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Yemen: UN Sounds Alarm as Famine, Fighting, Detentions Exacerbate Crisis

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UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Monday that the turmoil in Yemen cannot be seen in isolation.

“Yemen is both a mirror and a magnifier of the region’s volatility,” he said, noting that progress toward peace is hampered by regional rivalries, cross-border dynamics, and internal divisions.

Mr. Grundberg highlighted a dangerous escalation in hostilities, noting repeated attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure. Military clashes in Al Dhale’, Ma’rib, and Ta’iz underscore the risk that miscalculations could trigger a return to full-scale conflict.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have been fighting Yemeni Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, for control of the country for over a decade.

Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, briefs the Security Council on the situation in Yemen. He warned that Yemen’s conflict is unravelling within an already volatile regional landscape.

© UNICEF/Ahmed Al-Basha A girl and her brother walk home after attending classes at a UNICEF-supported educational tent. Millions of children in Yemen are out of school due to displacement and conflict-damaged schools. (file photo)

“Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, we are seeing an alarming and dangerous intensification of hostilities between Ansar Allah and Israel,” he said, noting that a number of civilians were reportedly killed and injured, and critical infrastructure struck.

The Special Envoy warned that the current cycle of violence is dragging Yemen further from a peace process that could deliver sustainable, long-term peace and economic growth.

“This escalatory cycle must end…we need to get the focus back on Yemen – focus on both its internal challenges and on unlocking its great potential,” he stressed.

Spiralling humanitarian situation

The humanitarian situation is equally dire. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told the Council that Yemen remains the third most food-insecure country in the world, with 17 million people already struggling to eat and an additional one million expected to face extreme hunger before February next year.

“Seventy per cent of households do not have enough food to meet daily needs – this is the highest rate ever recorded,” he said.

Mr. Fletcher highlighted that one in five households goes a full day without any food, while two million women and girls have lost access to reproductive health services amid funding shortfalls.

Despite funding gaps and a challenging operating environment, humanitarians continue to deliver aid where possible. In Hajjah, Amran, and Ma’rib, organizations have provided food, water, health, and nutrition services to tens of thousands.

More than 172,000 people affected by flooding received non-food items, shelter, hygiene kits, and clean water.

But Mr. Fletcher warned that ongoing hostilities, infrastructure damage, and the detention of UN staff severely hamper operations.

Twenty-two UN personnel have been recently arbitrarily detained by Ansar Allah; though one staff member was released, over 40 remain in detention, including a colleague who died while in custody.

Both top UN officials emphasised the urgent need for dialogue and adherence to international law. Special Envoy Grundberg urged Yemeni leaders to step back from unilateral actions and pursue a nationwide ceasefire, economic reforms, and inclusive political engagement.

Mr. Fletcher called for the immediate release of all detained aid workers and a secure operating environment, warning that funding cuts and conflict-related obstacles are costing lives.

“Detaining humanitarian staff does not help the people of Yemen. It does not feed the hungry, heal the sick, nor protect those displaced by floods or fighting,” he said.

“The people of Yemen, wherever they may live, must receive the humanitarian aid that they need. They deserve a future of greater security, justice and opportunity.”

WHO sounds alarm as mental health conditions soar past one billion worldwide

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Disorders such as anxiety and depression are exacting a heavy toll on individuals, families and economies, yet most countries are failing to provide adequate support.

Mental health problems are widespread across every society and age group and remain the second leading cause of long-term disability. They drive up healthcare costs for families and governments while costing the global economy an estimated $1 trillion each year in lost productivity, UN health experts said.

Way off track

The findings are detailed in two new reports: World mental health today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024.

Together, they show that while there has been some progress since 2020, the world is still far off track in tackling the scale of the crisis. The reports will help to inform debate at a UN high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health, to be held late this month in New York.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities and economies, an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every leader has a responsibility to act urgently and to ensure mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right.”

Troubling gaps, uneven progress

The reports highlight several stark findings:

  • Women are disproportionately affected by mental health conditions, with anxiety and depression most common among both sexes.
  • Suicide claimed an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 and is a leading cause of death among young people. On current trends, the world will fall far short of the UN target to reduce suicide deaths by a third by 2030, managing only a 12 per cent reduction.
  • Median government spending on mental health remains at just two per cent of health budgets, unchanged since 2017. While high-income countries spend up to $65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as four cents.
  • The mental health workforce is dangerously thin in many regions. There are just 13 mental health workers for every 100,000 people worldwide.
  • Fewer than one in 10 countries has fully moved to community-based care, with most still relying heavily on psychiatric hospitals. Almost half of inpatient admissions are involuntary, and more than one in five patients remain hospitalised for over a year.

Despite these challenges, there have been some positive developments. More countries are integrating mental health into primary healthcare and expanding early intervention programmes in schools and communities.

Over 80 per cent of countries now include mental health and psychosocial support in emergency response, up from less than 40 per cent in 2020. Telehealth services are also becoming more widely available, though access is still uneven.

Call for systemic change

WHO is urging governments to step up investment and reform, warning that the current pace of progress is too slow to meet global goals. Key priorities include:

  • Fairer financing of mental health services
  • Stronger legal protection and rights-based legislation
  • Greater investment in the mental health workforce
  • Accelerated shift towards community-based, person-centred care

The UN health agency stresses that mental health should be treated as a fundamental human right. Without urgent action, millions will continue to suffer without support, and societies will bear rising social and economic costs.

For more information on how the UN overall is advocating for more resources to support mental health and wellbeing, check out this story from our colleagues at www.un.org. 

Sudan: UN sounds the alarm as health and food crises worsen across the country

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As conflict between rival militaries rages on, millions of people keep on being displaced.

While the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance to newly displaced families in North Darfur, “nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support,” said Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, at a daily press briefing on Monday.

In Abu Shouk camp in El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, displaced families are facing acute shortages of food and medicine, with local sources reporting four hunger-related deaths last week, as food insecurity continues to worsen across the entire country.

In North Darfur state notably, low cereal supply, poor harvests and a prolonged food deficit have severely affected food availability.

Health crisis

Meanwhile, cholera cases continue to rise in Tawila. More than 1,500 suspected and confirmed serious infections have been reported since June, with over 500 people currently receiving treatment.

While local authorities have introduced emergency measures, including market closures and a ban on public gatherings, humanitarian organizations urgently require $120 million to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the next three months.

“This funding is essential to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services,” according to OCHA.

Meanwhile, in Port Sudan, the main entry point for humanitarian personnel and supplies, a sharp increase in heatstroke cases linked to extreme temperature and prolonged power outages is raising concerns, as one death was recorded over the past two days.

Food crisis

In El Fasher, food prices continue to rise to alarming levels.  The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has  already identified famine conditions in multiple areas of North Darfur and the eastern Nuba Mountains, with more locations at risk.

In May, the average cost of the local food basket in El Fasher was more than six times the national average, as the city recorded the highest prices for nearly all essential items among assessed localities.

An IPC alert earlier this month noted that Sudan’s food security and nutrition situation is set to further deteriorate over the lean season from July to October, notably in areas of active conflict with limited access and experiencing high levels of displacement. 

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UN sounds alarm over Syria as sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes escalate

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The Druze-majority Sweida governorate, long relatively insulated from earlier phases of Syria’s 14‑year conflict, has now become a flashpoint.

Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary‑General Khaled Khiari painted a grim picture: hundreds of casualties among soldiers and civilians –including women, children and the elderly – alongside reports of mass displacement, attacks on infrastructure, and hospitals “at or near capacity” amid power and water cuts.

“There were further alarming reports of civilians, religious figures and detainees being subjected to extrajudicial executions and humiliating and degrading treatment,” he said.

Violent reprisals and looting have devastated communities, with graphic footage circulating widely on social media amplifying fear and anger.

He urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Timeline of escalation

12 July: Series of mutual kidnappings in Sweida escalate into armed clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze armed groups.

14 July: Syrian security forces deploy to “halt clashes” and “restore order”. At least 10 personnel reportedly killed by Druze armed groups, others abducted. Reports surface of the abuses against civilians as forces enter Sweida.

Clashes intensify, leaving hundreds dead or wounded among security forces and Druze fighters, casualties also reported among Druze and Bedouin civilians, including women, children and the elderly. Sectarian rhetoric surges on social media.

15-16 July: Hundreds of Druze from the occupied Syrian Golan and Syria gather on both sides of the ceasefire line, in the presence of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), expressing solidarity with the Druze community in Sweida.

Israeli airstrikes compound crisis

Against this backdrop, Israel, “pledging to protect” the Druze community launched “escalatory” strikes on Syrian territory, Mr. Khiari said.

Between 12 and 16 July, air raids targeted Damascus authorities’ forces and official buildings, military installations and the vicinity of the Presidential Palace.

“In addition to violating Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Israel’s actions undermine efforts to build a new Syria at peace with itself and the region, and further destabilise Syria at a sensitive time,” Mr. Khiari said.

He urged both Israel and Syria to uphold the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement and “refrain from any action that would further undermine it and the stability on the Golan.”

A wide view of the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria.

Humanitarian fallout

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) there are severe disruption to supply routes, with insecurity and road closures blocking aid deliveries. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) dispatched trauma care supplies to Daraa, but Sweida remains inaccessible.

Mr. Khiari stressed the need for humanitarian access and called on Damascus to ensure any investigations into alleged abuses are “transparent and in line with international standards.”

Call for genuine reconciliation

Reaffirming the Security Council’s March call for an inclusive, Syrian-owned political process under resolution 2254, Mr. Khiari warned: “Security and stability in Sweida, and indeed in post-Assad Syria can only be achieved through genuine reconciliation and with the participation of all components of Syria’s diverse society.”

He urged all Syrian stakeholders to commit to dialogue and emphasised the UN’s support for an inclusive and credible political transition that ensures accountability, fosters national healing and lays the foundation for Syria’s long-term recovery and prosperity.

“Only then, can Syria truly emerge from the legacy of conflict and embrace a peaceful future,” he concluded.

ASG Khiari briefs the Security Council.

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UN rights office sounds the alarm over forced displacement in the West Bank

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Israeli authorities have stepped up measures to transfer large numbers of people from long-standing Palestinian towns and communities, according to OHCHR’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

On 18 June, the High Planning Council in the Israeli Civil Administration issued a directive to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, in the area referred by the Israeli authorities as Firing Zone 918.

The decision was based on the grounds that the Israeli army needs the area for “military training,” the rights office said.

Demolitions on the rise

In recent months, Israel has dramatically ramped up home demolitions, as well as the arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of Palestinians and human rights defenders. This is happening alongside intensifying movement restrictions in and around Masafer Yatta, to force Palestinians out, the office noted.

At the same time, Israeli settlers from nearby outposts have carried out daily attacks and harassment of Palestinians, including older people, women and children, to force them to leave.

“The recent directive by the Israeli Civil Administration effectively paves the way for the Israeli army to demolish existing structures in the area and expel the approximately 1,200 Palestinians, who have been living there for decades,” OHCHR said.

“This would amount to forcible transfer, which is a war crime. It could also amount to a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.”

Some 6,463 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced following the demolition of their homes by Israel between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2025, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA,

This figure does not include the approximately 40,000 Palestinians displaced from three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem as a result of intensive Israeli operations in the northern West Bank since January.

During the same period, over 2,200 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions.

More communities at risk

OHCHR added that countless other Palestinian communities face the same fate of forced displacement. It said that on 10 June, the Jerusalem municipality reportedly issued demolition notices for the entire village of An Nu’man, home to 150 people. 

The village, which is located near Bethlehem, was cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the construction of the separation wall and incorporated into Israel’s unilaterally declared boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality. Most Palestinians were not provided with Jerusalem identification cards, effectively rendering them unable to access services in either East Jerusalem or the rest of the West Bank. 

“These demolition notices appear to be another step by Israel to compound the coercive environment and forcibly transfer Palestinians from the village and consolidate the annexation of this land,” the office said.

Evictions in East Jerusalem

Meanwhile, Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem also face the ongoing threat of forced eviction from their homes and lands. 

OHCHR said that on 16 and 22 June, the Israeli Supreme Court endorsed the eviction of five Palestinian families, 37 people, from their homes in the Batn El Hawa neighbourhood of Silwan based on discriminatory laws that permit Jewish individuals to reclaim property lost in the 1948 war, while denying Palestinians the same rights. 

Additionally, the Israel Land Authority issued eviction notices on 11 June for residencies in Umm Tuba.  The 150 Palestinians affected were informed that the land was registered to the Jewish National Fund under the “settlement of land title”. 

“These evictions form part of a concerted campaign by the Israeli State and settler organisations, which target Palestinian neighbourhoods to seize Palestinian homes and expand Jewish settlements,” OHCHR said.

The office stressed that these acts violate international law, which prohibits the confiscation of private property in occupied territory, as highlighted by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last July. 

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Why is the manosphere on the rise? UN Women sounds the alarm over online misogyny

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With more than 5.5 billion people connected online – nearly all of them active on social media – digital platforms have become central to how people interact, UN Women highlights.

However, they are also being weaponised to spread misogyny and hate. Once confined to fringe internet forums, the manosphere now reaches into schoolyards, workplaces, and is sometimes upending intimate personal relationships.

“We are seeing an increasing trend of young men and boys looking to influencers for guidance on issues like dating, fitness, and fatherhood,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Section at UN Women.

Looking for answers to feel more secure about themselves, these boys encounter “strength” in online communities who also promote harmful attitudes that distort masculinity and fuel misogyny.

Boys are looking for ‘validation online’

“These spaces are really taking advantage of those insecurities and a need for validation…very often circulating messages that are very dismissive of women and girls’ positions in society and are often very misogynistic, portraying a very bad picture of women’s rights activists, for example,” Ms. Mingeirou told UN News.

According to the Movember Foundation, a leading men’s health organization and partner of UN Women, two-thirds of young men regularly engage with masculinity influencers online.

While some content offers genuine support, much of it promotes extreme language and sexist ideology, reinforcing the idea that men are victims of feminism and modern social change.

The most recent UN Secretary-General’s report on violence against women and girls notes that groups within the manosphere are united in their rejection of feminism and their portrayal of women as manipulative or dangerous.

These narratives are increasingly being amplified by social media algorithms that reward provocative and polarizing content.

Misogynistic content harms girls and boys

Stressing that anonymity makes amplification of sexist and hate speech on platforms easier, Ms. Mingeirou told us the abuse not only damages their mental and physical wellbeing but also poses “a serious risk for democracy in general”.

“Women and girls are feeling less comfortable to be exposed to the risks and threats when they engage in digital platforms – and we often see women journalists, women politicians who tend to not engage, because they are afraid of the impact it has on them”.

Underlying that stereotypes create anxiety and harm boys and men alike, Ms. Mingeirou added that safe spaces need to be created, so everyone can look for guidance without being subjected to harmful content.

A threat beyond the internet

The manosphere’s toxic narratives are no longer confined to obscure online spaces. Their influence is seeping into broader culture and politics, trivializing gender-based violence and reinforcing discriminatory stereotypes.

In extreme cases, these ideologies intersect with other forms of radicalization, including racism, homophobia, and authoritarianism. Misogyny online quickly becomes misogyny offline.

“We have growing evidence that in some of the community mass shootings or extreme incidents against the community, very often the perpetrators were also heavily engaged in such misogynistic online platforms, conveying messaging connecting with broader ideologies that puts all of us at risk”, Ms. Mingeirou continued.

These communities do not all speak with one voice, but they are united in portraying feminism as dangerous, women as manipulative, and men as victims of social change. Their ideas are gaining ground, particularly among boys and young men, amplified by algorithms that prioritize sensational and extreme content. The manosphere’s narratives are no longer confined to niche corners of the internet. They are shaping how people think, how they vote, and how they treat others.

© Unsplash/John Schnobrich

With more than 5.5 billion people connected online, digital platforms have become central to how people interact.

A rights-based response

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Women is warning that the rise of online misogyny poses a direct threat to the progress made toward gender equality.

In response, the agency is scaling up efforts to counter toxic digital environments. Their multi-pronged approach includes:

  • Research and data collection on the spread and impact of online hate.
  • Policy advocacy for digital safety and regulation.
  • Support for survivors of online abuse.
  • Public education campaigns challenging toxic masculinity.
  • Youth-focused programming aimed at building digital resilience and promoting gender equality.
  • Calling on the media to take a more active role in addressing this issue.

Education as Prevention

Ultimately, education is one of the most effective tools for dismantling the foundation of misogynistic ideology. Talking to children and adolescents about gender equality, healthy relationships, and digital citizenship is crucial to preventing harmful attitudes from taking root.

“It’s not just about protecting girls,” Ms. Mingeirou said. “It’s about creating a world where boys and girls alike can grow up free from the toxic pressures of harmful gender expectations.”

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World Environment Day: UN sounds alarm on plastic pollution crisis

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Between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, and without urgent action, this figure is expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2040.

Plastic pollution is contaminating every corner of the planet, threatening ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Microplastics are found in food, water and air, with the average person estimated to ingest over 50,000 plastic particles each year, and far more when inhalation is included.

If the climate crisis goes unaddressed, with plastic pollution as a major driver, air pollution levels exceeding safe thresholds could rise by 50 per cent within a decade. Meanwhile, plastic pollution in marine and freshwater environments may triple by 2040.

Global action day

To rally momentum, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is leading the 52nd annual World Environment Day on 5 June, the world’s largest platform for environmental outreach.

This year’s commemoration is hosted by Jeju, Republic of Korea, under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution. Since launching in 2018, the UNEP-led campaign has advocated for a just and inclusive transition away from plastic dependency.

The day brings together governments, businesses, communities, and individuals in a shared mission to protect and restore the planet, while advancing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those linked to climate action and sustainable consumption.

Towards a treaty

A major focus of the day is the ongoing push for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Countries are currently negotiating an international, legally binding agreement, with the next round of talks scheduled for August.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an “ambitious, credible and just agreement” that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics, reflects community needs, aligns with the SDGs and is implemented quickly and fully.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen echoed the call, urging nations to unite around innovative solutions and alternatives to plastic use.

World Environment Day serves as a catalyst for action, driving attention toward the UN Environment Assembly later this year – where hopes are high that nations will finalise concrete steps to curb plastic pollution and address the broader climate emergency. 

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Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

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Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity.

“The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said.

“Those who will die as a result need us to act.”

Chilling numbers

According to UN figures, civilians accounted for most of the deaths in 14 armed conflicts last year, while displacement reached a record 122 million people globally.

Attacks on hospitals, schools, water systems and power grids also surged, leaving millions without essential services.

UN staff members and aid workers were caught in the crossfire, with over 360 aid workers killed – at least 200 in Gaza and at least 54 in Sudan – mostly national staff.

Warfare transforming

Mr. Fletcher warned that new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming warfare in ways that could further erode human oversight and legal accountability, while proliferation of misinformation is costing lives.

“False narratives and disinformation have undermined humanitarian operations and eroded trust in humanitarian actors…while those trying to report on the plight of civilians were also harmed,” he said.

According to UNESCO, the UN focal agency on protection of the press, at least 53 journalists were killed in armed conflict last year.

“We are witnessing, therefore, an unravelling of the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.”

Women’s bodies are battlegrounds

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous expanded on the gendered dimensions of civilian harm, saying over 612 million women and girls are living in conflict zones today.

They are not simply collateral damage but direct targets of bombs, missiles and policies.

“Conflict-related sexual violence is a protection crisis that warrants its own attention,” she said, describing a growing pattern of “reproductive violence” and pointing to blockades on medical supplies, bombed maternity wards and skyrocketing maternal death.

In Gaza, over 28,000 women and girls have been killed since October 2023 – an average of one every hour, she said.

“Tens of thousands have given birth under bombardment and siege, without anaesthetics, without postpartum care or clean water, and while being malnourished, displaced and traumatised.”

Destruction in northern Gaza.

Hold perpetrators accountable

Ms. Bahous urged the Security Council to recognise reproductive violence as a distinct category of harm and bring those responsible to justice.

She also highlighted the mental health impacts of conflict on women and girls – from depression and trauma to domestic violence and suicidal thoughts.

The threats extend into the digital sphere, where women activists and journalists are being pushed out of public life by online abuse, deepfakes and disinformation campaigns.

Enforce compliance with law

Both Mr. Fletcher and Ms. Bahous called for urgent action.

UN Member States must enforce compliance with international humanitarian law, fight impunity, and empower civilians – especially women – as agents of their own protection and bringing change.

Mr. Fletcher emphasised that even lawful military actions can cause disproportionate civilian suffering.

“[We need a] more comprehensive and people-centred approach,” he said, urging strong policy and operational measures to protect civilians and a deeper understanding of patterns of life and harm.

A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.

Protection and peace inseparable

Recalling Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, Ms. Bahous called for sustained investment in women’s organizations, which are on the frontlines – protecting civilians – men, women, children and the elderly alike.

“Yet, they are under siege,” she said, noting that continued funding cuts will cost us the very women driving peace and recovery in the world’s most fragile contexts.

She concluded stressing that protection of women and their participation in peace “are inseparable”.

“The most effective shield we can offer women and girls is their own power, their own voices, and their own leadership…there is no pathway to peace that does not begin with the protection of women and girls.”

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‘On thin ice’: UN chief sounds alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt

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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

Stop the madness

In his message, Mr. Guterres reiterated his call on the world to “stop the madness” of fossil fuel-driven global warming, a warning he made during his previous visit to the Everest region in 2023.

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.”