The High-Level Meeting has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an unprecedented step forward by governments and all partners engaged in the fight against TB.
It comes one year on from a Ministerial Conference on Ending TB held in Moscow last November, which resulted in high-level commitments from ministers and other leaders from 120 countries to accelerate progress to end the disease.
Ms. Mohammed described TB as a “vicious epidemic,” which infects some 10.4 million people across the world, and is fuelled by poverty, inequality, migration and conflict.
The disease, she added, exists in a “vicious cycle that will require an all-systems approach that accounts for the social drivers that perpetuate its spread.”
Better health and social welfare systems, and more investment, are needed to stop this global health crisis, and better tools are needed to overcome anti-microbial resistance: some 60,000 drug-resistant cases of TB are reported every year.
The Deputy Secretary-General called for an approach to ending TB that takes a system-wide approach, promoting the broader health and well-being of entire communities and breaking out of “disease-specific silos and single goals.”
Whilst TB affects all countries and continents, more than half of all new cases occur in just five countries: in some countries – including Mozambique, the Philippines and South Africa – there are 500 cases per 100,000 people, whilst in high-income countries there are fewer than 10 per 100,000. Ms. Mohammed said that much more progress is needed if the UN is to follow through on its promise to leave no one behind.
However, progress, she added, is possible if efforts to end the epidemic are based on the best data and science, informed decisions, empowered communities, and strategic and well-financed action.
Ms. Mohammed said that WHO will lead cross-UN efforts to support governments, working together with civil society and all partners to drive a faster response to TB.
Just one week ago, on 18 September, the WHO released its latest Global Tuberculosis Report, which showed that countries are not doing enough to end TB, and that funding is the most urgent stumbling block.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of an ambitious Political Declaration on TB, endorsed by Heads of State, which is intended to strengthen action and investments for ending of TB, and save millions of lives.
“It is absolutely essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
He was responding to a question about his message to leaders gathering at a high-level international conference later this month on a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.
“And for those that doubt about the two-State solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or forced to live in their land without rights?”
Mandated by the UN General Assembly, the high-level event is aimed at charting an “action-oriented” path toward a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-State formula.
The meeting will include thematic roundtables on key issues such as security, humanitarian reconstruction, and the economic viability of a Palestinian state.
The text, endorsed by all ten elected members of the Council, received support from the other four permanent members, but was vetoed by the United States.
“We are always disappointed when ceasefires do not materialise, releases of hostages [do not happen] and humanitarian aid is not distributed or is distributed in a way that puts at risk the lives of so many Palestinians,” he said, responding to another correspondent.
The Secretary-General reiterated that only a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access would allow the UN to deliver meaningful relief to civilians in Gaza.
He emphasised that during previous temporary ceasefires, the UN was able to mobilise large-scale assistance.
“It is absolutely essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
He was responding to a question about his message to leaders gathering at a high-level international conference later this month on a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.
“And for those that doubt about the two-State solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or forced to live in their land without rights?”
Mandated by the UN General Assembly, the high-level event is aimed at charting an “action-oriented” path toward a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-State formula.
The meeting will include thematic roundtables on key issues such as security, humanitarian reconstruction, and the economic viability of a Palestinian state.
The text, endorsed by all ten elected members of the Council, received support from the other four permanent members, but was vetoed by the United States.
“We are always disappointed when ceasefires do not materialise, releases of hostages [do not happen] and humanitarian aid is not distributed or is distributed in a way that puts at risk the lives of so many Palestinians,” he said, responding to another correspondent.
The Secretary-General reiterated that only a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access would allow the UN to deliver meaningful relief to civilians in Gaza.
He emphasised that during previous temporary ceasefires, the UN was able to mobilise large-scale assistance.
“We value the support of more and more Member States who are joining our call: Let us work,” Mr. Fletcher said, his comments coinciding with the announcement that the US and Israeli-backed aid hub in southern Gaza operating independently of the UN had been suspended on Wednesday.
“The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat,” Mr. Fletcher said.
New Security Council resolution
The development comes ahead of a Security Council meeting on Gaza on Wednesday seeking agreement on a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages taken during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.
The resolution push is the result of lobbying by the body’s 10 non-permanent Members. It remains to be seen if it will garner the support of the US and the four other countries that hold just five permanent seats on the 15-Member body: China, France, the UK and Russia. Any one of them could veto it.
Meanwhile in Gaza, local authorities on Wednesday claimed that at least 12 people including children had been killed in an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the southern city of Khan Younis.
In his appeal, Mr. Fletcher noted that medical teams had confirmed treating “hundreds of trauma cases” in recent days after footage showed chaotic scenes of Palestinians rushing to take food from the US and Israeli-run aid hubs in southern Gaza.
“Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire,” Mr. Fletcher continued.
He insisted: “Open the crossings – all of them. Let in lifesaving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in. Ensure our convoys aren’t held up by delays and denials.”
“Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime,” the High Commissioner said in a statement, issued after Palestinians were reportedly killed seeking assistance for a third day running.
Mr. Türk also urged Israel to respect “binding orders” issued by the International Court of Justiceto fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza “without delay” and “at scale”.
“There is no justification for failing to comply with these obligations,” he said.
Access calls denied
The controversial new aid initiative run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation bypasses the work of UN aid agencies which have repeatedly appealed for unimpeded access to Gaza in order to bring in thousands of tonnes of supplies. To date, the little aid that has been allowed into the enclave has fallen far short of what is needed.
In an update, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that it still had “teams on the ground” in Gaza ready to distribute supplies where they are needed across the war-torn enclave, if only they could be allowed to move.
“We have right now 51 trucks waiting loaded with medical supplies to go to those few hospitals that are still functional,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic. “We need access so that we can bring in supplies within Gaza to health facilities so they can function. Unfortunately, what is happening is just the opposite. There is no hospital in north Gaza functional anymore.”
On Monday, Mr. Jasarevic said that a WHO team went to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza “and basically evacuated all remaining patients and medical staff…now that hospital is completely empty”. In Jabalia, also in northern Gaza, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed on Monday when their vehicle struck an explosive device.
Most vulnerable miss out
Critics of the US-Israeli scheme – which include the UN – have warned that it prevents children, the elderly and those with disabilities from receiving aid, since recipients often have to walk long distances to retrieve boxes of supplies distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“The wilful impediment of access to food and other life-sustaining relief supplies for civilians may constitute a war crime,” Mr. Türk said.
His lengthy statement also condemned “the threat of starvation” faced by Gazans today, the “20 months of killing of civilians and destruction on a massive scale”.
Gazans have also been repeatedly displaced by evacuation orders from the Israeli military and faced “intolerable, dehumanizing rhetoric and threats by Israel’s leadership to empty the Strip”, the UN rights chief noted. All of these facts constitute elements of the most serious crimes under international law, he insisted.
‘Am I going to get shot?’
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, highlighted the High Commissioner’s call for a prompt, independent investigation into the dozens of reported killings in Gaza since the new aid hub opened on 27 May.
“I think there’s so much which has happened in the past three days apart from the tragic circumstances of human beings trying to gather food to survive and then being killed in the process,” hetold journalists in Geneva. “[Gazans] are being forced to walk to these centres and now they’re terrified. Probably they go there and they’re thinking, ‘Am I going to get food or am I going to get shot?’”
Mr. Laurence noted multiple media reports on killings around the southern Gaza aid hub in recent days indicating engagement by helicopters, naval vessels, tanks and ground troops.
“We are aware of those reports,” he said, noting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had also published an account on X of what had happened on Tuesday.
“My colleagues who are working on the ground have conducted interviews with witnesses and they do report fire from the IDF on those trying to access the food distribution centres. We’ve received reports from other organizations on the ground to a similar effect.”
He added: “We’ve gathered our own information; we’ve spoken to witnesses on the ground who have shared what they have seen, heard and felt themselves.”
Asked to explain what the High Commissioner meant when he expressed concerns that the “most serious crimes under international law” may have been committed, Mr. Laurence explained that this referred to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Philippe Lazzarini posted on social media saying that aid distribution “has become a death trap,” citing reports from international medical staff on the ground and local health authorities who reported at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians were lining up to receive aid from the Israel and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which bypasses existing aid agencies.
‘Humiliating system’
“A distribution point by the Israeli-American plan was put far south in Rafah,” Mr. Lazzarini said on X.
“This humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli army.”
He said aid delivery and distribution “must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.”
Gaza’s defence agency said Israeli forces had been responsible for the gunfire. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – which uses private contractors and involves Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to secure its sites – has strongly denied that civilians were fired on, accusing Hamas militants of misinformation.
Disputed events
The IDF said on social media that reports of them firing towards residents receiving aid from the foundation were false: “Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.”
The IDF posted video which it said showed gunmen shooting at civilians collecting aid, adding that “Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza.”
Medical staff at Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis told media outlets that around 79 people were admitted on Sunday, mostly with gunshot wounds, along with the bodies of some of those killed. Journalists on the scene posted video footage of bodies being carried on carts along with wounded arrivals.
‘Lift the siege’
UNRWA chief Lazzarini called on Israel to lift the three-month old aid blockade and allow safe and unhindered access. “This is the only way to avert mass starvation including among one million children.”
Highlighting the difficulties of clearly establishing facts on the ground due to Israel’s ban on international media from entering the Gaza Strip, the UNRWA chief said that amid competing narratives and “disinformation campaigns in full gear,” the ban on eyewitness reporting must be lifted immediately.
Located in north-central Tajikistan, the glacier is a vital water source for many communities in Central Asia, feeding rivers and helping to sustain millions of lives and livelihoods.
But due to climate change, it is melting. Quickly. Over the past 80 years, it lost the equivalent of 6.4 million Olympic sized pools of water.
The International Conference on Glaciers Preservation, held 29 May – 1 June in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, is highlighting the ways in which glacier retreat threatens lives and livelihoods worldwide.
“This is not just ice. This is food, water and security for generations to come,” said Ms. Mohammed.
‘Our glaciers are dying’
Glaciers, along with ice sheets, store approximately 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater, making them essential for human survival and economies. But five of the past six years have witnessed the most rapid glacier retreat on record.
“Our glaciers are dying,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a co-organizer of the conference.
“The death of a glacier means much more than the loss of ice. It is a mortal blow to our ecosystems, economies, and social fabric.”
Melting glaciers increase the likelihood and severity of floods and mudslides, in addition to impacting various industries such as agriculture and forestry.
Bridging science and action
Ms. Mohammad said that the rate of glacier retreat means that the international community must take immediate action.
“The time to act is now for our people and our planet,” she said.
The conference in Dushanbe has worked to elevate glacier preservation to the top of the worldwide climate agenda ahead of the UN COP30 climate change conference in Brazil this November.
Ms. Saulo emphasized that strengthening glacier monitoring and improving warning systems for glacier collapse will help “bridge science and services.” She also said that this must all translate into concrete action to slow glacier retreat.
In Tajikistan specifically, Parvathy Ramaswami — the UN Resident Coordinator in the country — said that they have focused on supporting farmers through training and knowledge transfer for local communities.
“[The training] means that more children are safe from disasters, they can go to school, learn and grow,” she explained. “Families and communities become resilient and prosper.”
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (centre) with Model UN youths and Ambassador for a Day in Tajikistan.
Intergenerational conversations
In Tajikistan, the Deputy Secretary-General met with many youth climate activists. She emphasized that actions to address glacier retreat must be intergenerational, much like the conversations which the conference encouraged.
“The global decisions we are shaping today will affect [young people’s] lives. So to think that we can begin to shape a person’s future without them, really doesn’t bode well for the rights that they have to determine their future, their aspirations,” she said.
In giving advice to younger generations, she expressed hope that young activists would continue to advocate for their vision of the future.
“They should continue to raise their voices, they should continue to have their courage of conviction, they should remember that this is about a life journey and they need to make every step count.”
The majority of those killed and injured were in major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv, or in populated areas in other regions.
Meanwhile, large numbers of long-range drones launched into Russia by Ukrainian armed forces injured at least 11 civilians over the weekend, according to Russian authorities.
“It is time to put an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to commit to – and implement – a comprehensive ceasefire that stops the daily killing and destruction, and to start genuine peace negotiations, built on respect for international law,” he said.
He highlighted that – even amid ongoing hostilities – people deprived of their liberty must be protected. Summary executions, torture and all forms of inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners are always prohibited, in any circumstances, and must stop immediately.
In addition, civilian detainees should be released as soon as the lawful reason for their detention ceases to exist and their protection against refoulement must be ensured, he said.
Relief, but also loss
High Commissioner Türk welcomed the recent exchange of prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
Nearly 900 prisoners of war and 120 civilians from each side were exchanged. Most of the civilians appeared to have been detainees, but details on individuals included in the exchange are not yet available, according to his office, OHCHR.
“Many families can now breathe a sigh of relief because their loved ones have finally returned home,” Mr. Türk said.
“But at the same time, other families have lost relatives and their homes, as their communities across Ukraine came under attack.”
Impact on children
In a separate statement, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed deep concern for the impact of the latest attacks on Ukraine’s children.
Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine, said that in the past three days, at least three children were reportedly killed in Zhytomyr, and at least 13 children were injured in several regions across the country.
“Ukraine’s children have suffered for far too long. How many more futures must be stolen? The senseless violence and loss of young lives must stop,” Mr. Mammadzade said.
According to UNICEF, more than 220 children were killed or injured between January and April 2025 – a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
“Attacks on civilian areas must end, and children must always be protected,” Mr. Mammadzade emphasised. “Above all, children need an end to this war.”
At least 75 civilians have been killed in hostilities between the national army (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) – which is both a political party and militia group loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar – and their respective allied armed groups, said UN human rights office, OHCHR, in a press release.
Thousands have been displaced from their homes.
South Sudan was plunged into civil war in 2013 between supporters of the President Salva Kiir and his rival Mr. Machar but a 2018 peace accord led to a fragile power-sharing agreement.
Escalating hostilities “portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation,” said Volker Türk, head of the UN human rights office (OHCHR), urging all parties to the conflict to “urgently pull back from the brink.”
Intensifying hostilities
The latest armed violence erupted in February when a militia group identified as the White Army reportedly launched a series of attacks in Upper Nile State, OHCHR said.
Hostilities intensified between 3 May and 20 May with reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardments and river and ground offensives by the SSPDF on SPLA-IO positions in the states of Jonglei and Upper Nile.
Civilian displacement further increased on 21 May because of the SPLA-IO and allies’ counter-offensive in Jonglei State.
“I urge all parties to uphold the 2018 peace agreement,” said the UN human rights chief, calling for the warring parties to “ensure protection of civilians and civilian objects,” and facilitating “humanitarian access in line with their obligations under international law.”
Concern of arbitrary detention
Between 5 and 26 March, at least 55 high-ranking government officials affiliated with the SPLM-IP, among them civilians, have been arrested across the country. Notably, South Sudan’s first vice-president, ministers, members of parliament and military officers were among the dozens of politicians who have been detained.
“I am concerned that many of the detentions are arbitrary in nature,” Mr Türk said, as these arrests were conducted without warrant or due process.”
Mr Türk called for the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained, as he urged for authorities to grant the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) access to National Security Service detention sites to assess the welfare of those detained there.
Finally, the UN also urged the authorities to take “prompt, effective and meaningful” steps to halt the spread of hate speech in the country.
“Biodiversity is the bedrock of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development,” Mr. Guterres said.
“Yet humanity is destroying biodiversity at lightening pace, the result of pollution, climate crisis, ecosystem destruction and – ultimately – short-term interests fuelling the unsustainable use of our natural world.”
He stressed that no country, “however rich or powerful,” can address the crisis in isolation, nor thrive without the ecological richness that defines life on Earth.
Alarm bells ringing
The International Day comes amid stark concern for the future: one million species are at risk of extinction, 75 per cent of land ecosystems and two-thirds of marine environments have been significantly altered by human activity.
Furthermore, if current trends continue, progress towards eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be jeopardized.
Mr. Guterres called for urgent implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the landmark agreement adopted to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.
This includes delivering on national biodiversity action plans, scaling finance for conservation, shifting harmful subsidies, and supporting local communities, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth.
Live in harmony with nature
Biological diversity underpins food security, livelihoods, health and climate resilience.
Roughly three billion people eat fish for 20 a per cent of their animal protein intake, and 80 per cent of rural populations in developing countries rely on plant-based medicine.
Yet the destruction of natural habitats is also increasing the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, making biodiversity preservation a key factor in global health.
“Living in harmony with nature and sustainable development is humanity’s path to a better world for all,” Mr. Guterres said, echoing this year’s theme.
“Together, let us take it.”
The International Day
The UN officially designated 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2000 to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
The date marks the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.
Tom Fletcher said in a statement on Monday that nine UN trucks were cleared to enter the southern Kerem Shalom crossing earlier in the day.
“But it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed…We have been reassured that our work will be facilitated through existing, proven mechanisms. I am grateful for that reassurance, and Israel’s agreement to humanitarian notification measures that reduce the immense security threats of the operation.”
Alarm over Israeli bombardment: UN chief
The UN Secretary-General on Monday expressed his alarm over the intensifying air strikes and ground operations in Gaza “which have resulted in the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in recent days, including many women and children, and, of course, large-scale evacuation orders.”
António Guterres reiterated his call for the rapid, safe, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to civilians, in order to avert famine, alleviate widespread suffering, and prevent further loss of life.
Briefing reporters on Monday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Mr. Guterres “welcomes the ongoing efforts by the mediators to reach a deal in Gaza. He has repeatedly warned that the continued violence and the destruction will only compound civilian suffering and heighten the risk of a broader regional conflict.”
He added that the Secretary-General “firmly rejects any forced displacement of the Palestinian population.”
Minimise risk of aid theft
Relief chief Fletcher said in his statement that he was determined to ensure UN aid reaches those in greatest need and make sure that any risk of theft by Hamas or other militants battling Israeli forces in the Strip amid a new offensive, would be minimised.
He said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, had realistic expectations: “Given ongoing bombardment and acute hunger levels, the risks of looting and insecurity are significant.”
UN aid workers are committed to doing their jobs, “even against these odds,” he said, thanking humanitarian colleagues for their courage and determination.
Practical plan
“The limited quantities of aid now being allowed into Gaza are of course no substitute for unimpeded access to civilians in such dire need,” Mr. Fletcher continued.
“The UN has a clear, principled and practical plan to save lives at scale, as I set out last week.”
He called on Israeli authorities to:
Open at least two crossings into Gaza, in the north and south
Simplify and expedite procedures together with removing quotas limiting aid
Lift access impediments and cease military operations when and where aid is being delivered
Allow UN teams to cover the whole range of needs – food, water, hygiene, shelter, health, fuel and gas for cooking
Ready to respond
Mr. Fletcher said to reduce looting, there must be a regular flow of aid, and humanitarians must be permitted to use multiple routes.
“We are ready and determined to scale up our life-saving operation Gaza and respond to the needs of people, wherever they are,” he stressed – calling again for the protection of civilians, a resumption of the ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
He concluded saying the operation would be tough – “but the humanitarian community will take any opening we have.”
No aid has entered the enclave since Israel implemented a ban on 2 March and the entire population, more than two million people, is at risk of famine.
“As we demonstrated during the ceasefire this year – and every time we’ve been granted access – the United Nations and our humanitarian partners have the expertise, resolve and moral clarity to deliver aid at the scale necessary to save lives across Gaza,” said Mr. Fletcher.
Ready to move
Those proposing an alternative modality for aid distribution should not waste time, he added, as a plan already exists.
The document is “rooted in the non-negotiable principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.” Furthermore, it is backed by a coalition of donors, as well as most of the international community, and ready to be activated if humanitarians are allowed to do their jobs.
“We have the people. We have the distribution networks. We have the trust of the communities on the ground. And we have the aid itself – 160,000 pallets of it – ready to move. Now,” he said.
‘Let us work’
Mr. Fletcher reiterated that the humanitarian community has done this before and can do it again.
“We know how to get our aid supplies registered, scanned, inspected, loaded, offloaded, inspected again, loaded again, transported, stored, protected from looting, tracked, trucked, monitored and delivered – without diversion, without delay, and with dignity. We know how to reach civilians in desperate need and stave off famine.”
He concluded the statement by saying “Enough. We demand rapid, safe, and unimpeded aid delivery for civilians in need. Let us work.”
António Guterres issued the warning in a video message to the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad, or “Everest Dialogue,” convened by the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu.
“Record temperatures have meant record glacier melt,” he said.
“Nepal today is on thin ice – losing close to one-third of its ice in just over thirty years. And your glaciers have melted 65 per cent faster in the last decade than in the one before.”
Named after Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali), the international platform convened ministers, parliamentarians, climate experts, and civil society to focus on climate change, mountain ecosystems, and sustainability.
Secretary-General’s video message.
Two billion futures at stake
Glaciers in the region have served for centuries as vital freshwater reservoirs. Their accelerated melt now threatens not only local communities but vast populations downstream who rely on Himalayan-fed rivers.
Reduced water flow in river systems such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus threatens not only water but also food production for nearly two billion people across South Asia.
Combined with saltwater intrusion, this could trigger collapsing deltas and mass displacement, the UN chief warned.
“We would see low-lying countries and communities erased forever,” he said.
Children raise their voices
Ahead of the summit, Nepal’s children and youth stepped into the spotlight with their own call to action.
In a declaration submitted to the dialogue, over 100 children and young people demanded urgent and inclusive climate action that recognizes them as rights-holders and climate actors – not just passive victims.
Among their key demands: ensuring child participation in climate decisions, supporting youth-led programmes, and promoting their innovations and climate action.
“The climate crisis is a child rights crisis – disproportionately impacting their health, nutrition, education and well-being,” said Alice Akunga, head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nepal, which supported the deliberations.
“Listening to the voices of the ‘future of humanity’ is critical to designing and implementing meaningful and lasting solutions to address the adverse effects of climate change on children and youth.”
Glaciers in the high Himalayas, like those in Nepal’s Langtang region (pictured), feed major South Asian river systems sustaining tens of millions of lives and livelihoods downstream
At the time, he stood amid glacial basins in the Himalayas, warning that the “rooftops of the world” were rapidly vanishing.
“And that is why you are gathered together focused on Sambaad – dialogue,” the UN chief said on Friday, applauding Nepal’s climate leadership, including reforestation programmes, early warning systems and its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
Act now
The world must act without delay to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, he continued – the target set by the Paris Agreement on climate change – with the biggest emitters leading the way.
This includes investing in renewable energy, fulfilling the $1.3 trillion climate finance goal agreed at COP29, doubling adaptation finance to at least $40 billion this year as pledged by developed countries, and providing robust, sustained support to the Loss and Damage Fund.
“Achieving these goals demands bold collaboration,” Mr. Guterres concluded. “The United Nations is your ally in this essential task.”
“There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world,” Mr. Guterres said on Monday, during an informal UN meeting in New York focused on the use and impact of such weapons.
“Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control should be prohibited by international law.”
The two-day meeting in New York brought together Member States, academic experts and civil society representatives to examine the humanitarian and human rights risks posed by these systems.
The goal: to lay the groundwork for a legally binding agreement to regulate and ban their use.
Human control is vital
While there is no internationally accepted definition of autonomous weapon systems, they broadly refer to weapons such as advanced drones which select targets and apply force without human instruction.
The Secretary-General said in his message to the meeting that any regulations and prohibitions must make people accountable.
“Human control over the use of force is essential,” Mr. Guterres said. “We cannot delegate life-or-death decisions to machines.”
There are substantial concerns that autonomous weapon systems violate international humanitarian and human rights laws by removing human judgement from warfare.
The UN chief has called for Member States to set clear regulations and prohibitions on such systems by 2026.
Approaching a legally binding agreement
UN Member States have considered regulations for autonomous weapons systems since 2014 under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which deals with weapons that may violate humanitarian law.
Most recently, the Pact for the Future, adopted in September last year, included a call to avoid the weaponization and misuse of constantly evolving weapons technologies.
Stop Killer Robots – a coalition of approximately 270 civil society organizations – was one of the organizations speaking out during this week’s meeting.
Executive Director Nicole van Rooijen told UN News that consensus was beginning to emerge around a few key issues, something which she said was a “huge improvement.”
Specifically, there is consensus on what is known as a “two-tiered” approach, meaning that there should be both prohibitions on certain types of autonomous weapon systems and regulations on others.
However, there are still other sticking points. For example, it remains unclear what precisely characterizes an autonomous weapon system and what it would look like to legislate “meaningful human control.”
Talks so far have been consultations only and “we are not yet negotiating,” Ms. Rooijen told UN News: “That is a problem.”
‘Time is running out’
The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for a ban on autonomous weapon systems, saying that the fate of humanity cannot be left to a “black box.”
Recently, however, there has been increased urgency around this issue, in part due to the quickly evolving nature of artificial intelligence, algorithms and, therefore, autonomous systems overall.
“The cost of our inaction will be greater the longer we wait,” Ms. Rooijen told us.
Ms. Rooijen also noted that systems are becoming less expensive to develop, something which raises concerns about proliferation among both State and non-state actors.
The Secretary-General, in his comments Monday also underlined the “need for urgency” in establishing regulations around autonomous weapon systems.
“Time is running out to take preventative action,” Mr. Guterres said.
Addressing the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 in the German capital, the Secretary-General told dozens of ministers from more than 130 countries that peacekeepers remain key to “help countries move from conflict to peace.”
“In trouble spots around the world, blue helmets can mean the difference between life and death,” he insisted. “They are also a clear demonstration of the power of multilateral action to maintain, achieve and sustain peace.”
Despite the proven value of peacekeeping missions in ensuring a durable peace in countless countries from Cambodia to Liberia and Timor Leste, Mr. Guterres warned that today’s challenges have made this task much harder.
“We are now facing the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations and record numbers of people fleeing across borders in search of safety and refuge,” he said, before alluding to additional obstacles caused by an absence of political support for peacekeeping mandates.
The UN’s peacekeeping budget runs on a July-June cycle and has unpaid arrears of $2.7 billion.
Practical approach
To counter this and in the face of “dramatic financial constraints” now affecting the UN in its entirety, the Secretary-General announced an urgent review of operations to inspire a new peacekeeping model that is “fit for the future.”
In coming years, “a clear exit strategy” for peacekeepers will be key, Mr. Guterres said, as well as working with Member States and the Security Council “to ensure that any new mandates “are prioritized and achievable with the resources available.”
Other clues about what UN peacekeeping 2.0 could look like post-reform might be gleaned from the missions that the UN chief referred to in his speech in Germany.
Active missions such as UNIFIL in Lebanon have already shown that it is possible to adapt to today’s challenges while still ensuring peace and aid deliveries, Mr. Guterres noted.
And in a nod to MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, the Secretary-General highlighted its work in protecting civilians “and assisting the government to extend its reach beyond the capital where people are in desperate need.”
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, too and despite ongoing fighting there, peacekeepers from MONUSCO also remain in the field and protect vulnerable populations, the UN chief maintained.
As Member States prepared to announce financial pledges for peacekeeping on Wednesday, Mr. Guterres stressed that the overall budget for missions represented only 0.5 per cent of global military spending.
Peacekeeping “is only as strong as Member States’ commitment to it,” stressed Mr. Guterres.
Amid massive cuts to UN funding by Member States, it remains to be seen if the upbeat mood in Berlin translates into desperately needed financial support for the global body’s peacekeeping operations.
“UN peacekeeping today is more vibrant than ever,” insisted Boris Pistorius, Minister of Defence of Germany. “It is and will remain a cornerstone of international stability. Let us commit to making it even more effective for the sake of those who depend on it.”
Cutbacks
The UN chief’s push to streamline the global body comes a day after his call to push ahead with major efficiency improvements and cost-cutting in response to the chronic liquidity crisis caused by Member States falling into arrears.
Important as these sweeping structural reforms are – with potential staff downsizing of up to 20 per cent – they are not the answer to the failure of some countries to pay the Organization to fulfil the mandates they have given it, Mr. Guterres insisted.
According to information provided by the UN Controller to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), only $1.8 billion has been received against the $3.5 billion regular budget assessments for 2025 – a shortfall of around 50 per cent.
In the budget line for unpaid assessments these amounted to $2.4 billion on 30 April, with the United States owing about $1.5 billion, China $597 million, Russia $72 million, Saudi Arabia $42 million, Mexico $38 million and Venezuela $38 million. An additional $137 million has yet to be paid by other Member States.
For International Tribunals, total contributions outstanding totalled $79 million on 30 April.
At the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, Secretary General António Guterres underscored the vital role of UN peacekeeping and urged Member States to help shape peace operations fit for the future.
Briefing Member States in New York on Monday Mr. Guterres outlined wide-ranging effort to revamp how the UN system operates – cutting costs, streamlining operations, and modernizing its approach to peace and security, development and human rights.
“These are times of peril,” he said, “but they are also times of profound opportunity and obligation. The mission of the United Nations is more urgent than ever.”
Three main objectives
Launched in March, the UN80 Initiative centres on three priorities: enhancing operational efficiency, assessing how mandates – or key tasks – from Member States are implemented, and exploring structural reforms across the UN system.
The conclusions will be reflected in revised estimates for the 2026 budget in September this year, with additional changes that require more detailed analysis presented in 2027.
‘Meaningful’ budget reductions
Mr. Guterres said the changes are expected to yield “meaningful reductions” in the overall budget. For example, the departments for political and peacekeeping affairs could see a 20 per cent reduction in staff by eliminating duplication.
This level of reduction, he said, could serve as a benchmark across the UN system – while also considering unique factors for each department.
Additional examples include consolidating all counter-terrorism work within the main Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), ending building leases and relocating posts away from expensive “duty stations” where cost of living is high.
“There might be immediate, one-off costs involved in relocating staff and providing potential termination packages,” he said, “but by moving posts from high-cost locations, we can reduce our commercial footprint in those cities and reduce our post and non-post costs.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres briefs on the UN80 Initiative.
Efficiencies and upgrades
The first workstream focuses on efficiencies and improvements, developing a new model that improves consolidation, looks at centralising services, relocating to cheaper locations, and expanding the use of automation and digital platforms.
Mr. Guterres said departments the UN’s headquarters in New York and Geneva have been asked to review whether some teams can be relocated to lower-cost duty stations, reduced or abolished.
Reviewing mandates
The second workstream involves a review of how existing mandates are being carried out – not the mandates themselves, which are the purview of Member States only.
A preliminary review identified more than 3,600 unique mandates for the Secretariat alone. A full and more detailed analysis is now underway.
Mr. Guterres emphasised that the sheer number of mandates – and the bureaucracy needed to implement them – places a particular burden on smaller Member States with limited resources.
“Based on this work, Member States may wish to consider the opportunity to conduct themselves a review of the mandates,” he added.
Structural change
The third workstream – focused on structural reform – is already underway, Mr. Guterres said.
Nearly 50 initial submissions have already been received from senior UN officials, reflecting what Mr. Guterres described as “a high level of ambition and creativity.”
Key work areas have been identified for review. These include peace and security, development, human rights, humanitarian, training and research and specialised agencies.
A wide view of the informal meeting of the General Assembly plenary that heard a briefing by the Secretary-General on the UN80 Initiative.
Not an answer to liquidity crisis
Mr. Guterres also touched on the UN dire cashflow situation, noting that the initiative “is not an answer” to the months-long liquidity crisis but by being more cost effective, it should help limit the impact.
“The liquidity crisis is caused by one simple fact – the arrears,” he said, adding that structural reform is not the answer to a fundamental failure by some Member States to pay what they owe on time to meet running costs.
Unpaid dues
According to information provided by the UN Controller to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), only $1.8 billion has been received against the $3.5 billion regular budget assessments for 2025 – a shortfall of around 50 per cent.
As of 30 April, unpaid assessments stood at $2.4 billion, with the United States owing about $1.5 billion, China ($597 million), Russia ($72 million), Saudi Arabia ($42 million), Mexico ($38 million), and Venezuela ($38 million). An additional $137 million is yet to be paid by other Member States.
For the peacekeeping budget (which runs on a July-June cycle), including prior-period arrears, the unpaid amount totals $2.7 billion. For the International Tribunals, total contribution outstanding was $79 million as of 30 April.
Close consultation
The Secretary-General told Member States he would be consulting with them closely and regularly on the cash crisis and needed reforms, seeking guidance and presenting concrete proposals for countries to act on.
UN staff members and their representatives are being consulted and listened to, he added: “Our concern is to be humane and professional in dealing with any aspect of the required restructuring.”
In conclusion, he highlighted that the UN80 Initiative is a “significant opportunity” to strengthen the UN system and deliver for those who depend on it.
In response to the suggestion that the UN should focus on just the one key pillar of peace and security, he said it would be wrong to ditch development and human rights – all three are essential he underscored.
“Let us seize this momentum with urgency and determination, and work together to build the strongest and most effective United Nations for today and tomorrow.”
The UN chief warned that any further escalation of the conflict could result in massive civilian casualties and worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation across the country.
“The expansion of the conflict into an area that has served as a place of refuge for a large number of displaced people is alarming,” he said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson’s office.
Mr. Guterres’s appeal follows days of drone strikes on key infrastructure in Port Sudan that have opened a new front in the fighting between forces of the military government and heavily armed paramilitaries.
The city is a main entry point for relief supplies, hosting airports and direct access to the Red Sea. It is also a shelter for hundreds of thousands of displaced people and the seat of government after generals lost control of the capital Khartoum to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Aid flights suspended
In response to the drone attacks, flights of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to and from Port Sudan have been suspended since 4 May.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) which manages the airline said that operations will resume as soon as conditions allow. For the moment, amid reported gun and weapons fire overnight, the insecurity has impacted the movement of aid workers into Sudan and across the country.
A country in flux
Drone strikes have also been reported elsewhere in Sudan, including the states of Kassala and River Nile. In Kassala, strikes near the airport displaced about 2,900 people and led to the temporary suspension or relocation of some aid activities, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
As of Wednesday evening, River Nile State was still without power following a drone strike on the transformer station in Atbara on 25 April. The outage has contributed to growing fuel and bread shortages and long queues at petrol stations and bakeries.
The situation remains dire across Sudan, the UN chief continued, citing intense attacks on critical infrastructure since January that have hampered people’s access to essential services and left them without food, clean water, healthcare and electricity.
“All parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” Mr. Guterres insisted. “They must not direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects; must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental civilian casualties; and must allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.”
Sudan’s war stems from the breakdown in the transition to civilian rule following the overthrow in April 2019 of Omar al-Bashir, who had been president for 30 years.
Mr. Guterres decried a “lack of political will” by the warring parties to engage in constructive dialogue as they pursued their military goals.
“Dialogue is the only way to achieve the peace that the people of Sudan demand,” the Secretary-General insisted.
A hunger catastrophe
The turmoil caused by relentless heavy fighting across Sudan has reportedly killed more than 18,800 civilians and injured tens of thousands more. UN aid agencies say that the country’s people are in the grip of the largest hunger catastrophe on the planet.
Today, more than half of Sudan’s population – 30.4 million people – need humanitarian assistance, including more than 15 million children. They lack access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education and healthcare, aid veterans have warned repeatedly.
“Across Sudan, 25 million people face acute hunger,” WFP spokesperson Leni Kinzli told UN News. “And people are displaced across the country, nearly 13 million people forced from their homes. We are seeing waves of displacement in North Darfur,where around 450,000 people have fled horrific levels of violence.”
Reaching those in need
Despite the dangers, UN agencies and partners are doing everything they can to reach the most vulnerable uprooted by intensifying attacks on government-controlled El Fasher town and Zamzam displacement camp.
“We’ve distributed assistance food assistance and emergency food packages to 335,000 people who recently fled that violence in and around El Fasher,” Ms. Kinzli explained. “We are also ramping up assistance in Khartoum, aiming to support one million people across the coming month.”
Distributions are ongoing in Jabalia, in the South of Khartoum, which is one of the risk of famine areas, as well as the central Khartoum neighbourhood of Burri, “where we finally reached the centre of the city…just last week”, the WFP officer noted.
To reach 21 million people in desperate need this year the UN needs $4.2 billion which is only seven per cent funded.
And over the next six months, WFP requires around $700 million to ramp up assistance and expand assistance to seven million people per month.
“We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He cautioned that abrupt withdrawals of funding are jeopardising hard-won medical progress, including efforts to combat tropical diseases, which are now re-emerging in some regions.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he told journalists at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
Outbreaks intensify
Since January, Angola has been facing its worst cholera outbreaks in 20 years, with over 17,000 cases and more than 550 deaths recorded so far.
Inadequate access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation is fuelling the outbreak.
As WHO and partners carry out a large-scale vaccination campaign on the ground, one of their priorities is to bring the death rate down, said Tedros.
Amid funding cuts, advances in tackling neglected tropical diseases affecting over one billion people, are disproportionately impacting the poorest and most marginalized communities.
Reduced access
In many countries where insecurity is rife and hospitals are being targeted, access to healthcare has been severely reduced, Tedros continued.
On April 22, one of Haiti’s largest public hospitals, Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, was forced to shut down due to violence. In the capital Port-au-Prince, more than 40 per cent of health facilities remain closed, he said.
Needless deaths
Turning to the Gaza blockade, he said the situation there was “catastrophically bad,” with the violence “driving an influx of casualties to a health system that is already on its knees.”
While essential medicines, and trauma and medical supplies, are running out, “people are dying from preventable diseases while medicines wait at the border,” said Tedros.
Reiterating the UN’s call for a ceasefire, Tedros added that “peace is the best medicine.”
“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” Volker Türk said in a statement calling for an end to the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and former ally the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now in its third year.
He noted that three days ago, the RSF launched coordinated attacks from multiple directions on the North Darfur capital El Fasher and nearby Abu Shouk camp, killing at least 40 civilians.
Fear of more bloodshed
This brings the confirmed number of civilians killed in the region to at least 542 in just the last three weeks, he said, although the actual death toll is likely much higher.
“My fears are all the greater given the ominous warning by the RSF of ‘bloodshed’ ahead of imminent battles with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their associated armed movements,” Mr. Türk said.
“Everything must be done to protect civilians trapped amid dire conditions in and around El Fasher.”
Stop the fighting
Furthermore, reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state are also extremely disturbing, he added.
The High Commissioner said he has personally alerted both leaders of the RSF and SAF to the catastrophic human rights consequences of the war.
“These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese. It is well past time for this conflict to stop,” he said.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, was in Cairo this week where he met with senior Egyptian officials, including Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, to discuss the Sudan crisis.
“They shared the view that an inclusive Sudanese-led political path is needed to restore peace in the country, preserving the unity of Sudan, its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking on Thursday in New York.
Mr. Lamamra also exchanged views with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, on coordinating efforts between the UN, the Arab League and concerned multilateral organizations to advance a lasting peace in Sudan.
In a powerful statement on Thursday, Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, condemned Israel’s decision to halt humanitarian assistance as a “cruel collective punishment” of the Palestinian population.
“Two months ago, the Israeli authorities took a deliberate decision to block all aid to Gaza and halt our efforts to save survivors of their military offensive,” said Mr Fletcher. “They have been bracingly honest that this policy is to pressurise Hamas.”
‘Blocking aid kills’
While reaffirming the urgent need for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 – who “should never have been taken from their families,” – the UN relief chief stressed that “international law is unequivocal: As the occupying power, Israel must allow humanitarian support in.”
“Aid, and the civilian lives it saves, should never be a bargaining chip,” he added. “Blocking aid kills.”
Mr Fletcher warned that the aid blockade “starves civilians”, denies them basic medical services, and “strips them of dignity and hope.”
He underscored the neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian efforts, adding: “We believe that all civilians are equally worthy of protection. We remain ready to save as many lives as we can, despite the risks.”
Let us save lives
However, the latest delivery mechanism proposed by Israel, he said, “does not meet the minimum bar for principled humanitarian support.”
“To the Israeli authorities, and those who can still reason with them, we say again: lift this brutal blockade. Let humanitarians save lives,” he pleaded.
Addressing civilians in Gaza, Mr Fletcher said: “No apology can suffice… But I am truly sorry that we are unable to move the international community to prevent this injustice. We won’t give up.”
