UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades
Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the…
UN Human Rights Council hears grim updates on Ukraine, Gaza and global racism
Escalating conflict in Ukraine In an oral update, Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported a sharp escalation in hostilities in Ukraine. Civilian casualties have surged, with April to June seeing nearly 50 per cent more deaths…
Shelter and safety elude Afghan women returnees from Iran and Pakistan
Since September 2023, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan. Women and girls account for about half of the returnees from Pakistan, while their share among those returning from Iran has been steadily rising,…
Drowning in debt: New forum in Sevilla offers borrowers chance to rebalance the books
The Borrowers’ Forum is being hailed as a milestone in efforts to reform the international debt architecture and is emerging as a key part of the Sevilla Commitment outcome document. This new mechanism, supported by the UN and launched at…
Sevilla: Without sustainable development, there is neither hope nor security
Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability. That is the key message from the Director of the UN…
Haitian capital ‘paralysed and isolated’ by gang violence, Security Council hears
Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. “The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by…
INTERVIEW: Sevilla ‘a critical test’ of multilateralism
The promises were made at the opening of the Financing for Development Conference (FFD4), currently underway in the Spanish city of Sevilla, when delegates agreed on the Sevilla Commitment. During the conference UN News spoke to Li Junhua, the UN…
Space is not the final frontier – it is the foundation of our future: UN deputy chief
Addressing delegates at a UN forum on peaceful uses of outer space, Amina Mohammed urged greater international cooperation as the world becomes increasingly reliant on satellites for everything from disaster response to climate monitoring. “Space is not the final frontier….
Adhering to bans on mines only in peace time will not work: UN rights chief
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine have taken or are considering steps to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction – known also as the…
Gaza: Access to key water facility in Khan Younis disrupted, UN reports
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli authorities issued displacement orders overnight for two neighbourhoods in Khan Younis, where up to 80,000 people had been living. The Al Satar reservoir – a critical hub…