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

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 […]

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

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: […]

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

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 […]

President Murmu Highlights Welfare, Women, Tribal Schemes In Republic Day Address

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday outlined the government’s flagship welfare, financial inclusion and social empowerment programmes, positioning them as central to India’s development strategy as the country prepares to mark Republic Day 2026. In her address to the nation, Murmu said targeted schemes aimed at women, farmers, tribal communities, the poor and youth were reshaping […]

Republic Day Tomorrow: Share Some Quotable Quotes on The Day

Happy Republic Day! As India celebrates the adoption of its Constitution tomorrow, here are some inspiring quotes from notable experts and leaders in fields like politics, law, science, and philosophy. here are some notable quotes that touch on themes of democracy, duty, freedom, and national unity. “Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

Young people must be ‘truly involved’ in transforming education

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

UN envoy highlights ‘window to advance peace’ in Colombia

“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 […]

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

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 […]

Keeping people warm amid hostilities and harsh winter weather in Ukraine

Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving families without electricity and heating as temperatures plummet to -20° Celsius.  Since 2022, the Government has established so-called “Invincibility Points” – located in tents or public buildings such as schools and libraries – where people can go to escape the cold, charge electronic devices and receive basic support.   Additional initiatives have also been launched, including mobile heating points operated by the State Emergency Services and Ukraine Red Cross Society. Humanitarian partners have supported these […]

Eighty years at the heart of global development

Established in 1945 under the UN Charter, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was designed to ensure that peace and security would be backed by economic stability, social progress and international cooperation. Eight decades after its first meeting in London in early 1946, ECOSOC remains a central – if often working out of the spotlight […]

UN warns of rising internet shutdowns as digital blackouts spread worldwide

In a statement issued this week, UNESCO said governments are increasingly cutting internet access during protests, elections and times of crisis, despite the central role online connectivity plays in democratic participation and the exercise of basic rights. The agency noted that 2024 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns since 2016, citing data […]

‘Dangerous nostalgia’ is a threat to multilateralism, UN deputy chief tells Danish MPs

The UN’s founding document “is our moral compass,” she said, calling for renewed commitment to multilateralism rooted in solidarity, international law, and human dignity.  She stressed the need to invest in peace – which the Security Council and General Assembly have both affirmed through resolutions on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in support of the two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians.  These are examples […]

Syria: Renewed clashes risk derailing fragile transition

They urged swift implementation of recent agreements to prevent renewed fighting, protect civilians and preserve fragile gains made during the country’s transition. A country still on edge One year into Syria’s post-Assad transition, nearly three million refugees and internally displaced people have returned home, a sign of cautious progress. But UN officials cautioned that the […]

World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya

They include attacks in Odesa region on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old boy, according to UN child rights agency UNICEF which called for an “end to attacks on civilian areas and the infrastructure children rely on.”  The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that attacks on the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday had recommenced on Thursday.  Aid deliveries  “Teams delivered shelter […]

For every $1 spent protecting nature, $30 goes to destroying it

The UN on Thursday issued a call for widespread financial reform as the most powerful way to shift global markets towards realising a better world, for people and the planet. For every dollar invested in protecting nature, 30 dollars are spent on destroying it – that’s the central finding of the State of Finance for Nature 2026 […]