Gaza: Over 400 Palestinians killed around private aid hubs, UN rights office says

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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 Thameen Al-Keetan.

“Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” he insisted. “The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law.”

In its latest update on the emergency, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported that “scores of people of all ages are being killed and injured every day” in the shattered enclave.

“Humanitarian operations of sufficient scale are not facilitated, leaving unaddressed the critical needs of those who have so far survived,” it said.

Shelled or shot 

In Geneva, meanwhile, OHCHR’s Mr. Al-Keetan explained that private aid hub victims were either “shelled or shot” by the Israel Defense Forces. They have endangered civilians and contributed to the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza”, he maintained.

At least 93 people have also been reportedly killed by the Israeli army while attempting to approach the few remaining aid convoys of the UN and other aid partners still operating in Gaza.

In a previous alert, the UN human rights office has condemned the possible summary execution of Palestinian staff associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by armed men allegedly affiliated with Hamas.

“These killings must end immediately, and those responsible held to account,” the UN office said in a statement.

Most vulnerable miss out

The OHCHR spokesperson noted that women and children, along with older people and those with disabilities continue to face “multiple challenges” accessing food in Gaza today.

Looting of aid convoys is now commonplace in Gaza after more than 20 months of daily Israeli bombardment as a result of a near-total blockade on humanitarian supplies including food, fuel and medicine.

The result is that Gaza’s most vulnerable individuals are unable to access any of this diverted aid, the UN human rights office told UN News.

To date, at least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in incidents associated with the non-UN aid hubs and looting.

“Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food,” the UN human rights office explained.

Ongoing aid obstacles

Although the UN and other aid providers still function in Gaza, they are reliant on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. On Saturday and Sunday, only eight out of 16 requests for humanitarian operations were approved, aid teams reported.

“Half of [the missions] were denied outright, hindering the tracking of water and fuel, the provision of nutrition services and the retrieval of the bodies,” said Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the Information Service at UN Geneva.

Her comments followed a warning from the UN’s top aid official in Gaza on Sunday who described dire scenes and “carnage”.

“It is weaponized hunger. It is forced displacement. It’s a death sentence for people just trying to survive. All combined, it appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza,” said OCHA’s Head of Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jonathan Whittall.

Telecommunications have now been restored across Gaza after damaged fibre cables were repaired at the weekend.

“For the first time in days, humanitarian teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity – something that is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives,” OCHA said in Monday evening’s update.

But without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications “will go down again very soon”, the UN aid wing warned.

Fuel crisis

“Fuel is also needed to keep emergency rooms running, power ambulances, and operate water desalination and pumping stations,” it explained.

“Right now, teams on the ground are rationing what little fuel remains and working to retrieve stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are hard to reach.”

Access to Nasser Medical Complex is also limited because there is not enough fuel for transportation “and health workers and patients fear for their safety”, OCHA continued.

“Last week, in Khan Younis, in-patient admissions at field hospitals increased threefold, largely due to access challenges at Nasser, which also saw an influx of trauma patients and has been overwhelmed since.”

Most of Gaza remains under displacement orders issued by the Israeli military, including another one on Monday for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis city, reportedly following Palestinian rocket fire from these areas.

“These neighbourhoods were already subject to earlier displacement orders and include two hospitals – Al Amal and Nasser,” OCHA said. “While Israeli authorities have clarified that the hospitals are not required to evacuate, OCHA says the designation is nonetheless hindering access to those critical facilities for both patients and medical staff.”

What time is it on the Moon? It’s all relative…

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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, based on longitude and the planet’s rotation, and can tell the time based on the position of the Sun in the sky.

But on the Moon, the rules are different: one lunar “day” is approximately 29.5 Earth days long, and the Moon’s equatorial regions can experience up to 14 days of continuous sunlight. On some of the Moon’s tallest mountains, dubbed “peaks of eternal light,” the Sun never sets.

On top of that, physicists and science fiction fans will know that time isn’t the same on the Moon as it is on Earth. Place two perfectly synchronised clocks – one on Earth and one on the Moon – and, after just one Earth day, the lunar clock would be ahead by about 56 microseconds. That might not sound like much, but for spacecraft navigation, this tiny discrepancy could be critical.

Uniting efforts to standardize lunar time

For a Moon time zone to work, aspiring lunar actors will need to agree on a common time standard that is reliable, traceable to Earth-based time, and usable by everyone. UNOOSA is helping to lead the charge to make this a reality.

In 2024, the UN’s International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) established a dedicated working group to focus on lunar positioning, navigation and timing, standardise lunar time and trace it back to UTC that we use on Earth, for the benefit of all future lunar missions.

Peace on Earth, peace on Moon

Coordinating seamless timekeeping on the Moon is part of a broader UN mission to ensure that lunar activities, whether public, private, scientific, or commercial, are safe, peaceful and sustainable. To that end, UNOOSA convened the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities in June 2024, gathering heads of space agencies, legal experts, astronauts, companies, and academics from across the globe to discuss common ground, share concerns, and reaffirm the need for transparent, inclusive lunar governance mechanisms.

© NASA/Jordan Salkin/Keegan Bar

View of Earth from the NASA Earth Observatory

One such mechanism to further international cooperation is the new Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC), which is designed to help foster dialogue and formulate recommendations on how lunar exploration and activities can be coordinated internationally. ATLAC will work to finalize its workplan for the significant coming years and identify priority topics – such as coordinated lunar timekeeping – to ensure lunar activities proceed in a cooperative and orderly manner.

Humanity is entering a new era of lunar exploration featuring a record number of spacefaring nations and organizations that could reshape our relationship with our closest celestial neighbours for generations to come.

Member States will be able to work with UNOOSA to preserve the Moon as a domain of global cooperation, guided by the Outer Space Treaty’s core principle that “the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries.”

NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt on the moon (file, 1972)

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UN80 Initiative: What it is – and why it matters to the world

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“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, this process seeks not only to improve efficiency, but also to reassert the value of multilateralism at a time when trust is low and needs are high. It aims to reinforce the UN’s capacity to respond to today’s global challenges – ranging from conflict, displacement, and inequality to climate shocks and rapid technological change – while also responding to external pressures such as shrinking budgets and growing political divisions in the multilateral space.

“We will come out of this with a stronger, fit-for-purpose UN, ready for the challenges the future will undoubtedly bring us,” explains Mr. Ryder.

View of the UNHQ building from Roosevelt Island, New York

Three tracks of reform

At the heart of UN80 are three major workstreams. The first is focused on improving internal efficiency and effectiveness, cutting red tape, and optimizing the UN’s global footprint by relocating some functions to lower-cost duty stations. Mr. Ryder notes that burdensome administrative procedures and duplications are being targeted.

“We want to see what we can do better. We want to look at those areas where we think we can improve efficiencies and strip out unnecessary bureaucratic processes,” he outlines.

The second workstream is a mandate implementation review, which involves examining nearly 4,000 mandate documents underpinning the UN Secretariat’s work. A mandate refers to a task or responsibility assigned to the organisation by the Member States, usually through resolutions adopted by UN organs such as the General Assembly or the Security Council.

These mandates guide what the UN does – from peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid to human rights and environmental action.  Over the decades, at least 40,000 mandates have accumulated, sometimes overlapping or becoming outdated, which is why reviewing them is a key part of the UN80 initiative .

“Let’s take a look at them,” Mr. Ryder says. “Let’s see where there may be duplication, where we can prioritise and de-prioritise, and find redundancies.”

But reviewing this mountain of mandates is not new. “We’ve tried this exercise before. We had a look at these bulky mandates back in 2006. It didn’t work very well.” Mr. Ryder reflects.

This time, however, the process is favoured by one key factor. “This time, we’ve got the data and analytical capacities. We’re applying artificial intelligence techniques to provide much more and better organised information to Member States – a more compelling case that could drive, I think, a productive process.”

He emphasises that the responsibility for deciding what to retain, revise, or discontinue rests squarely with the Member States.

“These mandates belong to Member States. They created them, and only they can evaluate them. We can look at the evidence, we can put that to Member States, but eventually they are the decision-makers on mandates and on very much else that the UN80 initiative brings.”

The third stream explores whether structural changes and programme realignment are needed across the UN System. “Eventually, we might want to look at the architecture of the United Nations system, which has become quite elaborate and complicated,” Mr. Ryder adds. Proposals are also likely to emerge from the mandate implementation review.

Guy Ryder, Under Secretary-General for Policy and Chair of the UN80 taskforce

A task force and a system-wide lens

To tackle reform across such a complex system, the Secretary-General established seven thematic clusters under the UN80 Task Force; each coordinated by senior UN leaders from across the system. These cover peace and security, humanitarian action, development (Secretariat and UN system), human rights, training and research, and specialised agencies.

“It’s important to say that at a moment when the system is under pressure, the system is responding as a system,” the UN80 Taskforce chair notes. “This is not just New York, not just the Secretariat. It is system-wide.”

Each cluster is expected to produce proposals to improve coordination, reduce fragmentation, and realign functions where needed. Several clusters have already submitted initial ideas. A broader set of proposals will follow in July.

UNFICYP/Katarina Zahorska

The United Nations works to prevent conflict, support peace processes, and protect civilians—upholding its core mandate to maintain international peace and security.

Reform, not retrenchment

Attention around the UN80 Initiative has largely focused on proposed budget cuts and staff reductions, raising concerns that it is mainly a cost-saving exercise. Mr. Ryder underscores that this view misses the bigger picture.

“Yes, we do face financial challenges. No need to avert our eyes from that. But this is not a cost-cutting, downsizing exercise. We want to make the UN stronger,” he says.

Still, the financial pressures across the system are undeniable. A revised programme budget for 2026, due in September, is expected to include significant reductions in funding and posts for Secretariat entities — a consequence of persistent cash flow constraints linked to delayed and incomplete contributions from Member States.

“The UN80 Initiative wants to improve the impact and effect of multilateralism and the UN,” Mr. Ryder explained. “Now, that does not mean – we wish it were otherwise – that we do not have to take a look at our budget and our resources in different parts of the system.”

“Organisations have faced some wrenching decisions, and this is happening every day. That’s the reality of our circumstances,” he adds.

Mr. Ryder contends that financial sustainability and mission impact are not mutually exclusive – but must be pursued in tandem. “We have to reconcile the two objectives of making ourselves financially sustainable in the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, but also be attentive, as always, to the impact that we have in delivering on our responsibilities under the Charter,” he said.

Children in Haiti eat a meal provided as part of WFP’s school feeding programme.

Why UN80 matters to people everywhere

Rather than mere bureaucratic reform, UN80 is ultimately about people, those who rely on the UN’s support during crisis, conflict, or development challenges.

“If the UN is able to transform itself, to make improvements, sometimes through difficult decisions, that can mean those life-saving interventions reach the people we serve more effectively,” Ryder says.

The UN remains the essential, one-of-a-kind meeting ground to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights for all.

“This is the United Nations taking seriously its responsibilities to the people we serve”, Mr. Ryder says.

Right now, the UN assists over 130 million displaced people, provides food to more than 120 million, supplies vaccines to nearly half the world’s children, and supports peacekeeping, human rights, elections, and climate action across the globe. The UN’s development work has helped build peaceful, stable societies.

UNICEF-supported vaccination in remote Shan State village, Myanmar

What happens next

The UN80 Task Force will present its proposals to the Secretary-General, who has already indicated the first areas where outcomes are expected. A working group on efficiencies in the UN Secretariat, led by Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard, is expected to deliver initial proposals by the end of June. A report on the mandate implementation review will follow at the end of July.

This work under the first two workstreams will help inform broader thinking around structural changes and programme realignment across the UN system. Proposals under the third workstream will be put forward to Member States in the coming months and into next year.

Although the work is just beginning, Mr. Ryder believes the UN has the right tools – and a clear sense of ambition and urgency.

“We’re progressing well. There’s a lot of homework being done now,” he said. “As the weeks go by, this will be shifting more and more to the Member States’ space, and that’s when we’ll see results.”

Eventually, Member States will need to decide how to act on the findings. “They’re going to have to decide what they want to do. Will they wish to set up an intergovernmental process? The Secretary-General has mentioned this as a possibility already.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres briefs the media about the UN80 Initiative.

Defining success

So, what does success look like?

“A UN system which is able to deliver more effectively, to strengthen and consolidate trust in multilateral action,” Mr. Ryder says. “A system which can convey to public opinion and political decision-makers that this is an organisation worth investing in. That this should be your preferred option when it comes to meeting the challenges of the future.”

For the UN80 Task Force chair, it comes down to credibility, capability, and public trust – and ensuring the UN remains not just relevant, but essential.

“We should all care about this,” he says. “If we take the view that multilateralism is the best instrument we have for meeting global challenges, then we need to make sure we renovate, refresh, and make that machinery as effective and as fit for purpose as it can possibly be.”

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80 years later, the UN Charter is a ‘living miracle,’ Secretary-General says

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The UN Charter “is more than parchment and ink; it is a promise – of peace, dignity and cooperation among nations,” the Secretary-General said.

Almost 80 years after it was signed, Mr. Guterres underlined that the Charter was just the beginning, enshrining ideas and principles which the world works to implement on a daily basis.

Born from war

In the wake of the Second World War, representatives from almost 50 nations convened in San Francisco to put together an organization committed to the idea of “never again” — never again would a war of this magnitude devastate the world.

Instead, the world would choose peace and diplomacy, equality and prosperity.

“For a world mired in endless cycles of conflict and human suffering, the Charter and the principles it represented – dialogue, diplomacy, cooperation, and solidarity — was a path to a better, more peaceful, and prosperous future,” said UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945, almost exactly 80 years ago. However, it did not take effect until 24 October 1945 after the signatories’ legislative bodies had ratified it.

The Charter, which is considered an international treaty, is a legal instrument which binds all Member States to the principles and commitments laid out within it.

Since its ratification, the UN Charter has paved the way for other landmark international agreements including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 2024 Pact for the Future.

“The decades since have only proven the Charter’s enduring legacy. It has shaped decades of progress — guided international action on decolonisation, protected human rights and promoted justice and sustainable development,” said Mr. Yang.

‘A living miracle’

The exhibit contextualizes the Charter as a document from the past which continues to live in our present and will help shape the future.

“As we look ahead, we would be wise to remember our past, celebrate our successes and build our future on the foundation of the UN Charter,” Mr. Yang said.

Mr. Guterres said that this exhibit is a moment for people to reflect on the artifacts of the UN’s founding — to see the photos, the videos and the documents which have shaped this global organization.

He acknowledged that while the world faces new challenges like climate change and technology, in addition to age-old challenges, the UN Charter can be a guiding force if the world is willing to carry the spirit of the Charter and its commitment to peace into the future.

“The UN is a living miracle — and the women and men of the United Nations bring this miracle to life every day and everywhere,” the Secretary-General said. 

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Guterres condemns Iran attack on Qatar

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It comes in the wake of reports that Iran launched missiles at an American military base in Qatar in retaliation for the US bombing three of its nuclear facilities this past weekend.

Iran reportedly fired seven missiles at Al Udeid Air Base, where some 10,000 troops reportedly are stationed.  All but one were intercepted by Qatar and no casualties were reported, according to international media.

End the fighting

The development marks the latest step in more than a week of missile strikes between Iran and Israel, and the situation has escalated with US involvement.

“From the outset of the crisis, the Secretary-General has repeatedly condemned any military escalation in this conflict, including today’s attack by Iran on the territory of Qatar. He further reiterates his call on all parties to stop fighting,” the statement said.  

The Secretary-General urged all Member States to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. 

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Bearing the brunt of war: UNICEF chief meets some of Sudan’s 700,000 child refugees crossing into Chad

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In neighbouring Chad, children make up 61 per cent of the 860,000 Sudanese refugees and a staggering 68 per cent of the 274,000 Chadian returnees – that’s over 700,000 young lives uprooted by violence.

Chad, already one of the world’s poorest countries, has the fourth-highest child mortality rate in the world, despite significant progress in recent years.

The Government of Chad and humanitarian partners have been providing support, but the migration crisis remains overwhelming: measles and malnutrition are spreading, the risk of Sudan’s cholera outbreak spilling into Chad remains high.

Only one in three children are enrolled in school and essential services are stretched to the brink.

Horrific memories 

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell concluded a three-day visit to Chad on Monday, where she met with refugee children and families displaced by the fighting and chaos across the Sudanese border.

“Hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable children are bearing the brunt of both the war in Sudan and the lack of essential services for those who have fled to Chad,” Russell said.

In eastern Chad, Ms. Russell “met women and children who arrived with little but the horrific memories they carry” and heard their stories of killings, mass rapes and homes burned to the ground.

She visited families newly arrived in Adré, an overwhelmed border town now hosting six refugees for every resident.

Russell also met President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno to reaffirm UNICEF’s long-term commitment to Chad and discuss support for the country’s newly launched National Development Plan 2030.

“The people of Chad have shown extraordinary generosity,” she said. “But they cannot face this crisis alone. We must stand in solidarity with them – and with the children of Sudan – by strengthening national systems and communities on the frontlines.”

Ramping up response

In Adré and surrounding areas, UNICEF-supported teams have vaccinated thousands of children, provided safe drinking water to tens of thousands, established child-friendly spaces and set up services for survivors of gender-based violence.

The agency is also working closely with Chadian authorities to scale up system-wide investments in health, including polio vaccination campaigns, as well as education and social protection.

But urgent funding gaps remain. Of the $114 million required for UNICEF’s 2025 humanitarian response in Chad, only 34 per cent has been secured.

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Human Rights Council hears concerns over displacement, genocide risks and migrant trafficking

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Of the record 83 million people internally displaced worldwide, at least 1.2 million were displaced by crime-related violence in 2024 – more than double the 2023 figure – amid a global decline in support for international norms, human rights and the rule of law.

The growing reach of organised crime in driving displacement and rights violations was the focus of a report delivered Monday morning by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Paula Gaviria Betancur.

Driving displacement

As violent conflicts worsen globally, displacement is increasingly driven by the threat of violence or the desire of criminal groups to control territory, resources and illicit economies.

Additionally, in places like Sudan, Palestine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), occupying powers and criminal groups are systematically uprooting communities to alter demographics, treating IDPs as military targets.

“Displacement is no longer just a consequence of conflict – it is increasingly its deliberate objective,” Ms. Betancur warned.

In these regions, either the State enables impunity for violent groups or national security operations worsen the crisis by punishing victims and fuelling further displacement, eroding state legitimacy.

IDPs in these contexts “face grave violations of their human rights,” including “murder, violent assault, kidnapping, forced labour, child recruitment and sexual exploitation,” she said.

“The rise in global displacement is the result of systemic failure – the failure of States and the international community to tackle its root causes,” Ms. Betancur concluded, calling for stronger support for the UN and accountability for criminal groups.

Genocide risks in conflict areas

Virginia Gamba, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, briefed the council on escalating risks in Sudan, Gaza, the DRC and beyond during Monday’s session.

In Sudan, where over 10.5 million have been displaced since fighting erupted in April 2023, both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing grave rights violations.

Ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF in certain regions mean “the risk of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan remains very high,” Ms. Gamba underscored.

Turning to Gaza, she called the scale of civilian suffering and destruction “staggering and unacceptable,” noting the conflict has also fuelled rising antisemitism and Islamophobia worldwide.

Hate speech fuelling violence

As attacks on civilians and ethnic violence continue in the DRC, hate speech and discrimination have surged.

But this surge is also occurring worldwide, further exacerbating the risk of genocide.

“Hate speech – which has been a precursor for genocide in the past – is present in far too many situations, often targeting the most vulnerable,” said Ms. Gamba, highlighting refugees, Indigenous peoples and religious minorities.

For genocide prevention, she urged greater efforts to monitor hate speech, expand education efforts, and strengthen partnerships with regional organizations.

“The task of preventing genocide remains critical and urgent—the moment to act is now,” she stressed.

Trafficking of migrant domestic workers

Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Siobhán Mullally, presented her report on the trafficking risks faced by migrant domestic workers.

“The specific nature of domestic work, and weak regulatory responses by States, produce a structural vulnerability to exploitation,” Ms. Mullally said.

The crisis disproportionately affects women, as they make up the majority of domestic workers and 61 per cent of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022.

Conditions of domestic work

Many women from disadvantaged communities are promised jobs abroad, but upon arrival, realise they have been conned. They endure violence, labour abuses and sexual exploitation but are unable to pay the exorbitant penalty for terminating their work contracts.

Ms. Mullally cited the legacy of slavery, gendered and racialised views of domestic work and intersecting discrimination as key factors behind poor conditions and trafficking risks.

Most States lack the political will to enforce labour laws in the domestic work sector, reinforcing this crisis, she said, calling for stronger labour laws, safe migration pathways, bilateral agreements grounded in human rights and an end to the criminalisation of trafficking victims.

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Tobacco control efforts protect three-quarters of the world’s population, WHO report finds

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The World Health Organization (WHO) published its 2025 report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic on Monday, focusing on the six policies outlined in the WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures.

Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of those policy prescriptions which has resulted in over 6.1 billion people – that’s three-quarters of the world’s population – now benefitting: however, major gaps still remain.

Here are the six policy recommendations: 

  • Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies;
  • Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation;
  • Offering help to quit tobacco use;
  • Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;
  • Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and
  • Raising taxes on tobacco.

Striking Gains

Some 110 countries now require graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging and WHO’s new report reveals the strategy has delivered striking gains in the fight against consumption.

As one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), graphic health warnings make the harms of tobacco visibly clear and difficult to ignore.

There has also been a growing trend to regulate the use of e-cigarettes or ENDS – Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems – with the number of countries regulating or banning ENDS increasing from 122 in 2022, to 133 in 2024.

Major Gaps

Although very effective, 110 countries have failed to launch any anti-tobacco campaigns since 2022, despite the grim statistic that around 1.3 million people continue to die from second-hand smoke every year.

Forty countries still have not adopted a single MPOWER measure and over 30 countries are still allowing cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings. The UN health agency is calling for urgent action in areas where momentum is lagging.

“Government must act boldly to close remaining gaps, strengthen enforcement, and invest in the proven tools that save lives,” said Ruediger Krech, WHO’s Director of Health Promotion. 

Senior envoy warns Iran-Israel conflict is deepening crisis in Afghanistan

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Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the ongoing missile attacks between Iran and Israel are already having a tangible impact.

“This conflict is already having an effect in Afghanistan, disrupting trade and increasing the prices of basic goods and fuel, and prompting the return of additional Afghans from Iran,” she said, echoing the Secretary-General’s urgent call for de-escalation.

Anticipating more returnees

More than 600,000 Afghans have returned from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran this year, and she said UN agencies are preparing for potential cross-border movements from Iran considering the “concerning developments” in the region.

“Returns from Iran alone in the past few days have been over 10,000 per day,” she said.  

Local communities and the de facto Taliban authorities “have made huge efforts to absorb returnees, but without international assistance, there are limits to safe, orderly and peaceful returns.”

Concerns over engagement

Ms. Otunbayeva updated the Council on the UN’s ongoing engagement with Taliban leaders who returned to power nearly four years ago.

This “Comprehensive Approach” aims to achieve an Afghanistan that is at peace with itself and its neighbours, fully reintegrated into the international community, meets its international obligations, and without going through another cycle of violence.

She stressed that it “does not seek to normalize the status quo but rather ensure that multiple key issues of concern – in particular upholding the country’s international obligations – remain at the core of engagement efforts.”

A teenage girl in Afghanistan stays at home as she is no longer allowed to attend school.

Erasure of women and girls’ rights continues

She said the international community “remains extremely concerned that engagement has not improved the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls, promoted inclusive governance, or prevented a marked deterioration in human rights.”

Meanwhile, the de facto authorities have conveyed grievances around frozen assets, sanctions, non-recognition, the need for greater development assistance, and an end to aid dependency.

She noted that the UN will convene meetings of two working groups on counter-narcotics and the private sector to be held in Doha, Qatar, in the coming days, calling this “an important development that gives momentum to multilateral engagement and builds confidence in the value of mutual cooperation.”

Relative stability, restrictive policies

Ms. Otunbayeva said Taliban rule has provided relative stability and security in Afghanistan, promoted modest economic growth and foreign investment, initiated dormant infrastructure projects, and deepened diplomatic ties abroad, particularly in the region.

However, authorities “continue to implement highly restrictive and discriminatory policies on the Afghan people,” as embodied in the “law on the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice,” which took effect last August. 

This law “cemented” the Taliban’s systematic, state-sponsored policies that exclude women and girls from participation in public life, including access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and freedom of expression.

Reintegration at risk

“Through this law, the de facto authorities are continuing to pursue a path that distances Afghanistan from its international obligations and hinders Afghanistan’s eventual reintegration into the international system,” she said.

“We cannot forget the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls, even if their continued marginalisation under increased enforcement of more and more decrees no longer generates headlines.”

The ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond primary school “is the clearest sign of the Taliban’s discrimination against women and continues to set Afghanistan apart from the world,” she said, calling once again for the ban to be lifted and for girls and women to again have the right to education.

One in five going hungry

Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, highlighted how funding cuts are impacting Afghanistan, where half of all people require assistance to survive. 

The population faces “persistent and acute humanitarian needs compounded by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, an ever-harsher climate, severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls and highly constrained funding environment,” she said.

Today, one in every five Afghans is hungry, 3.5 million children are acutely malnourished and roughly 3.7 million children are out of school, including 2.2 million girls over age 11 who are banned from education. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate is over 2.5 times the global average. 

Health facilities shuttered

She said the aid cuts continue to hamper humanitarian response, and 420 health facilities have been forced to shut their doors, affecting more than three million people.

“Almost 300 nutrition sites have closed, depriving 80,000 acutely malnourished children, pregnant women, and new mothers of essential treatment,” she added.

“Despite challenges, and at great risk, our Afghan female colleagues continue to deliver aid, going where others cannot, listening to communities who would otherwise not be heard, and standing by those who might otherwise be forgotten,” she said.

Hardships increase

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, upheld calls for more diplomacy to address the spiralling crisis in the Middle East and Iran.

“The growing regional and global insecurity will only deepen the hardships faced by Afghan women and girls, compounding poverty, displacement, violence and deprivation,” she warned.

Additionally, the ability of the UN and partners to support Afghan women has been drastically undermined by legal and bureaucratic barriers which make it harder than ever to hire women, let alone reach them, at a time when deep cuts to aid budgets “have ever more devastating consequences.”

‘Unshakeable determination’

“Yet, we stay, and we deliver, as we always have,” said Ms. Bahous, highlighting how UN Women continues to navigate through endless restrictions and negotiate with the Taliban.

“And, Afghan women continue to lead the way,” she added.  “They have opened underground schools; organized in silence; built lives in those slivers of space left to them. They have shown unshakable determination, even when the world faltered.” 

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UN condemns ‘heinous’ terrorist attack at Damascus church that killed dozens

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More than 60 churchgoers were also wounded in the attack, which is reported to be the first in the Syrian capital since rebel groups ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending more than a decade of civil war.

A gunman opened fire inside the Greek Orthodox St. Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood before detonating an explosive vest, according to media reports.  

Photos and video from inside the church showed a heavily damaged altar and pews covered in broken glass.

UN chief demands accountability

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack, expressing his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a swift recovery to the injured.

“All perpetrators of terrorism must be held accountable,” Stéphane Dujarric, his spokesperson, said on Monday.

Mr. Guterres noted that the Syrian interim authorities had attributed the attack to the terrorist group, ISIL – also known as Da’esh – based on preliminary investigations, and he called for a thorough and impartial probe.

“The Secretary-General reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to supporting the Syrian people in their pursuit of peace, dignity, and justice,” Mr. Dujarric added.

Call for justice

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen echoed the condemnation, denouncing the bombing “in the strongest possible terms.”

He urged authorities to investigate the attack and ensure accountability.

He also called for unity in rejecting terrorism, extremism, incitement, and the targeting of any community in Syria, which has been a patchwork of different faiths throughout its history.

No place for extremism

Adam Abdelmoula, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, described the incident as a “deliberate attack on a place of worship” and stressed that it had targeted civilians, including women and children, gathered in prayer.

“There is no room for violence and extremism,” he said, urging solidarity as Syria moves toward recovery and reconciliation.

Mr. Abdelmoula reiterated the UN’s continued support for the Syrian people and called for all possible steps to be taken to protect civilians, prevent future attacks, and bring those responsible to justice.

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Asia is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world

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While there are records which exist to be broken – Olympic ones, for example -these monthly temperature extremes are not medal worthy. And yet, China was not the only Asian country to set a flurry of new highs in 2024.

The continent is warming twice as fast as the global average, according to a report released Monday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This rate of warming – which shows no signs of stopping – is leading to devastating consequences for lives and livelihoods across the region, and no country is exempt from the consequences.

“Extreme weather is already exacting an unacceptably high toll,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo on Monday.

Large landmass, warmer temperatures

The WMO report said that Asia is warming twice as fast as global averages because of its large landmass, explaining that temperatures over land increase more quickly than those over sea.

“Variations in surface temperature have a large impact on natural systems and on human beings,” the report said.

The oceans around Asia are also experiencing temperature increases with surface temperatures in the Indian and Pacific Oceans reaching record levels in 2024.

Moreover, prolonged heat waves, both on land and sea, wreaked havoc across the region, leading to melting glaciers and rising sea levels. 

Too much and too little water

Some countries and communities in Asia were ravaged by record rainfall. Northern Kerala in India, for example, experienced a fatal landslide which killed over 350 people.

Record rainfall coupled with snow melt in Kazakhstan, which is home to thousands of glaciers, led to the worst flooding in 70 years.

Others were ravaged by the exact opposite problem – not enough rainfall. A summer long drought in China, for example, affected over 4.76 million people and damaged hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops.

WMO emphasized in the report that the only way to adapt to these increasingly polar weather patterns is to install more comprehensive early warning systems which are coupled with capacity building measures that enable communities to be more resilient.

Nepal: A case study in preparedness

The WMO report lauded the success that Nepal has had in installing early warning systems which monitor flooding risks, among other things, even as it said that more comprehensive action was necessary.

Between 26 and 28 September 2024, Nepal experienced extreme rainfall which created landslides and flooding across large swaths of the country. 246 people were killed, 178 injured and over 200 missing in the wake of the climate emergency.

While the impact of the crisis was extreme, early flood warning systems enabled communities to prepare for evacuation in addition to crisis responders to reach the worst hit regions quickly.

“This is the first time in 65 years that the flooding was this bad. We had zero casualties thanks to preparedness and rescue measures, but the damage was extensive,” said Ramesh karki, Mayor of Barahakshetra, an affected municipality in Eastern Nepal.

Moreover, comprehensive national protocols on emergency funding ensured that funding for humanitarian and rebuilding needs was quickly dispersed throughout the country.

WMO said that they are working with the Nepalese government and other partners to continue improving upon these systems.

“The work of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and their partners is more important than ever to save lives and livelihoods,” Ms. Saulo said. 

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Yemen: Nearly half the population facing acute food insecurity in some southern areas

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Yemen remains trapped in a prolonged political, humanitarian and development crisis, after enduring years of conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels, with populations in the south of the country now facing a growing food insecurity crisis.

A partial update released Monday by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system – which ranks food insecurity from Phase 1 to famine conditions, or Phase 5 – paints a grim picture.

Starting in May 2025, around 4.95 million people have been facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse (Phase 3+), including 1.5 million facing emergency-level food insecurity (Phase 4).

These numbers mark an increase of 370,000 people suffering from severe food insecurity compared to the period from November 2024 to February 2025.

Further deterioration

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that “looking ahead, the situation [was] expected to deteriorate further,” with 420,000 people potentially falling into crisis-level food insecurity or worse.

This would bring the total number of severely food-insecure people in southern governorate areas to 5.38 million – more than half the population.

Multiple compounded crises – such as sustained economic decline, currency depreciation in southern governorates, conflict, and increasingly severe weather – are driving food insecurity in Yemen.

High-risk areas

Amid Yemen’s growing food crisis, humanitarian agencies including WFP, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are reorienting their efforts towards high-risk areas, delivering integrated support across food security, nutrition, sanitation, health, and protection to maximise life-saving impact.

“The fact that more and more people in Yemen don’t know where their next meal will come from is extremely concerning at a time when we are experiencing unprecedented funding challenges,” said Siemon Hollema, Deputy Country Director of WFP in Yemen.

Immediate support needed

WFP, UNICEF and FAO are urgently calling for sustained and large-scale humanitarian and livelihood assistance to prevent communities from falling deeper into food insecurity, and to ensure that the UN “can continue to serve the most vulnerable families that have nowhere else to turn,” he said.

Internally displaced persons, low-income rural households, and vulnerable children are particularly affected, and are now facing increased vulnerability, as approximately 2.4 million children under the age of five and 1.5 million pregnant and lactating women are currently suffering from acute malnutrition.

The situation is dire, but with urgent support, “we can revitalise local food production, safeguard livelihoods, and move from crisis to resilience building, ensuring efficiency and impact,” said FAO Representative in Yemen, Dr. Hussain Gadain.

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Iran-Israel crisis: IAEA chief urges access to damaged nuclear sites

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Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was addressing the agency’s Board of Governors, amid fresh reports of new Israeli missile strikes on Iranian military sites in Tehran and elsewhere earlier on Monday. Iranian weapons fire has also been reported across Israel. 

Mr. Grossi – who also addressed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday – insisted that the agency’s weapons inspectors should return to Iran’s nuclear sites and account for their stockpiles.

There is particular concern about 400 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent by Iran.

Under the terms of a 2015 nuclear deal with the international community, Iran is permitted to enrich the naturally occurring radioactive material to less than four per cent.

“Craters are now visible at the Fordow site, Iran’s main location for enriching uranium at 60 per cent, indicating the use of ground-penetrating munitions; this is consistent with statements from the United States,” he told the IAEA Board of Governors. “At this time, no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow.”

Mr. Grossi said that taking into account the highly explosive payload used in the US attacks, “very significant damage is expected to have occurred” to the highly sensitive centrifuge machinery used to enrich uranium at Fordow.

Several sites hit

Fordow is one of several nuclear-related sites across Iran that are known to have been damaged in the strikes by the United States, including those in Esfahan, Arak and Tehran.

In comments to the UN Security Council in New York on Sunday, the IAEA chief said that although radiation levels remained normal outside these nuclear facilities, deep concerns remained about Iran’s operational nuclear plant at Bushehr.

Any strike on Bushehr could trigger a massive radiation release across the region –  “the risk is real”, Mr. Grossi said.

Eleven days after Israel launched air and missile strikes at Iranian military and nuclear sites, some 430 people are believed to have been killed in Iran, most of them civilians.

According to Israeli reports, 25 people have been killed and more than 1,300 injured by Iranian missile strikes.

INTERVIEW: Visitors to Expo 2025 appreciate ‘positive vision’ of UN

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Visitors can explore the UN’s 80-year history of advancing peace, human rights, sustainable development and climate action and see how the work of the UN system impacts the lives of all people across the world.

Naomi Ichikawa (left) welcomes the 10,000th visitor to the UN Pavilion in April, just five days after Expo 2025 opened.

What are the different sections of the pavilion and what they’re trying to achieve?

We have four exhibit zones. The first zone portrays 80 years of UN history, highlighting key milestones from 1945 until today. It also shows the changing relationship between Japan and the UN.

In the 1940s following the devastation of the Second World War Japan was a recipient of UN assistance. But after Japan joined the UN (in 1956) it gradually started to take leadership in different areas, for example in climate change issues, disaster risk reduction and in the provision of Universal Health Coverage.

Zone two shows the work of diverse UN entities. Visitors will notice that there are many everyday objects on the wall; a toilet, helmet, car seat, post box but they may not realize that these items are actually closely related to the work of the UN.

Visitors to the UN Pavilion explore the ‘orb’ room.

By tapping on the monitor, the items light up and an explanation is given about its relationship to the work of the UN.

One of the aims of this zone is to demonstrate that the UN is not just about conflict resolution. In Japan, when the UN is mentioned, many people think about the Security Council and ask why Japan isn’t a permanent member. 

We wanted to show in an interesting interactive way that the UN’s work is so much more than that.

In zone three, which represents the future, we show through an immersive movie, a vision of the sustainable future that we can achieve if we work together. In the movie, the UN Secretary-General says that this future is not automatic, but it is one that we can achieve together.

The final part of the pavilion is the special exhibition zone that features the work of different UN entities each week. 

Why is it important that the UN is here at Expo? 

I would say that 90 per cent of Japanese people know about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but many do not know what they can do in their lives to contribute to the SDGs, or understand the positive role played by the UN in making the SDGs a reality in a global context. So, we felt that it was important to explain that work.

There are some 160 different countries participating in Expo and they are here to showcase their own cultures.

But it’s the UN which can encourage countries to work together to achieve peace and a sustainable world. So, collaboration and multilateralism are key themes of the pavilion.

Why is that message important? 

The world is divided right now and you can sense the anxiety about that, even in Japan. That anxiety is not just focused on political issues but also on the environmental and other global challenges which go beyond the country level. At the UN Pavilion they can learn about these challenges but also the solutions.

I am so proud to be part of a team which explains how the UN is contributing to solving these global problems. It is rewarding to interact with visitors and to support their understanding of the UN.

Many are surprised by the range of work in which the organization is engaged, and everyone leaves inspired by our messages.

What is the most surprising reaction you’ve had from a visitor?

There has been great interest and engagement in the immersive video which envisions a hopeful future that all humanity can enjoy if we work together. It has a very simple message about collaboration which can be easily understood by people of all ages and backgrounds.

Many people have been deeply affected by its message and I have seen some moved to tears.

A boy participates in an event at the UN pavilion to promote the SDGs.

I believe visitors feel closer to the UN after experiencing the video and the rest of the pavilion. I am from Japan and I think many people are surprised to meet a Japanese national working for the UN. That also helps to bring them closer to the work of the UN.

How important and relevant is an Expo in today’s world?

There really isn’t any other place like this, where you can meet people from Uzbekistan, and then next door people from Malta. I think this is such a rare opportunity, especially in this era of the Internet, to be able to discover the culture and values of so many different nations.

Initially, the Japanese people were somewhat sceptical and critical of the cost of putting on Expo, because they said they could find all the information on the Internet.

However, when they visit, they realize that they can actually see, feel and learn about different cultures in person. It’s very different from reading something on the Internet or watching YouTube.

This venue is so special and people come here with an open and enquiring mind.

I think the timing of this Expo is important as there is so much uncertainty and conflict in the world. At the UN, we are here to promote a better world for all people built on equality, dignity and peace, living in harmony with nature and sustaining our Planet. We hope to share this positive vision with as many visitors as possible until the closing of the Expo in mid-October.

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Gaza: UN warns of ‘weaponised hunger’ and growing death toll amid food chaos

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Speaking to journalists in Deir al Balah on Saturday, Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) in Gaza and the West Bank, said: “The attempt to survive is being met with a death sentence.”

Since Israel eased its total blockade last month, more than 400 people are reported to have died trying to reach food distribution points.

“We see a chilling pattern of Israeli forces opening fire on crowds gathering to get food,” Mr. Whittall said, noting many of these sites are in militarised zones. Others have been killed along access routes or while protecting aid convoys.

“It shouldn’t be this way,” he said. “There shouldn’t be a death toll associated with accessing the essentials for life.”

Empty warehouses, overwhelmed hospitals

Conditions across Gaza continue to deteriorate. Water wells have run dry or are located in dangerous areas, sanitation systems have collapsed, and disease is spreading rapidly.

“Our warehouses stand empty,” Mr. Whittall said. “Displaced families flee with nothing – and we have nothing to give them.”

Partially functioning hospitals are overwhelmed by near-daily mass casualty events. Some have been directly hit, while others are choked by fuel shortages and forced evacuation orders.

UNICEF reports more than 110 children are being treated for malnutrition every day. Mr. Whittall said humanitarian agencies are capable of reaching every family in the shattered enclave but are being systematically blocked. “We have a plan…but we are prevented from doing so at every turn.”

Death sentence

He described the situation as “weaponised hunger”, “forced displacement”, and “a death sentence for people just trying to survive”.

“This is carnage,” Mr. Whittall said. “It appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life from Gaza.”

He urged the international community to act: “We need a lasting ceasefire, accountability, and real pressure to stop this. This is the bare minimum.”

US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites ‘marks perilous turn’: Diplomacy must prevail, says Guterres

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After ten days of airstrikes initiated by Israel aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear programme which have led to deadly daily exchanges of missile fire between Tehran and Tel Aviv, the UN chief said that diplomacy must now prevail.

“We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation,” he said, responding to the US intervention overnight in support of Israel’s military campaign, which targeted three facilities involved in uranium enrichment.

Return to serious negotiations essential

“We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme,” Mr. Guterres added.

He told ambassadors the citizens of the wider Middle East region could not endure yet another cycle of destruction. Demanding a ceasefire, he also put Iran on notice that it must “fully respect” the Non-Proliferation Treaty on the development of nuclear weapons as a cornerstone of peace and security worldwide.

Iran has consistently denied the allegation from Israel and others that its ambitions are to become a nuclear armed State, versus developing atomic energy for purely peaceful purposes.

Israel, the US and Iran face a stark choice. “One path leads to a wider war,” the UN chief continued, “deeper human suffering and serious damage to the international order. The other leads to de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue.”

Grossi warns of major risks following strikes

The head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog, the IAEA, warned ambassadors the recent military strikes by Israel and now the US on nuclear sites in Iran have badly compromised safety and could pose serious risks if the situation worsens.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said the attacks had caused “a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security”, even though there had been no radiation leaks which could potentially impact the public so far.

The IAEA chief warned ambassadors that if the short window of opportunity to return to dialogue closes then the destruction could be “unthinkable” while the global nuclear non-proliferation regime “as we know it could crumble and fall.”

Mr. Grossi confirmed that Iran’s main enrichment facility at Natanz had suffered major damage, including to key power infrastructure and underground halls containing uranium materials.

He said the main concern inside the site was now chemical contamination, which can be dangerous if inhaled or ingested.

Massive radiation leak still possible

He also listed damage at other nuclear-related sites across the country, including Esfahan, Arak and Tehran, adding that while radiation levels outside remained normal, the attacks had raised alarm over Iran’s operational nuclear plant at Bushehr.

Mr. Grossi warned that any strike on Bushehr could trigger a massive radiation release across the region. “The risk is real,” he said. “Military escalation threatens lives and delays the diplomacy that’s needed to resolve this crisis.”

He urged all sides to show restraint and said the IAEA stood ready to send experts back in to help monitor and protect damaged nuclear sites.

Senior political affairs official: ‘No military solution’

Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenča told ambassadors that the world is facing “a dangerous moment” following the US bombing mission, as Iran considers potential retaliation.

He warned the council that the region risks being “engulfed in further instability and volatility”, with “no military solution to this conflict”.

Mr. Jenča confirmed extensive damage at Iranian sites, citing open-source satellite imagery and Iranian reports that tunnels and buildings at the Fordow nuclear facility had been hit. He urged Tehran to grant IAEA inspectors access “as soon as safety conditions allow”.

Death toll mounting

Hostilities between Iran and Israel are now into their tenth day, and Mr. Jenča said the humanitarian toll is mounting. “Most [of the 430 killed in Iran] have been civilians,” he noted, while also citing Israeli reports of 25 dead and over 1,300 injured.

He also flagged growing threats from non-State armed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen, warning that their retaliation could widen the conflict. Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, has voiced support for closing the crucial trading route through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

“The world will not be spared from the ramifications of this dangerous conflict,” Mr. Jenča said, urging countries to act in line with international law and the UN Charter.

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SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: ‘Diplomacy must prevail’ over Iran following US military intervention, urges Guterres

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The UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Sunday that the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites by the United States marks a “perilous turn”, warning that the region cannot endure yet another “cycle of destruction.” António Guterres said the must be an immediate ceasefire and returned to “serious, sustained negotiations.” We’ll have live updates from our Meetings Coverage team below and app users can follow here.

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Guterres condemns deadly attack on peacekeepers in Central African Republic

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The ambush took place on Friday along the Birao-Am Dafock axis in the volatile Vakaga Prefecture, in northeastern CAR, close to the border with conflict-hit Sudan.

According to the stabilization mission, MINUSCA, the patrol was targeted by “unidentified armed elements” in the locality of Am-Sissia.

Attack may be a war crime

In a statement released by his Spokesperson on Sunday, Secretary-General António Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, as well as to the Government and people of Zambia, and wished a swift recovery to the injured soldier.

He stressed that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and urged the Central African authorities “to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly”.

This marks the third fatal attack against MINUSCA peacekeeping patrols since the start of 2025.

In March, a Kenyan peacekeeper was killed in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture, and a month earlier, a Tunisian ‘blue helmet’ lost his life in the north. Earlier this week, two Nepalese peacekeepers were injured during an assault in the southwest.

Valentine Rugwabiza, head of the UN mission, decried the “multiplication of attacks against peacekeepers” and echoed the call for justice, urging the authorities to act decisively against those responsible.

Since its deployment in 2014, MINUSCA has suffered significant losses, with around 150 peacekeepers paying the ultimate price.

The 17,000-strong force was established to help stabilise CAR, a country wracked by decades of political instability, armed conflict, and humanitarian crises.

According to a February report by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), worsening insecurity across parts of the country has forced MINUSCA to step up patrols in several regions, including areas near the border with Sudan where violence and displacement have surged in recent months amid the brutal civil war between rival militaries there.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN’s solidarity with the people and Government of CAR, underlining the world body’s continued commitment to peace and stability in the region.

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What is financing for development?

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These are part of 17 goals agreed by nearly every country, called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The plan is to hit these targets by 2030.

But we’re falling behind. One big reason? There just isn’t enough consistent funding to make real progress.

That’s why world leaders, economists, and other decision-makers are meeting at the end of this month in Sevilla, Spain, for a major event called the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. It’s being called a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to rethink how the world pays for sustainable development.

What is financing for development?

At its core, financing for development works to answer a simple question – how does the world pay for a fairer and more balanced system of aid, trade and development? 

Traders in Madagascar. one of the most under-developed countries in Africa, transport charcoal to market.

The answer from the global community has been to create a system which mobilizes the entire international financial architecture – taxes, subsidies, trade, financial and monetary policies — towards the development agenda.

The architecture aspires to be as inclusive as possible, engaging a wide array of funding sources empowering countries to become more self-sufficient so their citizens can lead healthy, productive, prosperous and peaceful lives.

Financing for development is basically about “changing the way the system works to make it so that developing countries are able to…actually invest in their futures,” Shari Spiegel, Director of Financing for Sustainable Development at the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told UN News. 

Among these sources of financing are multilateral development banks that provide financial and technical support to developing countries. Revised international and national trade and tax policies also work to jump-start developing economies.

And, official development assistance (ODA) creates a channel through which aid from developed countries can flow directly to developing countries.

Why is financing for development important? 

From rising debt and falling investment to shrinking aid and missed development goals, the current system is failing the people it is meant to serve. 

People everywhere are paying the price:

  • Debt is rising, investment is falling, and donor aid is shrinking.
  • 600 million people could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030 if we don’t change course and it will take many more decades to reach the SDGs.
  • Today, 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on paying off debt than on health or education.
  • Moreover, billions of people will continue to live in countries which must prioritize debt payments over development.
  • That means less money for schools, hospitals, clean water, and jobs – the  basics that people need to thrive.

And for the people who face the consequences of the world’s inaction, this is an unacceptable timeline.

What systemic changes need to be made?

With trade barriers growing and official development assistance decreasing annually, a business-as-usual approach to financing for development is unsustainable. 

Work has begun on a rapid transit system connecting Delhi to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The upcoming conference in Sevilla provides an opportunity to change course, to mobilize finance at scale and reform the rules of the system to put people’s needs at the centre.

The conference will bring together countries, civil society representatives and financial experts to discuss new approaches to financing for development.

Crucially, this conference will also give developing countries a seat at the table, so their needs are addressed in international financial decision-making. 

What role does debt play?

In the current financing system, developing countries continue to pay exorbitant amounts to service their debt while also facing borrowing costs which can be as much as two or four times higher than their developed counterparts.

These costs tend to rise especially during or directly after times of crisis, creating a feedback loop through which developing countries cannot afford to develop the very structures which would enable them to pay these costs.

“Faced with sky-high debt burdens and cost of capital, developing countries have limited prospects of financing the sustainable development goals,” the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said. 

© UNICEF/Allessio Romenzi

Children stand in the doorway of a home in a poverty stricken neighborhood in Lebanon. (file)

What can be expected from the conference?

The Secretary-General has said that it will take “big ideas” and “ambitious reforms” to get back on track to ending poverty, hunger and inequality.

“[The conference] presents a unique opportunity to reform an international financial system that is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair,” UN chief António Guterres has said.

Member States reached agreement on a draft which will launch an ambitious package of reforms and actions countries need to take to close the $4 trillion financing gap.

The United States pulled out of the conference process on Tuesday during final negotiations over the outcome document, saying that it couldn’t get on board with the draft. 

Reform will come in part from effectively mobilizing all stakeholders – private and public, formal and informal, developing and developed – and aligning their incentives and commitments towards a sustainable future.   

This includes emphasising multilateralism as the foundation of all development, increasing taxes which directs public funds towards international development goals, lowering the cost of capital for developing countries, restructuring existing debt and searching for even more innovative methods of finance.

“Sevilla is a moment in time. It’s really the beginning, not the end of the process. So now the question is, how do we implement the commitments?” said Ms. Spiegel.

Reforming a broken financing system is challenging but Ms. Spiegel is optimistic that multilateralism is up to the task. 

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UN chief ‘gravely alarmed’ by US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites

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“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today,” said the UN chief, reiterating that there is no military solution.

“This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.”

President Donald Trump delivered a televised address to the nation from the White House at 10pm local time and said that Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan had been “totally obliterated” describing the long-range bombing raid as a “spectacular military success.”

President Trump called on Iran’s leadership to now “make peace” and return to negotiations over its nuclear programme or suffer a far greater wave of attacks.

Iranian authorities have yet to confirm the extent of the damage to the three sites in central Iran. Earlier in the day, Iran’s foreign minister reportedly warned the US against any involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict which erupted on 13 June.

Deadly strikes

At least 430 Iranians are believed to have been killed during waves of strikes since then with around 3,500 injured, according to figures from the Iranian health ministry.

In Israel, 24 civilians have died in the retaliatory attacks according to local authorities with more than 400 missiles reportedly fired towards the country.

B-2 bombers were involved in the US strikes, President Trump confirmed, dropping so-called “bunker buster” bombs on the uranium enrichment site at Fordow which is buried deep inside a mountain south of the capital Tehran.

‘Avoid a spiral of chaos’

In his statement, the Secretary-General reiterated his concerns voiced in the Security Council during Friday’s emergency meeting on the crisis that the conflict “could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.”

He called on all Member States to de-escalate the situation which threatens the stability of the Middle East and beyond, calling for everyone to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.

“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos,” he added calling for an immediate return to negotiations between the warring parties.

“There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”

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