all five global regions during 2024, marking the steepest year-on-year rise for […]

Peacekeeping: A lifeline for millions seeking a ‘future without fear’

Peacekeeping: A lifeline for millions seeking a ‘future without fear’

Governments and civil society organizations have so far submitted more than 60 contributions to a review process mandated under the Pact for the Future, agreed by Member States last year. The UN has an 80-year legacy that includes deploying multidimensional peacekeeping operations that combine police, troop and civilian personnel; special political missions engaged in conflict […]

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