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World News in Brief: Deadly strikes in Sudan, Guterres calls for unity ahead of Ramadan

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Fresh waves of violence in Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan are pushing fragile communities into deeper crisis, with attacks on towns, health facilities and aid infrastructure forcing thousands to flee and leaving humanitarian agencies scrambling to respond.

Over the past week, conflict has intensified in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, where more than a dozen attacks were reported around the towns of El Obeid, Bara, Rahad and Um Rawaba. The violence is part of a broader deterioration in security conditions across several regions already battered by prolonged conflict.

Attacks Spread Across Kordofan

In South Kordofan, suspected drone strikes targeted health facilities in Kadugli, the state capital, as well as in the town of Kuweik. According to early reports, the strikes killed at least four medical workers and injured more than 20 others.

Aid officials say the attacks on medical infrastructure have further strained already fragile health services in the region. Hospitals and clinics have struggled to cope with rising casualties while dealing with shortages of medicine, equipment and trained staff.

The renewed violence has also raised alarm among international observers. A recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Office warned that systematic attacks against civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region during late 2025 may amount to crimes against humanity.

Displacement And Humanitarian Needs Rising

The escalating fighting is triggering fresh displacement across several parts of Sudan.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the violence was forcing large numbers of people to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.

“The violence is triggering a new wave of displacement, with reports of many fleeing homes and in need of food, health care and protection,” he said during a briefing on Friday.

Humanitarian agencies say the situation is particularly worrying in the towns of Dilling and Kadugli, where conditions continue to deteriorate. Aid groups have warned that without immediate access to affected areas, relief operations will struggle to meet growing needs.

Drone strikes have also damaged telecommunications infrastructure, commercial vehicles and major transport routes. The disruptions have slowed the movement of humanitarian supplies and staff, complicating efforts to deliver aid.

The United Nations has urged all parties involved in the conflict to ensure the protection of humanitarian facilities and to allow safe and unhindered access for relief operations.

Violence Spills Into South Sudan

Meanwhile, the humanitarian outlook in South Sudan is also worsening.

Since late December 2025, violence has surged across northern and central regions of the country, according to the UN children’s agency UNICEF.

In Jonglei state alone, at least 280,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. Aid officials say most of those forced to flee are women and children.

Many families have sought refuge in displacement camps originally set up during earlier phases of South Sudan’s civil war. Others are sheltering in remote areas with little or no access to basic services.

Children account for more than half of the displaced population. UNICEF warns that many of them face grave risks, including recruitment by armed groups, family separation and gender-based violence.

Children in Gaza hold lanterns to celebrate the advent of Ramadan. (file)

Health System Near Collapse

The continuing violence has pushed South Sudan’s already fragile health system to the brink.

UNICEF says at least 11 health facilities have been attacked or looted since the latest surge in fighting began. Several nutrition centres have also been forced to shut down.

At the same time, a cholera outbreak has added further strain. Nearly 500 cases have been reported nationwide, overwhelming treatment centres and stretching limited medical resources.

Aid agencies estimate that about 825,000 children in Jonglei, Unity and Eastern Equatoria states are now at risk of acute malnutrition. Without urgent treatment, severely malnourished children face dramatically higher mortality risks.

Despite the challenges, humanitarian organisations continue to operate health, nutrition and child protection programmes in several parts of the country.

Global Appeal For Peace During Ramadan

Against the backdrop of these crises, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the international community to embrace unity and compassion as Muslims around the world prepare to observe the holy month of Ramadan.

He described Ramadan as a time of reflection and hope, but acknowledged that for many people living in conflict zones—from Gaza and Yemen to Afghanistan and Sudan—peace remains elusive.

“For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a sacred period of reflection and prayer. Ramadan also represents a noble vision of hope and peace.” Mr. Guterres said in a message ahead of the start on Tuesday. “May this Holy Month inspire us to work as one to build a more peaceful, generous and just world for all people,” he said.

Calling for greater solidarity, Guterres urged governments and humanitarian actors to work together to bridge divisions, deliver aid to vulnerable communities and uphold the dignity and rights of people affected by war.

He expressed hope that the spirit of Ramadan would inspire renewed efforts to build a more peaceful and just world.

NSE Chief Offers Prayers At Tirupati Ahead of IPO

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Ashishkumar Chauhan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Stock Exchange, on Sunday visited Tirupati with his family and offered prayers at the Lord Venkateshwara temple, seeking blessings for the exchange, its members, shareholders and the country.

Speaking after the visit, Chauhan said the darshan took place early in the morning and described the experience as peaceful and deeply fulfilling. He noted that prayers were offered for the well-being of NSE and for the broader growth of the nation.

“Today we had a great darshan in the early morning at Tirupati. We took blessings for NSE, for all our members, all our shareholders and for the country,” Chauhan said, adding that the visit had been planned well in advance.

The temple visit coincided with a key regulatory signal for the exchange. On Saturday, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India indicated that NSE is likely to receive approval for its long-pending initial public offering within the month. The remarks were made by SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey.

Chauhan said the timing felt particularly auspicious, as the announcement became public just as he arrived in the temple town. He described it as a positive omen and a blessing.

“When we arrived in Tirupati, the announcement was made. We see it as a good omen and God’s blessing that this development has come,” he said. He added that the darshan would remain a memorable moment, especially given the significance of the period for the exchange.

The visit comes as market participants closely track regulatory progress on NSE’s proposed IPO, which is expected to be one of the largest and most consequential listings in India’s capital markets, marking a milestone both for the exchange and the broader financial ecosystem.

Gender Equality: UN Women Body Calls For Political Will and Accelerated Global Action

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The world is retreating from gender equality, and the cost is being counted in lives, rights, and opportunities. Five years from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline in 2030, none of the gender equality targets are on track.

That’s according to this year’s SDG Gender Snapshot report launched on Monday by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which draws on more than 100 data sources to track progress across all 17 Goals.

2025 marks three major milestones for women and girls: the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, but with the new sobering data, it is urgent to accelerate action and investment.

Other findings in the report reveal that female poverty has barely shifted in half a decade, stuck at around 10 per cent since 2020. Most of those affected live in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia.

A two-year-old girl suffering from malnutrition is fed by her mother at their shelter in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh / © UNICEF/Ilvy Njiokiktjien

In 2024 alone, 676 million women and girls lived within reach of deadly conflict, the highest number since the 1990s. For those caught in war zones, the consequences extend far beyond displacement. Food insecurity, health risks, and violence rise sharply, the report notes.

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive threats. More than one in eight women worldwide experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner in the past year, while nearly one in five young women was married before the age of 18. Each year, an estimated four million girls undergo female genital mutilation, with over half cut before their fifth birthday.

Prioritizing gender equality

Yet, amid the grim statistics, the report highlights what is possible when countries prioritize gender equality. Maternal mortality has dropped nearly 40 per cent since 2000, and girls are now more likely than ever to finish school.

Speaking to UN News, Sarah Hendriks, Director of the Policy Division at UN Women, said that when she first moved to Zimbabwe in 1997, “giving birth was actually a matter of life and death”.

“Today, that’s no longer the reality. And that’s an incredible level of progress in a short 25, 30 years”, she added.

Technology, too, holds promise. Today, 70 per cent of men are online compared to 65 per cent of women. Closing that gap, the report estimates, could benefit 343.5 million women and girls by 2050, lifting 30 million out of poverty and adding $1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

“Where gender equality has been prioritized, it has propelled societies and economies forward,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. “Targeted investments in gender equality have the power to transform societies and economies.”

At the same time, an unprecedented backlash on women’s rights, shrinking civic space, and growing defunding of gender equality initiatives is threatening hard-won gains.

According to UN Women, without action women remain “invisible” in data and policymaking, with 25 per cent less gender data available now due to survey funding cuts.

A girl uses a tablet during class at her school in Safi, South Niger.

“The Gender Snapshot 2025 shows that the costs of failure are immense but so are the gains from gender equality,” said Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

“Accelerated action and interventions focused on care, education, the green economy, labour markets and social protection could reduce the number of women and girls in extreme poverty by 110 million by 2050, unlocking an estimated $342 trillion in cumulative economic returns.”

But progress remains uneven, and often painfully slow.  Women hold just 27.2 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide, and their representation in local governments has stalled at 35.5 per cent. In management, women occupy only 30 per cent of roles, and at this pace, true parity is nearly a century away.

Marking 30 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, the report frames 2025 as a moment of reckoning. “Gender equality is not an ideology,” it warns. “It is foundational for peace, development, and human rights.” Ahead of the UN high-level week, the Gender Snapshot report makes clear that the choice is urgent: invest in women and girls now, or risk losing another generation of progress.

Ms. Hendriks shared UN Women’s message for world leaders: “Change is absolutely possible, and a different pathway is before us, but it is not inevitable, and it requires the political will, as well as the determined resolve of governments right around the world to make gender equality, women’s rights and their empowerment a reality once and for all”.

Anchored in the Beijing+30 Action Agenda, the report identifies six priority areas where urgent, accelerated action is needed to achieve gender equality for all women and girls by 2030, which include a digital revolution, freedom from poverty, zero violence, full and equal decision-making power, peace and security and climate justice.

 

Amid escalating attacks in Gaza, UN rights chief calls on US to withdraw sanctions against Palestinian rights groups

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The measures announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned Palestinian non-governmental organization (NGO) Addameer.

“For decades now, these NGOs have been performing vital human rights work, particularly on accountability for human rights violations,” that is “all the more important when international humanitarian and human rights laws are being violated systematically in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.

Mr. Türk urged the US to immediately withdraw its sanctions “as well as the ones imposed earlier on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and on multiple Judges and Prosecutors of the ICC.”

He added that the sanctions will have a “chilling effect” not only on civil society in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, but potentially worldwide.

Attacks, famine spread across Gaza

The ongoing Israeli offensive to take full control of Gaza City further intensified on Friday, increasing civilian casualties and attacking facilities on which they depend to survive, the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing at UN Headquarters.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to launch attacks against them, damaging tents sheltering displaced people nearby, according to initial information collected by the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in the north, people are simply exhausted; they can’t afford to move south, not only because displacement sites are overcrowded, but also because transport can cost up to $1,000,” Mr. Dujarric said, announcing that nearly 41,000 people have been displaced from Gaza City since 14 August.

‘Catastrophe Israel could have prevented’: WHO chief

Reminding that the offensive is running alongside the spread of famine, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “a catastrophe that Israel could have prevented and could stop at any time.”

Starvation ‘will not make Israel safer’

“Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime that can never be tolerated. Doing so in one conflict risks legitimising its use in future conflicts.”

Since the conflict began in October 2023, at least 370 people have died from malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 300 just in the past two months, according to the UN health agency, which said the lack of food and clean water and cramped living conditions are leaving people with weakened immune systems.

It’s also exposing the population to more disease, with more than 100 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, including 11 deaths, reported in the last month.

“The most intolerable part of this man-made disaster is that it could be stopped right now,” he said.

“People are starving to death while the food that could save them sits on trucks a short distance away. And for what? The starvation of the people of Gaza will not make Israel safer, nor will it facilitate the release of the hostages.”

While WHO is doing the best it can to alleviate suffering in Gaza, supporting medical evacuations of over 7,640 patients, more than 15,000 others need urgent specialised care, including 3,800 children.

More than 700 people have died while waiting for evacuations, Tedros said, calling for countries to “open their arms to these critically ill patients” and on Israel to allow people to be treated in the nearby West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“Above all, we call on the Government of Israel to end this inhumane war,” he said. “If it will not, I call on its allies to use their influence to stop it.”

Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit: Guterres calls for strengthening multilateralism

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The Eurasian bloc, comprising 10 member states, is the world’s largest regional organization by population and geography.

Mr. Guterres told leaders that “we are moving towards a multipolar world”, which is both a reality and an opportunity.

He said emerging economies are reshaping trade, diplomacy and development, but at the same time, injustices and divisions are widening.

Principled leadership needed

He stressed the need for principled leadership to strengthen multilateralism, uphold the rule of law, and deliver for people everywhere.

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is uniquely positioned to help shape a more peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable future,” he said.

The UN chief highlighted four priority areas, starting with peace and security.

Peace in Gaza and beyond

He pointed to the situation in Gaza, where the scale of death and destruction is horrific and famine has taken hold.

“We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; and unimpeded, safe and sustained humanitarian access,” he said.

“And we must advance concrete and irreversible steps toward a two-State solution – the only path to a just and lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.”

Mr. Guterres also addressed the war in Ukraine, saying “it is past time for a ceasefire leading to a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace – in line with the UN Charter, international law, and UN resolutions.”

He also called for protection of civilians, fostering dialogue and securing peace in Sudan, Myanmar, the Sahel, Afghanistan and beyond.

“Your leadership in diplomacy and de-escalation is essential, as are your efforts against terrorism and transnational threats,” he told leaders.

Reform and climate action

The Secretary-General called for reform of the global financial architecture to ensure fair representation for developing countries.

“We are no longer in 1945 – and our institutions must reflect today’s realities,” he said.

The third area for action concerns confronting climate change.

“We are reaching a tipping point and need meaningful reductions of emissions. G20 countries – responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions – must lead,” he said.

He urged all governments to submit new climate action plans before the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil this November. 

“We must also set a clear path to delivering $1.3 trillion by 2030.  Developed countries must honour their commitments. And we need a breakthrough on adaptation,” he added.

He called for doubling adaptation finance, scaling up early warning systems, building resilient infrastructure and phasing out fossil fuels while speeding up the transition to renewable energy.

Cooperation on technology

The final area for action is digital cooperation as new technologies bring both opportunities and risks.

He said the UN General Assembly has just established two mechanisms – an Independent Scientific Panel and a Global Dialogue on governance of artificial intelligence (AI) – to give all countries a voice and prevent fragmentation.

“These mechanisms mark a breakthrough for global AI cooperation – leveraging the unique convening power of the United Nations,” he said.

Put people first

In conclusion, he said that as the UN marks its 80th anniversary, countries must strengthen international cooperation for the 21st century and always put people first.

In this regard, he welcomed China’s Global Governance Initiative, announced that day, which “is anchored in multilateralism and underscores the importance of safeguarding the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.”

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UN chief calls for justice and ‘real change’ for people of African descent

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In a message released ahead of the Day, Mr. Guterres honoured the “extraordinary” contributions of people of African descent across every sphere of human endeavour. The Secretary-General also recognised the “long shadows” of slavery and colonialism, which include systemic racism, unequal economies and societies, and the digital divide (between those who are able to benefit from digital technology, and those who don’t have access).

Mr. Guterres hailed the Global Digital Compact – adopted in 2024 as part of the Pact for the Future, which promotes a multilateral system that reflects today’s realities and delivers for everyone, everywhere – as a step forward, citing commitments to tackle discrimination and hate speech in digital technologies. “White supremacy and dehumanising narratives,” wrote the UN chief, “are amplified by social media, and, too often, racial bias is encoded in algorithms.”

“Eighty years after the United Nations Charter reaffirmed the equal rights and inherent dignity of every human being, and sixty years since the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,” he concluded, “it is long past time to right historic wrongs.”

The Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad in Detroit, Michigan, dedicated in 2001.

A decade of action

This year’s International Day is the first to take place during the second International Decade for People of African Descent, which runs from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2034. The decade, which embraces the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice, and Development,” aims to highlight the importance of acknowledging the rights and contributions of people of African descent. Mr. Guterres has called for the next ten years to drive “real change,” including working towards a United Nations Declaration on the full respect of people of African descent’s human rights.

The first Decade saw more than 30 countries change their laws and policies to tackle racial discrimination and address specific issues faced by people of African descent – in some cases for the first time. The Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, was created, and new International Days were launched to celebrate the contributions of the diaspora, including those of women and girls.

Building on the progress made between 2015 and 2024, the second Decade seeks to amplify global efforts toward justice and development for individuals of African descent and create a more equitable future, in which the aspirations and rights of people of African descent are fully recognised, honoured, and celebrated.

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Sudan: Guterres calls for ceasefire in El Fasher, deplores ‘relentless’ militia attacks

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António Guterres said he was “appalled by the relentless attacks” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on the North Darfur state capital, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

The paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling for control of devastated country since April 2023 and El Fasher has been the epicentre of fighting for more than 500 days.

Shelling, incursions and summary executions

Recent weeks have seen near-continuous shelling in the city and repeated deadly incursions into the adjoining Abu Shouk displacement camp, where famine conditions were identified last December.

Since 11 August, the UN has documented the killing of at least 125 civilians in the El Fasher area, including summary executions – although the actual number is likely to be higher.

“The Secretary-General is alarmed at the grave risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as violations and abuses of international human rights law, including ethnically motivated ones,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Aid awaiting entry

Meanwhile, supplies are pre-positioned near El Fasher, but the UN and partners continue to face obstacles in moving them into the city.  

Some 70 trucks of humanitarian assistance are currently waiting in Nyala, South Darfur, a top official with the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Thursday in New York.

Mr. Dujarric also noted that repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets in North Darfur have occurred over recent months.

Ceasefire and a lasting peace

“The Secretary-General calls for an immediate ceasefire in and around the El Fasher area,” he said.

Furthermore, the UN chief “insists that immediate steps must be taken to protect civilians and enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance into the area, and to allow any civilians seeking to leave the area voluntarily to do so safely.” 

 In the interim, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, continues to engage the warring parties and “stands ready to support genuine efforts to halt the violence and establish an inclusive political process that the people of Sudan demand.” 

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UN calls for decisive steps to end conflict as Gaza and West Bank crises deepen

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“Today the world looks on in horror as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues to deteriorate to levels not seen in recent history,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, speaking from Jerusalem.

He began by focusing on Gaza, which is “sinking deeper into disaster, marked by rapidly mounting civilian casualties, mass displacement, and, now, famine”, with no end in sight to the conflict.

Worst fears becoming reality

He said that “unthinkably, Gaza’s population is now facing yet another deadly escalation” following Israel’s announcement of its decision to take over Gaza City, which is ongoing.

“For a population already struggling to survive, Palestinians in Gaza are seeing their worst fears become reality in front of their eyes,” he said.

“Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have catastrophic consequences, including displacing hundreds of thousands.” 

Air strikes intensify

Mr. Alakbarov briefed the Council alongside Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and two guests: Inger Ashing, Chief Executive Officer at Save the Children International, and Ilana Gritzewsky, an Israeli hostage who survived Hamas captivity in Gaza.

He reported that Israeli military strikes have intensified throughout the Strip, hitting tents housing displaced people, schools, hospitals, and residential buildings.  

Since 23 July, at least 2,553 Palestinians have been killed, according to the health authorities. Of this number, some 271 were reportedly killed attempting to collect aid, including in the vicinity of militarized distribution sites.  

Additionally, over 240 journalists have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023 following deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel. 

Although the UN and partners are working tirelessly to assist the people in Gaza, “the security risks are extremely high, and current mitigation measures are woefully insufficient,” he said.

“On my recent visit to Gaza, I was stunned at the scale of the destruction and suffering. I met humanitarian workers risking their lives to deliver aid, while themselves living in intolerable conditions,” he added.

Meeting with survivors and families of hostages

The UN official also visited affected communities in Israel and met survivors of the 7 October terror attacks and family members of some of the hostages. 

“I saw the shattered homes of Nir Oz, where one in four residents was either murdered or abducted on 7 October. I met survivors who carry unbearable loss and trauma,” he said.

Around 50 people, including one woman, are still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, and 28 are believed to be deceased. 

Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Jihad depicting emaciated Israeli hostages were deeply disturbing, he said, stressing that ill-treatment and abuse of hostages constitute a blatant violation of international law.

Children in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank looking at the destroyed shelters following recent military operations. (file)

West Bank violence

Meanwhile, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “continues to spiral dangerously downward” and “the territory envisioned for a future Palestinian State is shrinking, while a one-State reality of unlawful occupation and perpetual violence is rapidly advancing.”

Israeli security forces have continued operations in northern cities and refugee camps, displacing more than 32,000 people. Furthermore, security forces killed nine Palestinians, four of them children, during the three-month reporting period. 

Attacks by Israeli settlers also have continued, resulting in three Palestinians killed, damage to Palestinian property and displacement.  At the same time, attacks by Palestinians against Israelis have also continued, with no fatalities reported in the last month.

Settlement expansion 

Since the start of the war in Gaza, settler attacks have escalated in frequency and become more violent and deadly.  They have increasingly led to forced displacement, with settlers then moving in and establishing outposts. At the same time, Israel is “fast-tracking settlement expansion, including in the most highly strategic areas.”

Mr. Alakbarov recalled that the Israeli High Planning Committee recently approved a plan for the construction of more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area.  

“If implemented, the move would effectively sever the connection between the northern and southern West Bank. As such, it would further undermine the possibility of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state,” he warned. 

Israeli authorities also continued to demolish Palestinian-owned structures, he added, and 175 Palestinians, including 70 children, have been displaced.

Regional tensions

Mr. Alakbarov noted that the developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are taking place amid a volatile regional context, with more exchanges of fire between Houthi rebels in Yemen and Israel forces occurring this week, along with continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon and an incursion in Syria.

Stressing the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, he said “what is needed now is bold action to resolve the conflict, end the occupation and re-establish a political horizon.”

In this regard, he welcomed the High-Level Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, held at UN Headquarters in June. 

Uphold the two-State solution

“The message from the international community is clear: the two-State solution remains the only viable path toward a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.

He urged the international community to work collectively to advance practical steps, including through engagements during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September.

“With Gaza immersed in a situation so horrendous that it defies basic humanity and with the West Bank facing genuine threats to its long-term existence, we can no longer wait,” he said. 

Gaza famine ‘a created catastrophe’

Ms. Msuya’s briefing centered around the recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis confirming that famine is occurring in Gaza governorate – phase 5 conditions – and is expected to spread in the coming weeks.

She drew attention to some of the numbers, saying over half a million people currently face starvation, destitution and death, which could exceed 640,000 by the end of September.  

Approximately one million Gazans are in emergency phase 4 and over 390,000 face phase 3 crisis conditions, she continued.

At least 132,000 children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition between now and the middle of next year, while the number of those who risk dying has tripled to over 43,000. 

Among pregnant and breastfeeding women, the number is predicted to rise from 17,000 to 55,000.

“Let us be clear: This famine is not a product of drought or some form of natural disaster,” she said. “It is a created catastrophe – the result of a conflict that has caused massive civilian death, injury, destruction and forced displacement.”

End this ‘human-made crisis’

Ms. Msuya urged the Council to ensure an immediate and sustained cessation of hostilities to save lives and stop famine from spreading.

She also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for civilians and critical infrastructure to be protected.

Furthermore, safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access through all entry points must occur, and aid – including food, medicine, water, fuel and shelter – has to be delivered to all people in need.

Her final request was for the restoration of commercial flows of essential goods at scale, market systems, essential services and local food production.

“Ending this human-made crisis demands that we act as if it were our mother, our father, our child, our family trying to survive in Gaza today,” she said. 

A former hostage’s appeal

Ms. Gritzewsky recalled the moment her life was brutally changed on 7 October 2023.

She was grabbed by the hair, punched in the stomach, thrown against a wall, and “touched everywhere,” all while being filmed by the terrorists.  Taken to Gaza, she fainted at the time of her sexual assault.

“Nothing will be the same again,” she said, referring in particular to her broken jaw and pelvis.

Ms. Gritzewsky said she received no medication and did not see a doctor during the 55 days of captivity, even though she had raised concerns about her anaemia and colitis.

She is now fighting for the release of the hostages, particularly her partner, Matan, and made a passionate appeal to the Security Council to act for the release of all those still being held.  

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Gaza: UN calls for probe following deadly strikes on Nasser Hospital

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At least 20 people were killed, including four health workers and five journalists, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus said in a tweet.

Fifty other people were injured, including critically ill patients who were already receiving care.

Healthcare under attack

“While people in Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to healthcare is being further crippled by repeated attacks,” Tedros remarked.

“We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP attacks on healthcare. Ceasefire now.”

He said the hospital’s main building, which houses the emergency department, inpatient ward, and surgical unit, was hit. 

The strikes also damaged the emergency staircase.

Global indifference and inaction

The head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA also took to social media in the wake of the news.

“Silencing the last remaining voices reporting about children dying silently and famine with the world’s indifference and inaction is shocking,” said Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

He called for compassion to prevail, saying “let us undo this manmade famine by opening the gates without restrictions, ⁠protecting journalists and humanitarian and health workers,” stressing the need for political will now.

The UN recently noted that more than 240 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago following deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel. 

Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 hostages were taken to the enclave, some of whom remain in captivity.

Guterres calls for investigation

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the deadly airstrikes and called for a prompt and impartial investigation.

“These latest horrific killings highlight the extreme risks that medical personnel and journalists face as they carry out their vital work amid this brutal conflict,” UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that among the reporters killed was female journalist Mariam Abu Dagga who partnered with the agency last year on a photo essay depicting the dire situation in Gaza.

The Secretary-General reiterated that medical personnel and journalists must be able to perform their essential duties without interference, intimidation, or harm, in full accordance with international humanitarian law. 

He also renewed his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unfettered humanitarian access across the enclave, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office issued a statement later in the day saying the Government “deeply regrets the tragic mishap” which occurred at the Nasser Hospital. 

Famine spreading

The number of deaths in Gaza has surpassed 61,000, according to the local health authorities.

Last week, food security experts confirmed that famine has taken root in Gaza Governorate, projecting that it will spread. 

The Gaza Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that 11 people have died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall total to 300.

Displacement deepens

Meanwhile, people across the enclave continue to be displaced while seeking safety and shelter.  

Humanitarians said that between 20 and 24 August, some 5,000 people are estimated to have been displaced from northern Gaza to Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis. Roughly 8,000 more have been displaced to the west of Gaza City. 

Overall, new displacements have surpassed 800,000 since the end of the ceasefire in mid-March. 

Obstructions to aid delivery

At the same time, aid convoys in Gaza continue to face delays, movement obstructions and other challenges. 

On Sunday, only seven out of 15 humanitarian missions that required coordination with Israel were facilitated, including the collection of fuel from the Kerem Shalom border crossing for distribution to areas where it is needed most. 

“Four missions had to be either cancelled by the organisers or were denied outright by Israeli authorities,” OCHA said.

“The remaining ones were initially approved but then impeded on the ground and only partially accomplished, including the collection of food and vaccines from the crossings.”

Education on hold

As children around the world start heading back to school, their counterparts in Gaza continue to miss out on education.

Several education facilities that are being used as shelters for displaced people were attacked last week, according to aid partners.

“With local authorities announcing that final exams for over 35,000 high school students are due to be held in two weeks, the UN and its partners reiterate their call for the protection of education facilities in accordance with international law,” OCHA said. 

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Syria: UNICEF calls for safe access to children in Sweida as needs mount

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Deadly sectarian clashes erupted in the southern governorate, also known as As-Sweida, in July and early August and children and families continue to feel the impact.

At least 22 children reportedly were killed and another 21 injured in the violence, which caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure.  More than 190,000 people, mainly women and children, were forced to flee their homes.

Essential services also were disrupted. At least five health centres were reportedly struck, with two doctors killed, while ambulances were obstructed or attacked.

‘A welcome step’

UNICEF Syria Deputy Representative Zeinab Adam described the situation as “tragic and deeply alarming.” 

“Given the ongoing needs of children and families affected, the increased efforts by the interim authorities to facilitate access to those in need have been a welcome step,” she said.

UNICEF was part of the UN’s first inter-agency convoy to Sweida which arrived at the end of July.  

Ms. Adam said the agency “delivered life-saving supplies and carried out a rapid on-the-ground assessment to ensure a faster, stronger response to the growing crisis.” said.

Food and medicine shortages

The fighting caused critical damage to vital infrastructure, water, electricity and fuel.  Furthermore, food, medicine and other essentials remain scarce due to continued insecurity and access constraints.

In response, UNICEF has deployed 14 mobile health and nutrition teams.  Teams have also provided life-saving health and nutrition supplies to more than 4,000 children and women, as well as safe drinking water and fuel for water pumping stations benefiting more than 30,000 people.

Appeal for access

“To ensure an effective response, it is critical that both humanitarian actors and commercial goods have unhindered access to the most affected communities,” said Ms. Adam.

“This will enable the immediate provision of basic social services, including food, water, and other essential supplies, to those in urgent need.”

She added that “facilitating this access is not only vital for life-saving interventions but also for restoring a minimum level of stability and protection in these communities.”

Meanwhile, UNICEF remains on the ground in Sweida and will continue to advocate for children there and across Syria. 

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Israel calls for focus on Gaza hostages’ plight

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The Security Council is meeting to discuss rising concern in Israel and elsewhere over the dire conditions facing the hostages who remain in Gaza. It follows the release of recent videos by Hamas and other Palestinian militants showing emaciated captives, which the UN Secretary-General called “an unacceptable violation of human dignity.” A senior UN political affairs official reiterated the “unbearable” conditions faced by Palestinians across the war-ravaged enclave. Stay with UN News for live updates in coordination with UN Meetings Coverage. App users can follow the coverage here.

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In hard-hitting human rights address, Guterres calls for urgent action on Gaza, authoritarianism and climate justice

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Recalling his own experience living under dictatorship in Portugal, Mr. Guterres told participants at the Global Assembly of the international rights charity Amnesty International on Friday that the fight for human rights is “more important than ever”.

He called on States to uphold international law and defend human rights “consistently and universally, even or especially when inconvenient”, urging collective action to restore global trust, dignity and justice.

‘A moral crisis’

Mr. Guterres painted a stark picture of a world in turmoil, citing multiple ongoing crises, foremost among them, the war in Gaza.

While reiterating his condemnation of the 7 October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel, the Secretary-General said that “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since”.

“The scale and scope is beyond anything we have seen in recent times,” he said.

“I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community. The lack of compassion. The lack of truth. The lack of humanity.”

Key takeaways from the address

  • Gaza – “A moral crisis that challenges the global conscience”
  • Ukraine – Call for a “just and lasting peace” based on the UN Charter, international law and resolutions
  • Authoritarianism – A “global contagion”, with political repression, attacks on minorities and shrinking civic space
  • Climate justice – Bold action needed to cut emissions; clean energy transition must uphold human rights
  • Digital threats – Concern over algorithmic spread of hate and falsehoods; manipulation via social media
  • Call to action – “Human rights are the solution, foundation of peace and engine of progress”

UN staff ‘neither dead nor alive’

He described UN staff in Gaza as working in “unimaginable conditions”, many of them so depleted they “say they feel neither dead nor alive”.

Since late May, he noted, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food – not in combat, but “in desperation – while the entire population starves”.

“This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

Ready to scale up aid

Mr. Guterres said the UN stands ready to dramatically scale up humanitarian operations “as we successfully did during the previous pause in fighting”, but called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire”, the unconditional release of all hostages and full humanitarian access.

“At the same time, we need urgent, concrete and irreversible steps towards a two-State solution,” he stressed.

He also spoke about other conflicts, including Sudan as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where he called for a “just and lasting peace” based on the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.

Secretary-General Guterres (left) addresses Amnesty International’s Global Assembly via video link.

Rising authoritarianism

The Secretary-General warned that authoritarian tactics are on the rise globally.

“We are witnessing a surge in repressive tactics aiming at corroding respect for human rights,” he said. “And these are contaminating some democracies.”

Political opposition movements are being crushed, accountability mechanisms dismantled, journalists and activists silenced, civic space strangled and minorities scapegoated.

Rights of women and girls in particular are being rolled back, most starkly, he said, in Afghanistan.

“This is not a series of isolated events. It is a global contagion.”

Weaponization of technology

He decried the growing weaponization of digital platforms, saying algorithms are “boosting the worst of humanity, rewarding falsehoods, fuelling racism and misogyny and deepening division”.

He called on governments to uphold the Global Digital Compact adopted by countries at the UN General Assembly last September and to take stronger action to combat online hate and disinformation.

© ICJ-CIJ/Frank van Beek

Activists outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague as the Court delivers its advisory opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change.

Climate justice is human rights

Turning to climate, Mr. Guterres described the environmental emergency as a “human rights catastrophe”, with the poorest and most vulnerable communities suffering most.

He welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion this week, affirming that climate change is a human rights issue and that States have obligations under international law to protect the global climate system.

But, he cautioned against a transition to clean energy that sacrifices human rights.

“We cannot accept a clean energy future built on dirty practices…We cannot accept enormous violations of human rights, many of them against children, in the name of climate progress.”

He called for urgent emissions cuts, a just transition away from fossil fuels and real financing for developing countries to adapt, build resilience and recover from loss and damage.

A legacy of activism

The Secretary-General concluded by praising Amnesty International’s decades of activism, calling its work “indispensable” to the global human rights movement.

“When you stand for human rights, you stand with what is right,” he told delegates.

“Your courage continues to change lives. Your persistence is shifting the course of history. Let’s keep going. Let’s meet this moment with the urgency it demands. And let’s never, ever give up.”

Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is a global human rights movement that campaigns to end abuses and promote justice. The organization has long worked in collaboration with the United Nations, participating actively in the development of international human rights law and mechanisms.

Today’s speech by Mr. Guterres is first-ever address by a UN Secretary-General to Amnesty International’s Global Assembly, the charity’s highest decision-making body. The UN chief spoke via a video link to the event in Prague.

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UN calls for reversal of US sanctions on Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese

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They’re calling for the decision to be reversed, warning it could undermine the wider international human rights system.

The sanctions were announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday under a Presidential Executive Order.

Mr. Rubio alleged that Ms. Albanese had “directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries,” which he called a “gross infringement” on national sovereignty.

The US and Israel are not parties to the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC.

Dangerous precedent and unacceptable

Reacting to the announcement, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the imposition of sanctions on Special Rapporteurs sets a “dangerous precedent.”

“The use of unilateral sanctions against Special Rapporteurs or any other UN expert or official is unacceptable,” he said on Thursday at his regular news briefing in New York.

He also highlighted the independent mandate and role of the Special Rapporteurs, noting that Member States “are perfectly entitled to their views and to disagree with” the experts’ reports.

“But we encourage them to engage with the UN’s human rights architecture,” he added.

Call for reversal

In a statement issued on Thursday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for the “prompt reversal” of the sanctions against the Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur “in response to work she has undertaken under the mandate” she is tasked with.

“Even in face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures,” he said.

The UN rights chief also called for an end to attacks and threats against mandate holders appointed by the council, as well as key institutions like the ICC.

“The solution is not less, but more, debate and dialogue on the very real human rights concerns they address,” Mr. Türk urged.

Cooperation, not reprisal

Jürg Lauber, President of the UN Human Rights Council, also voiced regret over the punitive move by the US.

In a statement, he highlighted that Special Rapporteurs “are an essential instrument” in fulfilling the Council’s mandate and urged all nations to “fully cooperate” with them.

“I call on all UN Member States…to refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal against them,” he said.

Independent Special Rapporteurs

Special Rapporteurs are appointed under what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

They are independent experts appointed to monitor and report on human rights issues worldwide. These experts serve in their personal capacity, are not UN staff and receive no financial remuneration for their work.

They regularly report to the Geneva-based council as well as to the UN General Assembly in New York.

In addition to the mandate on the occupied Palestinian territory, mandates exist to monitor human rights in countries such as Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Afghanistan. In all there are 46 thematic and 14 different country-based mandates.

UN calls on Taliban to end repressive policies

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Adopted with 116 votes in favour, 12 abstentions and 2 against (Israel and United States), the resolution highlighted the multifaceted crises confronting Afghanistan nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power, calling for greater international support for the Afghan people and a renewed push for human rights, peace and stability.

It emphasised the need for a coherent approach among humanitarian, political and development actors, and raised alarm over the “grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression” of all women and girls in Afghanistan, calling on the Taliban to swiftly reverse policies that exclude them from education, employment and public life.

The text further called for adherence to Afghanistan’s obligations under international law, including human rights and humanitarian principles.

Security and economic concerns

The 193-member General Assembly reiterated its “serious concern” over continuing violence and the presence of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and their affiliates ISIL-Khorasan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and “demanded” that Afghanistan not be used as a safe haven for terrorist activity.

Beyond security, the resolution stressed Afghanistan’s severe economic collapse, widespread poverty and spiralling humanitarian crisis, urging Member States and donors to scale up principled, sustained assistance.

It also highlighted the growing threat of natural disasters such as floods and droughts, which worsen food insecurity and economic fragility.

“Sustainable and lasting peace can be achieved only through long-term social, economic and political stability, which requires full respect for civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights as well as commitment to inclusive and representative governance,” the resolution stated.

Result of the UN General Assembly vote on the draft resolution on Afghanistan.

Needs surge amid refugee returns

The resolution comes at a time of intensified strain on Afghanistan’s overstretched humanitarian system.

According to UN agencies, waves of returns from Pakistan and Iran – including both refugees and those in refugee-like situations – have increased pressure on services, especially in border provinces ill-equipped to absorb new arrivals.

These returns, many of them involuntary or under duress, have heightened protection risks and left thousands of families in urgent need of food, shelter and basic services.

The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Afghanistan – which seeks $2.4 billion to assist nearly 17 million people – is only 22 per cent funded as of early July, raising concerns among aid officials about maintaining life-saving programs in the months ahead.

The resolution called on all donors and stakeholders to “reconsider any decisions that may lead to reductions in such assistance, taking into account the potential adverse humanitarian consequences for the most vulnerable populations.”

Governance and accountability

The Assembly also reiterated concern over the lack of political inclusion since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

It raised alarm over extrajudicial punishments, such as reprisals and summary executions, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions, including those targeting former members of the security personnel.

While the Assembly acknowledged the Taliban’s limited steps to reduce opium cultivation, it stressed the need for comprehensive counter-narcotics measures and efforts to combat organized crime and illicit arms trafficking.

UN General Assembly votes on the draft resolution on Afghanistan.

A call for collective responsibility

The resolution expressed appreciation to major refugee-hosting countries – particularly Pakistan and Iran – and called for more equitable burden-sharing and international cooperation to support displaced Afghans and the communities that host them.

It underlined the importance of creating conditions for the safe, dignified and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as their sustainable reintegration.

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Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’

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Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire.

“Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land,” he said.

“Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling – on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.”

Search for food must never be a death sentence

Mr. Guterres described the situation as the most severe since the onset of the war, citing acute shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

“The search for food must never be a death sentence,” he said, highlighting the danger faced by Palestinians simply trying to survive.

He has repeatedly called for three urgent steps: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unimpeded humanitarian access.

On Friday, he again pressed for these demands, emphasising that aid workers are starving, hospitals are rationing life-saving supplies and civilians are trapped in unsafe zones.

Surge in aid urgently needed

“What’s needed now is a surge – the trickle must become an ocean,” he said.

The UN chief stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obliged to facilitate humanitarian relief.

“To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say: use it,” he added.

Earlier this week, a small convoy of UN medical supplies entered Gaza for the first time in months, Mr. Guterres noted, adding that it only underscored the overwhelming scale of the need.

He also also cautioned that any aid delivery method must ensure civilian safety, stressing that “operations which place desperate people in or near militarized areas are inherently unsafe.”

“We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence,” he said.

“It worked during the last ceasefire. So it must be allowed to work again.”

Two-State solution critical

Mr. Guterres concluded with a broader political appeal:

“The only sustainable path to re-establishing hope is by paving the way to the two-State solution. Diplomacy and human dignity for all must prevail.”

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UN calls for restraint after deadly Kenya protests

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At least 400 people were injured, including police officers, according to media reports. The official death toll has not been confirmed, with estimates ranging from eight to 16. 

The demonstrations marked the anniversary of last year’s anti-tax protests, when 60 people were reportedly killed and dozens abducted by police.

This year, anger intensified following the death of blogger Albert Ojwan, 31, who died in police custody earlier this month.

The demonstrators reportedly targeted government and police offices, chanted for the occupation of the presidential residence and attacked, looted and burned shops and businesses in Nairobi.

At a press conference, Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen accused protestors of attempting to unconstitutionally enact “regime change.”

He also said nine police stations were attacked, dozens of vehicles destroyed, and five guns were stolen. 

UN Human Rights response

On Thursday, as smoke still rose from torched buildings in Nairobi, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, released a statement expressing concern.

Alarmed by reports that protesters had been wounded or killed by gunfire, OHCHR stressed that under international human rights law, law enforcement should only use lethal force when strictly necessary to protect life or prevent serious injury from an imminent threat.

The office welcomed the announcement that Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority will investigate the incidents and underlined the need for “prompt, thorough, independent and transparent investigations to bring those responsible to justice” and prevent recurrence. 

OHCHR also called for calm and restraint.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric echoed these concerns at the daily press briefing in New York, saying: “We are obviously concerned about the violence we have seen in Kenya. We are closely monitoring the situation. We are very saddened by the loss of life.”

He also reiterated concerns over the reported gunshot wounds and welcomed plans for oversight investigations.

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From Syria, UN refugee chief calls for greater solidarity with displaced people

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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, sounded the alarm on Friday, World Refugee Day, in a message from Syria.

He said the abject failure to end conflicts – including in Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza – continues to create immense suffering. 

Difficulty seeking shelter

“Yet the innocent people who run for their lives as the bullets fly and the missiles rain down are unjustly stigmatised, making it harder to escape danger and to find somewhere to recover and rebuild,” he said.

Their situation is further compounded by brutal cuts to humanitarian aid, affecting millions who desperately need assistance. 

“At this critical juncture, it is vital that we reaffirm our solidarity with refugees – not just with words but with urgent action,” he said.

He added that inspiring examples already exists, from countries that continue to welcome and host refugees, to local communities that “open their homes, workplaces and hearts” to them, as well as “the countless individual acts of kindness and compassion that reveal our common humanity.”

Share the responsibility

Mr. Grandi said the international community can and must support these countries and communities by sharing the responsibility for protecting refugees, calling in particular for action by wealthier States, development banks, businesses and others.

The High Commissioner spent the Day in Syria, where some 600,000 people have returned from neighbouring countries after 14 years of war. Overall, more than two million Syrians have gone back to their homes and communities since the fall of the Assad regime last December.

“In a region that has suffered so much violence – and suffers even now – we are nonetheless presented with an opportunity to help Syrians achieve stability and prosperity. We must not let it pass by,” he said.

Mr. Grandi met Syrian families who spent more than a decade as refugees, whose deep joy at being among familiar faces and surroundings serve as reminder of refugees’ yearning for home. 

“Now more than ever, we must stand with refugees to keep alive their hopes of a better future,” he said. 

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UN relief chief calls for solidarity, with humanitarians ‘literally under attack’

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Tom Fletcher was speaking at the annual stock-take of his sector known as the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment, which brings together UN Member States and organizations, humanitarian and development partners, as well as the private sector and affected communities.

He said this year’s theme – renew global solidarity for humanity – “could not be more urgent.”

“We need you right now,” he said. “We’re in a moment of conflict, of transactional politics, of selfishness, of division, of polarization. And global solidarity – the lifeblood of what we do – is in retreat.”

Moreover, “at this moment, when the needs are at their highest, the funding is also in retreat.”

Crises, climate and cutbacks

Mr. Fletcher reminded participants of “some uncomfortable truths,” noting that the Middle East currently “teeters on the edge of a wider war.”  

At the same time, people in Gaza are starving as food aid rots at border crossings, girls in Afghanistan are banned from school, women in war-torn Sudan are experiencing horrific violence, and gangs are terrifying families in Haiti.

This is happening amid the climate crisis “which will drive more humanitarian needs in the coming years than any other factor that we discuss today,” he said.

“Meanwhile, our teams, our humanitarian staff, the bravest of us, are not hesitating to go towards the sound of gunfire, the sound of danger to drive those convoys through those checkpoints and they are being killed in record numbers, while those responsible for killing them roam free.”

‘Life and death decisions’

Just six months ago, Mr. Fletcher launched a $44 billion appeal to reach 190 million people worldwide this year.  

In the wake of the deepest cuts ever to humanitarian operations globally, the plan was this week “hyper-prioritized” to focus on the most critical areas, with $29 billion in funding to support 114 million.

He acknowledged that “we’re left with the cruelest of equations when we make those life and death decisions, literally, about who to save.” 

Humanitarians “will save as many lives as we can with the resources that you give us,” and they are asking world leaders to give only one per cent of what they spent on defense last year.

“This isn’t just a call for money, of course. It is a call for global responsibility, for a shared commitment to end the suffering,” he said.

New humanitarian pact

“We also make this call that all of us find a moment to come off our talking points and to find the individual moment of courage and creativity to support this effort.”

Mr. Fletcher said the humanitarian movement will continue and is being re-designed from the ground up. 

“We’ll find new allies, we’ll find new sources of funding, we’ll find new ideas, we won’t just patch up the old model. We will also forge a new one. A bold humanitarian pact with the people we serve,” he said.

Women at the forefront

The pact will be “more local, more lean, more green,” and will include people on the frontlines of crisis who “know better than anyone what they need.”

Furthermore, the UN’s highest-level humanitarian coordination forum – the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) – has voiced unequivocal commitment that women and girls will lead this humanitarian reset and will back women humanitarian leaders in this work.

 “These leaders, the real leaders of our movement, don’t work for the UN or international NGOs. They are not part of the logos, and egos, and silos of our systems,” he said.

“They have something much more powerful – they are rooted in their communities with the trust of their communities and an unshakeable belief that even in these darkest moments we can choose to help each other. They are there for us and we must be there for them.”

Boosting effectiveness

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six main UN organs.

Since 1998, it has held the Humanitarian Affairs Segment to strengthen the coordination and effectiveness of UN humanitarian efforts.

Previous meetings have focused on issues such as addressing food security and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Guterres calls for an end to ocean ‘plunder’ as UN summit opens in France

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“The ocean is the ultimate shared resource,” he told delegates gathered at the port of Nice. “But we are failing it.”

Oceans, he warned, are absorbing 90 per cent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions and buckling under the strain: overfishing, rising temperatures, plastic pollution, acidification. Coral reefs are dying. Fish stocks are collapsing. Rising seas, he said, could soon “submerge deltas, destroy crops, and swallow coastlines — threatening many islands’ survival.”

Port Lympia, Nice’s historic marina, now transformed into a secured diplomatic zone known as the Blue Zone for UNOC3.

Call for stewardship

More than 50 Heads of State and Government took part in the opening ceremony, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — a show of political force underscoring the summit’s weight.

In total, over 120 countries are participating in the five-day gathering, signaling a growing recognition that ocean health is inseparable from climate stability, food security, and global equity.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is co-hosting the summit alongside Costa Rica, followed with a forceful appeal for science, law, and multilateral resolve.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the opening ceremony of UNOC3

“The abyss is not for sale, any more than Greenland is for sale, any more than Antarctica or the high seas are for sale,” he declared. “If the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling.”

He insisted the fate of the seas could not be left to markets or opinion. “The first response is therefore multilateralism,” Mr. Macron said. “The climate, like biodiversity, is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of scientifically established facts.”

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles took the podium next, thanking Mr. Guterres for elevating the ocean on the global agenda, then shifting to a stark warning.

“The ocean is speaking to us — with bleached coral reefs, with storms, with wounded mangroves,” he said. “There’s no time left for rhetoric. Now is the time to act.”

Condemning decades of treating the ocean as an “infinite pantry and global waste dump,” Mr. Chaves urged a shift from exploitation to stewardship.

“Costa Rica is a small country, but this change has started,” he said. “We are now declaring peace with the ocean.”

Most notably, the Costa Rican leader called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters until science can adequately assess the risks — a position already backed by 33 countries, he noted.

A treaty within reach

One of the summit’s core objectives is to help bring into force the landmark High Seas Treaty — known as the BBNJ accord — adopted in 2023 to safeguard life in international waters. Sixty ratifications are required for the treaty to become binding international law. Emmanuel Macron announced that this milestone is now within reach.

“In addition to the 50 or so ratifications already submitted here in the last few hours, 15 countries have formally committed to joining them,” he said. “This means that the political agreement has been reached, which allows us to say that this [Treaty] will be properly implemented.”

Whether the legal threshold is crossed this week or shortly after, the French President added, “it’s a win.”

The plenary hall of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice.

High-stakes negotiations in the ‘Blue Zone’

The tone set by the opening speeches made clear that Nice will be the stage for high-stakes negotiations — on finalizing a global treaty on plastic pollution, scaling up ocean finance, and navigating the controversy surrounding seabed mining.

Hundreds of new pledges are expected to be announced, building on more than 2,000 voluntary commitments made since the first UN Ocean Conference in 2017. The week-long talks will culminate in the adoption of a political declaration and the unveiling of the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a blueprint aligned with the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a 2022 agreement to protect 30 per cent of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030.

“The deep sea cannot become the Wild West,” António Guterres warned, urging that decisions be “grounded in science, guided by precaution, and in line with the rights and obligations enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

The summit is being held in a purpose-built venue overlooking Port Lympia, Nice’s historic marina, now transformed into the secured diplomatic ‘Blue Zone.’ On Sunday, a symbolic ceremony led by Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the conference, saw the French and UN flags raised above the harbor.

“This ceremony marks not only the formal transfer of this historic port into the hands of the United Nations, but also the beginning of a week of shared commitment, responsibility, and hope,” said Mr. Li.

Ludovic Burns Tuki marked the start of the summit by blowing a pu, a traditional conch shell

Culture, science, and collective memory

Before the negotiations began in earnest, Monday’s opening turned to ritual and reflection. Polynesian climate activist Ludovic Burns Tuki marked the start of the summit by blowing a pu, a traditional conch shell.

“It’s a way to call everyone,” he told UN News after the ceremony. “I blow with the support of our ancestors.” In Polynesian navigation, the conch is sounded upon arrival at a new island to signal peaceful intent. Mr. Tuki, born in Tahiti to parents from the Tuamotu and Easter Islands, sees the ocean as both boundary and bond.

“We are not only countries,” he said. “We need to think like a collective system, because this is one ocean, one people, a future for all.”

The cultural segment also included a blessing by Tahitian historian Hinano Murphy, a martial arts performance by French taekwondo master Olivier Sicard, a scientific reflection by deep-sea explorer Antje Boetius, and a poetic testimony by Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, accompanied by kora musician Wassa Kouyaté.

What was lost can return

The goals of the conference are clear — but ambitious: to advance the ‘30 by 30’ pledge, promote sustainable fisheries, decarbonize maritime transport, and unlock new streams of “blue finance,” including ocean bonds and debt-for-nature swaps to support vulnerable coastal states.

In addition to plenary sessions, Monday will feature two high-level action panels: one on conserving and restoring marine ecosystems — including deep-sea habitats — and another on strengthening scientific cooperation, technology exchange, and education to bridge the gap between science and policy.

In his opening statement, António Guterres stressed that Sustainable Development Goal 14 , on ‘Life Below Water’, remains the least funded of the 17 UN’s global goals.

“This must change,” he said. “We need bold models to unlock private capital.”

“What was lost in a generation,” he concluded, “can return in a generation. The ocean of our ancestors — teeming with life and diversity — can be more than legend. It can be our legacy.”

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UN calls for ‘immediate and unconditional’ release of aid workers arbitrarily detained in Yemen

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In a statement on Monday, António Guterres strongly condemned the death in detention of a World Food Programme (WFP) staff member earlier this year.

The Houthis have yet to provide “an explanation for this deplorable tragedy,” António Guterres said, renewing his call for “an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and accountability.”

Profound injustice

“The UN and its humanitarian partners should never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their mandates for the benefit of the people they serve,” said the UN chief.

These detentions have further constrained the UN’s ability to operate effectively in Yemen and have “undermined mediation efforts to secure a path toward peace,” he added.

These detentions have further constrained the UN’s ability to operate effectively in Yemen and have “undermined mediation efforts to secure a path toward peace,” he added.

Safe and immediate release

Making the occasion of Eid Al-Adha this Friday, “a time to show compassion,” the Secretary-General urged the Houthis to “immediately release those arbitrarily detained” and “end the ordeal of families who face celebrating yet another holiday without their loved ones.”

“I renew my call for their immediate and unconditional release, including those held since 2021 and 2023, and most recently this January,” Mr. Guterres said.

“You are not forgotten,” he added, addressing the detained aid workers, assuring them that the UN will continue to work through all possible channels to secure their safe and immediate release.

He also welcomed the support of international partners, NGOs and all those working to support the people of Yemen, urging Member States to express solidarity with those detained and “intensify advocacy towards their release.” 

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