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UN’s Guterres condemns gang attack in Haiti that killed at least 40

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Representational Picture: Civilians left with no space safe to live in Haiti

The overnight assault on September 11 is the latest in a string of brutal incidents and ongoing gang violence that have plagued Haiti since last year.  In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres expressed “condolences” to the victims’ families and urged Haitian authorities to pursue justice.

“The Secretary-General is alarmed by the levels of violence rocking Haiti,” said Stéphane Dujarric. “He calls on Member States to expedite support for the Multinational Security Support mission to assist the Haitian National Police.”

Just two weeks ago, Mr. Guterres addressed the UN Security Council, painting a grim picture of Haiti’s unraveling state. “State authority is crumbling,” he said, as armed groups tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and surrounding regions, forcing families to flee and disrupting daily life.

With six million people in need of aid and 1.3 million displaced, Haiti’s humanitarian crisis is deepening. Yet less than 10 percent of the $908 million appeal has been funded. “Shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded,” the UN chief said, warning that 1.7 million people may receive no assistance at all.

Violence unabated turns risky in future

The latest massacre in Labodrie, where dozens were killed this week, underscores the growing brutality of gangs such as Viv Ansanm, which now dominate major neighborhoods and supply routes. Kidnappings, extortion, and targeted attacks have surged, forcing families to abandon homes and seek refuge in makeshift shelters.

Since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has struggled to restore political order. A Transitional Presidential Council governs today, but its legitimacy is widely questioned. Elections have been repeatedly delayed, fueling frustration and allowing gangs to fill the vacuum.

The Haitian National Police remain outnumbered and outgunned, even as international backers try to bolster its capacity. A U.N.-authorized security mission led by Kenya has deployed, but with limited personnel and resources, its ability to restore order remains in doubt. Proposals to expand the force to 5,500 troops are still under discussion.

The humanitarian fallout is staggering. According to U.N. estimates, nearly 1.3 million Haitians are displaced within the country. Food insecurity has reached emergency levels, with shortages worsened by blocked roads, gang control of supply chains, and inflation that has put basic staples out of reach for many. Hospitals and clinics are closing or operating at half capacity due to insecurity and lack of supplies.

International donors, including the United States, Canada, and members of CARICOM, have pledged support, but relief has been slow to materialize on the ground. Washington sees the crisis not only as a humanitarian catastrophe but also as a potential migration trigger that could push thousands toward U.S. shores.

Analysts warn that without a decisive and coordinated effort, Haiti risks sliding further into state collapse. “The longer the vacuum persists, the more gangs will consolidate power and the harder it will be to rebuild institutions,” a regional expert noted.

For now, ordinary Haitians face the brunt of the crisis, caught between a fragile state, predatory gangs, and an international community struggling to mount an effective response.

 

Leadership of women crucial to UN’s reinvention at 80, says former Assembly President

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On Tuesday, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock will become the first European woman to hold the post and only the fifth female President in the Assembly’s history.

On the eve of Baerbock’s inauguration, UN News spoke with one of her predecessors. María Fernanda Espinosa, a former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, led the Assembly from 2018 to 2019 as the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to do so.

Hard work and skilled diplomacy

Espinosa described the General Assembly as “the laboratory of international law,” noting that the role of President demands “hard work, good diplomacy, and the ability to conduct fair negotiations.”

The last woman to preside over the Assembly said she sees in Annalena Baerbock all the qualities needed for a “brilliant performance” as the next President. She stressed that the German leader takes office at a time of “profound structural change within the institution, linked in part to financial challenges.”

Espinosa believes Baerbock will play an “absolutely central” role in implementing reforms under the UN80 process, as well as advancing commitments related to the Pact for the Future, adopted in 2024.

For Espinosa, the UN’s own history proves that it is “an irreplaceable organization, one humanity cannot do without – but which nonetheless must be reinvented.”

Annalena Baerbock, President-elect of the eightieth session of the UN General Assembly, addresses the reporters following her election.

‘Why not a woman as Secretary-General?’

While welcoming the election of the Assembly’s fifth female President in New York, Espinosa said this restructuring also provides an opportunity to rethink leadership styles and to finally consider a woman for the post of Secretary-General. The next appointment is expected in 2026.

“The real question is: why not?” she asked, stressing that a woman could bring qualities such as “strong management and bridge-building.” She added that a female Secretary-General would also represent an act of “historic justice,” after 80 years of male leadership at the UN’s helm.

The former Ecuadorian diplomat acknowledged one of the UN’s biggest challenges: the gap between resolutions adopted in the General Assembly and their translation into national policies and regulations. This, she said, prevents multilateral decisions from producing tangible improvements in people’s lives.

To address this, she called for a “more inclusive and networked multilateralism,” in which citizens are informed about, engaged with, and able to monitor the international decisions being made.

Building consensus behind the scenes

Espinosa emphasized that “most of the work of the Presidency takes place behind the scenes,” dealing with divisions and forging consensus.

She noted that the incoming President will increasingly face responsibilities linked to peace and security, as well as sustainable development.

Espinosa recalled that the very first resolution adopted by the General Assembly concerned the discovery of atomic energy, underscoring the need to adapt to a new force that could be harnessed for peaceful purposes but also cause “terrible effects.”

She highlighted defining moments during her own presidency, including the difficult negotiations that led to the adoption of the first Global Compact for Migration in 2018.

The diplomat also expressed pride in internal advances, such as the decision to phase out single-use plastics at the UN, recognizing the harm they cause to human health and ecosystems. 

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UN’s Guterres declares fossil fuel era fading; presses nations for new climate plans before COP30 summit

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In a special address at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Guterres cited surging clean energy investment and plunging solar and wind costs that now outcompete fossil fuels.

“The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough,” he said.

The speech, A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the Clean Energy Age – a follow‑up to last year’s Moment of Truth – was delivered alongside a new UN technical report drawing on global energy and finance bodies.

“Just follow the money,” Mr. Guterres said, noting that $2 trillion flowed into clean energy last year, $800 billion more than fossil fuels and up almost 70 per cent in a decade.

Key points from the address

  • Point of no return – The world has irreversibly shifted towards renewables, with fossil fuels entering their decline
  • Clean energy surge – $2 trillion invested in clean energy last year, $800 billion more than fossil fuels
  • Cost revolution – Solar now 41 per cent cheaper and offshore wind 53 per cent cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.
  • Global challenge – Calls on G20 nations to align new national climate plans with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement
  • Energy security – Renewables ensure “real energy sovereignty”
  • Six opportunity areas – Climate plan ambition, modern grids, sustainable demand, just transition, trade reform, and finance for emerging markets.

A shift in possibility

He noted new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) showing solar, once four times costlier, is now 41 per cent cheaper than fossil fuels.

Similarly, offshore wind is 53 per cent cheaper, with more than 90 per cent of new renewables worldwide beating the cheapest new fossil alternative.

“This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility,” he said.

Renewables nearly match fossil fuels in global installed power capacity, and “almost all the new power capacity built” last year came from renewables, he said, noting that every continent added more clean power than fossil fuels.

Clean energy is unstoppable

Mr. Guterres underscored that a clean energy future “is no longer a promise, it is a fact”. No government, no industry and no special interest can stop it.

“Of course, the fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.”

He urged countries to lock ambition into the next round of national climate plans, or NDCs, due within months. Mr. Guterres called on the G20 countries, which are responsible for 80 per cent of emissions, to submit new plans aligned with the 1.5°C limit and present them at a high‑level event in September.

Targets, he added, must “double energy efficiency and triple renewables capacity by 2030” while accelerating “the transition away from fossil fuels”.

Real energy sovereignty

The Secretary-General also highlighted the geopolitical risks of fossil fuel dependence.

“The greatest threat to energy security today is fossil fuels,” he said, citing price shocks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargoes on wind. Renewables mean real energy security, real energy sovereignty and real freedom from fossil-fuel volatility.”

Six opportunity areas

Mr. Guterres mapped six “opportunity areas” to speed the transition: ambitious NDCs, modern grids and storage, meeting soaring demand sustainably, a just transition for workers and communities, trade reforms to broaden clean‑tech supply chains, and mobilising finance to emerging markets.

Financing, however, is the choke point. Africa, home to 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, received just 2 per cent of global clean energy investment last year, he said.

Only one in five clean energy dollars over the past decade went to emerging and developing economies outside China. Flows must rise more than five-fold by 2030 to keep the 1.5-degree limit alive and deliver universal access.

Mr. Guterres urged reform of global finance, stronger multilateral development banks and debt relief, including debt‑for‑climate swaps.

“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era,” he said in closing.

“That world is within reach, but it won’t happen on its own. Not fast enough. Not fair enough. It is up to us. This is our moment of opportunity.”

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Security Council renews UN’s Haiti mission amid spiralling crises

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By adopting resolution 2785, the Council renewed the authorization of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), reaffirming support for a Haitian-led solution to the island nation’s overlapping crises.

The decision comes as armed gangs maintain their grip on most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, with over 1.3 million people displaced and more than 4,000 killed in the first half of 2025 alone, according to UN figures.

Conditions have deteriorated dramatically amid growing food insecurity and the erosion of public institutions. Of particular concern is the safety of women and girls, with a sharp rise in reports of sexual violence since the start of the year – including rape, gang rape, and sexual enslavement.

Time is running out

The Security Council also “expressed its intention to consider, without delay” the recommendations by the Secretary-General on possible future roles for the UN in sustaining security and stability in Haiti.

In February, António Guterres presented the Council with a range of options.

“Each new wave of criminal attacks against the communities and institutions of Haiti is a distressing sign that time is running out,” the UN chief said in a letter.

He urged Member States to support the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which the Council authorized in October 2023 to assist Haiti’s national police in tackling gang violence and restoring order. He also emphasized that international efforts to improve security must be matched by national progress toward resolving the political crisis.

Several Council members voiced willingness to engage on the Secretary-General’s proposals. The Chinese representative, for instance, said Beijing was open to working with others to chart a constructive way forward.

“With regard to how to improve the situation in Haiti, including how to respond to the Secretary-General’s recommendations, we are ready to have candid communication with all parties, explore viable solutions and seek the broadest possible consensus,” said Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the UN.

Security Council adopts resolution extending the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) during the meeting on the question concerning Haiti.

Mission critical

The Council’s action was welcomed by Haiti’s Ambassador, who underscored the political and security stakes ahead of a critical 2026 transition timeline.

“This extension should help Haitian authorities undertake a real, genuine political dialogue, to strengthen good governance, bolster security and bring about justice and promote human rights,” said Pierre Ericq Pierre, Permanent Representative to the UN.

He also expressed his Government’s expectation that the UN mission will support implementation of the national roadmap, including constitutional reforms and elections.

Emphasizing national ownership, he added: “BINUH must work as part of a holistic plan to support Haitian authorities in confronting the grave crisis shaking the country to its core.”

The United States, which led negotiations on the resolution alongside Panama, stressed the urgency of political progress and called on international partners to increase support.

“Less than one year remains on the Transitional Presidential Council’s planned roadmap for the restoration of democratic institutions,” said Ambassador Dorothy Shea, acting representative.

“Supporting the security of elections and the participation of all sectors of society is key to sustainable political progress in Haiti. Without BINUH, realizing the vision of a stronger, more resilient society would be less likely.”

New mission leadership

Council members also welcomed Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu, appointed as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of BINUH, succeeding María Isabel Salvador.

Mr. Ruiz Massieu, who currently leads the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, brings decades of diplomatic and political experience, including in peace negotiations and institution-building.

The UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) – a special political mission – was established in 2019 to advise and support Haitian authorities on political dialogue, justice, human rights and governance.

It succeeded a series of UN peacekeeping and political missions on the island, dating back to 1993, including the large-scale MINUSTAH operation, which wrapped up in 2017 after 13 years.

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Human rights must anchor the digital age, says UN’s Türk

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Digital technologies have the potential to drive progress and strengthen rights, including connecting people, improving access to health and education, and much more.

But the pace of their evolution also poses serious risks, warned Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – from restrictions on free expression and privacy violations to discrimination and growing threats to our shared sense of truth and reality.

“It is precisely in the face of massive change, that we need more human rights, not less,” he said on Monday, addressing a high-level event on the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva.

Prioritising rights

In this time of sweeping change, human rights must be prioritised and used as the blueprint for action.

“States’ legal obligations and companies’ duties to respect human rights offer guidance to tackle disinformation and protect our data from illicit use,” Mr. Türk stressed.

Such guidance also helps counter algorithmic bias, digital hate speech, and fosters trust and inclusive digital decision-making.

Role of WSIS

Founded in 2001, the inaugural WSIS was held in two phases in December 2003 (Geneva) and November 2005 (Tunis).

Since then, the forum has brought together diverse stakeholders to collaborate on digital governance and promote a digital landscape that is people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented.

“[The WSIS] helped create a space for States, technology companies, civil society, and others to harness the power of information and communication technologies for development,” said Mr. Türk.

Looking forward

The High Commissioner stressed that the coming months will see critical decisions on regulating the digital sphere, including new UN mechanisms on AI and data governance.

“We have a window of opportunity to make a difference,” he concluded.

“We must join forces – States, technology companies, international organizations, civil society, and others – to work towards an inclusive and open digital environment for everyone, everywhere.”

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UN’s lifesaving programmes under threat as budget crisis hits hard

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Member States had paid just $1.8 billion towards the UN’s $3.7 billion regular budget for 2025, as of 9 May. Including unpaid contributions from previous years, total unpaid assessments stand at approximately $2.4 billion as of 30 April.

The United States is the largest debtor at about $1.5 billion, as the Trump Administration is withholding funds to cut what it sees as unnecessary spending.

Other major contributors with unpaid dues include 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.

The UN’s separate peacekeeping budget faces a similar crisis, with $2.7 billion in unpaid assessments as of 30 April.

Amidst the fiscal challenges, Secretary-General António Guterres in March launched the UN80 initiative to improve efficiency, streamline operations and reduce costs – including a possible 20 per cent staff cut through eliminating duplication.

Women, health, refugee support at risk

The situation is equally concerning at UN agencies and programmes, which have their own budgets and funding channels.  

The UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, for instance has warned that women and girls in crisis zones – such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Sudan and Afghanistan – are already suffering from shrinking support.

Cuts have slashed the ability to hire midwives, supply essential medicines, deploy health teams, and provide safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence.

In Mozambique, nearly 750,000 displaced persons and refugees are in urgent need of protection, but the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warns it may have to suspend essential services, including healthcare, education, and support for survivors of gender-based violence, with only one-third of its funding appeal met.

HIV/AIDS programs are also at risk. In Tajikistan, UNAIDS Country Director Aziza Hamidova reports that 60 per cent of HIV programme support is in jeopardy. Community health centers have already closed, outreach has been cut, and access to PrEP testing and counseling has dropped sharply.

Dwindling funds for crisis response

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – which leads UN’s response to crisis – is raising alarms over the cascading impact of funding gaps.

In Sudan, only 13 per cent of the $4.2 billion needed for 2025 has been received, forcing 250,000 children out of school. In the DRC, gender-based violence cases have surged 38 per cent, but programmes are shutting down. In Haiti, cholera response efforts risk collapse. Meanwhile, just 25 per cent of Ukraine’s 2025 humanitarian appeal has been funded, jeopardizing critical services.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of OCHA, Tom Fletcher, has already announced staff cuts and scaling back of some country programmes.

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Guterres calls on Israel to accept UN’s ‘detailed, principled’ aid plan for Gaza

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Addressing reporters outside the Security Council, António Guterres called once again for a permanent ceasefire to end the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and full humanitarian access so aid can flow in following nearly 80 days of Israeli blockade.

‘Cruellest phase’

He said Palestinians in the enclave are now “enduring what may be the cruellest phase of this cruel conflict,” with families being “starved and denied the very basics,” as Israel intensifies its offensive and promotes a new privatised aid distribution network reportedly due to begin on Sunday which would bypass the UN and partner organizations’ aid operation.

Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to treat civilians in Gaza humanely, Mr. Guterres added, and “must not forcibly transport, deport or displace the civilian population of an occupied territory.”

He noted that despite authorising a “trickle of aid” to enter in recent days, supplies from only 115 out of 400 trucks have been cleared for collection and distribution – while nothing has reached the besieged north.

UN ‘working round the clock’

“We are working around the clock to get whatever aid we can to people in need,” the UN chief said, but “needs are massive – and the obstacles are staggering.”

Israel is causing unnecessary delays, imposing quotas on distribution and barring essentials such as fuel, shelter, cooking gas, and water purification supplies – are prohibited.

Furthermore, the lives of UN and other humanitarian staffers are being placed at risk if they continue to be prevented from distributing food parcels and flour to those in desperate need, the UN chief continued.

He said absent rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more Gazans will die – with profound long-term consequences.

Without making direct reference to the US-backed Israeli plan to create new distribution sites overseen by private contractors in coordination with the military, Mr. Guterres said the UN had been clear: “We will not take part in any scheme that fails to respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”

5-point aid plan

Instead, he said the UN and partners had “a detailed, principled, operationally-sound 5-stage plan” – supported by UN Member States.

  1. Ensure the delivery of aid to Gaza
  2. Inspect and scan aid at crossing points
  3. Transport aid from crossing points to humanitarian facilities
  4. Prepare aid for onward distribution
  5. And transport aid to people in need

“We have the personnel, the distribution networks, the systems and community relationships in place to act,” said the UN chief. “The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting.

“This is my appeal for life-saving aid for the long-suffering people of Gaza: Let’s do it right.  And let’s do it right away.”

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UN’s Türk criticises ‘draconian’ decree limiting dissent in Mali

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Volker Türk on Friday called the decree “draconian” and urged Mali’s Transitional President, General Assimi Goïta, to reverse the decree issued earlier this week.

Signed on 13 May, the decree dissolves all political parties and “organizations of a political nature” nationwide. It was preceded by the repeal of legislation that had safeguarded political participation.

“Any restrictions of political participation must be consistent with Mali’s international human rights law obligations,” High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk said.

He urged the transitional authorities to release those who have been arrested on politically motivated grounds and to fully restore political rights in the country.

Erosion of civic space

The clampdown comes amid a broader erosion of civic space in Mali since the military seized power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021.

According to media reports, the government’s move was read out on state television on Tuesday and cited the need to curb the “proliferation” of political parties.

At least three opposition members were reportedly arrested following protests against the decree, with their whereabouts currently unknown – part of what Mr. Türk described as a troubling pattern of enforced disappearances dating back to at least 2021.

A group of UN independent rights experts also condemned the developments in a separate statement last week, warning that the decree and accompanying legislation represent “a direct violation of basic human rights.”

Elections in question

The experts – who are independent of the UN and serve in their personal capacity – criticised the transitional authorities for using the 2021 national consultations, the Assises Nationales de la Refondation and April 2025 consultation on review of the Charter of Political Parties, as justification for authoritarian measures.

Several political parties boycotted those consultations, citing fears they were being used as a pretext to dismantle political opposition.

Among the recommendations emerging from those meetings, the Council of Ministers reportedly discussed naming Gen. Goïta as president for a renewable five-year term – without holding elections.

The UN has urged the transitional authorities to refrain from extending the transition period again and to publish an electoral timetable without delay.

High Commissioner Türk recalled Gen. Goïta’s instructions to the Cabinet of Ministers in November 2024 to create conditions for “transparent and peaceful elections,” a promise that now appears increasingly hollow.

A MINUSMA patrol in the town of Ménaka, eastern Mali. The mission closed at the end of 2023. (file photo)

Spiralling security situation

Beyond political repression, Mali is grappling with worsening security conditions following the closure of the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, at the end of 2023.

According to credible information received by the UN rights office, OHCHR, violations and abuses increased by nearly 120 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

The withdrawal of French forces and the European Union Training Mission in Mali in 2022 also contributed to the deteriorating security situation across the West African landlocked country.

Civilians across the country continue to face deadly attacks – including killings, abduction, and sexual and gender-based violence – by extremist groups including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Islamic State – Sahel Province.

Government forces, allegedly accompanied by foreign military personnel widely referred to either as “Africa Corps” or “Wagner,” have also been accused of serious abuses. Last month, dozens of civilians were reportedly killed in the southwestern Kayes region after being detained by Malian forces and foreign partners.

Bring perpetrators to justice

Mr. Türk underscored the need to ensure accountability for rights violations and abuses.

The multiple investigations announced by the Malian authorities into these killings must be prompt, impartial and meet international standards, he said, “with a view to ensuring victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparations.”

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