UN News

Global warming likely to reach 1.8°C above pre-industrial levelsFloods on the Nepal-Tibet border leave 2.2 million tonnes of debrisExperts urge US to end strikes on alleged drug boats

More than 1,000 now dead after Nepal-Tibet floodsWFP forced to cut food assistance in West BankIOM helps administer nearly 13,800 measles vaccines in Yemen

Secretary-General calls for action towards racial equalityUN committee urges collective effort on reparationsSenior UN official attends Pacific forum in Palau

Nepal: Humanitarian situation remains dire as rescues persistLebanon: Civilians face difficulties returning homeIMO: Six-thousand seafarers remain trapped in Strait of Hormuz

Despite increasingly difficult conditions, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to operate on the ground, remaining a vital lifeline and providing education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and social protection in Gaza and the West Bank. Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, spoke to UN News' Reem Abaza and stressed that the issue goes beyond the agency itself, saying the “restoration of respect for the United Nations at large and for UNRWA as an agency mandated by the General Assembly” is essential. He warned that shrinking humanitarian space and displacement are dangerous trends and underlined that urgency of returning to a credible pathway towards the two-State solution and eventually a situation where UNRWA as an agency “does not have to do its work anymore because the conflict is moving towards a solution”.

Nepal disaster: Amid massive destruction, aid teams contribute to response DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Most under-5s succumb to the deadly disease – WHOSouth Africa: 50,000 migrants displaced amid surge in racist hate crimes

Ukraine: At least 3,900 children killed or injured since start of Russian full-scale invasion - UNICEF African nations pledge to train three million health workers - WHO It's time to tackle the $1 trillion cost of land degradation: UN deputy chief 

Joint UN-Red Cross appeal for stricter controls on autonomous weapons Afghanistan nutrition emergency leaves 3.7 million suffering from wasting - UNICEFRed Sea pirates: Release all captive seafarers immediately, insists IMO chief

Lebanese people struggle to return home amid ‘systematic' destruction: UNIFIL100 days into DRC Ebola outbreak, deadly toll continues to climb: WHOSudan war: $22 million education investment for 200,000 children – Education Cannot Wait 

When an emergency strikes, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, aims to get life-saving supplies moving within 72 hours. UNICEF's emergency response includes health, water and sanitation, education and recreation kits, as well as critical support for vaccine cold chains. At its major humanitarian supply hub in Copenhagen, Denmark, emergency kits are pre-positioned and ready to be dispatched to countries affected by conflict or natural disasters. Erika Abs, UNICEF Emergency Supply and Logistics Coordinator, spoke to UN News's Felipe de Carvalho and explained why much of the most important work happens before emergencies even begin.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to support agriculture across Africa, helping farmers access weather, crop and market information. But the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says better connectivity, reliable infrastructure, relevant data and digital skills are needed to ensure smallholder farmers can benefit from these technologies.Meshack Malo, FAO's Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, told UN News's Feissal Kirwa that fewer than 10 per cent of farmers are currently benefiting from digital agriculture services, with rural communities particularly affected by limited connectivity.

DRC Ebola outbreak spreading ‘exponentially' OCHA Somalia's children are first to suffer in latest round of funding cuts: UNICEFColombia earthquake: 1.2 million need aid as some communities remain out of reach

Acts of terrorism driven by hateful ideologies continue to injure, harm and kill thousands of innocent people each year.For Hassan Ndugwa – a survivor of the 2010 terrorist attack targeting a screening of the football World Cup Final in Kampala, Uganda – the experience became a call for action.Angered by the misrepresentation of Islam in the aftermath of the attacks, Mr. Ndugwa and a fellow survivor founded the Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum to prevent violent extremism and promote peace through religious and community engagement.In an interview with UN News's Assumpta Massoi, he emphasised the importance of survivor voices and the role of remembrance in healing.

DRC receives 70,000 Ebola vaccine doses as Bundibugyo outbreak spreadsAtrocity crime risks are converging in South Sudan, warns Human Rights Council panel Children account for half of mpox infections in Guinea-Bissau's first outbreak 

When a major disaster strikes, the first hours are critical. Within 48 hours of receiving a formal request from an affected country, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system can deploy a team of experts to support national emergency response.  The teams, managed and trained by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), bring together specialists from different countries and organisations, based on the specific needs identified on the ground. Sérgio da Silva, leader of the UNDAC team, explained to UN News's Felipe de Carvalho how this global network is mobilised in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other environmental or man-made disasters.

Sudan war: 200,000 newly displaced as fighting and floods intensifyZambia elections: UN human rights chief's concern over opposition arrestsChad: mass vaccination boost to confront cholera outbreak –UNICEF

Ebola outbreak responders highlight key role of motorbike riders - WHOLebanon: 860,000 return home to ruined homes and without basic services - UNHCRGaza: Just three per cent of cropland is fit for farming – FAO, UNOSAT

Yemen: alarm at escalating clashes: OHCHR Ebola outbreak is largest DR Congo has ever faced: WHOBiological Weapons Convention talks mull verification measures 

Can fashion help bring people together as well as set trends and mould culture worldwide? Fashion designer and environmentalist Runa Ray believes it can. Her exhibition Repurposing Fashion: Reimagining Peace, now open at UN Headquarters in New York, transforms discarded textiles into works of art carrying messages of peace from 30 countries. Speaking to UN News' Cristina Silveiro, she explains why she believes "fashion has a greater purpose" than glamour alone

Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone - UNFPASouth Sudan funding cuts threaten aid to more than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers Healthcare attacks scourge having an immediate and lasting impact on patient care: WHO

Scaling up Ebola response in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo must include measures such as increased surveillance, more transport options to bring patients to treatment centres and greater engagement with the public. That's the message from Dr. Anne Ancia, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Representative in the country, speaking from Bunia – the epicentre of the crisis. She told UN News's Eleuterio Guevane that communities are also asking for the international community to address other health pressing concerns in a region where women still die in childbirth and people are facing famine-like conditions. She began by outlining the immense needs, and the vast amount of work that still needs to be done. 

Settler siege of Palestinian families marks now low, says OHCHRAfghanistan: Education ban for girls is hardest to bearMyanmar: WFP warns monsoon flooding could make hunger crisis worse

UN maritime agency condemns deadly attack on Red Sea shipAfghanistan: Harsh reality of five years of Taliban rule – UN WomenWHO stands by vaccination policy benefits for children

Myanmar: UN investigators document deliberate military attacks on civilians Colombia earthquake update - OCHA, WHO Ebola outbreak passes grim new threshold with 2,000 dead

Colombia's search and rescue operations continue after Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, which has killed at least 111 people. The United Nations is now assessing where its presence and resources can be most useful.UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia María José Torres Macho said the Government has already reached out to the UN, and the Organization has teams on the ground in some of the hardest-hit areas – with potential support ahead in food security, health, water and sanitation, and protection.She said UN teams are also beginning to look past the emergency, toward recovery and reconstruction.Laura Quiñones spoke with her about the situation and what comes next.

UN will support Lebanon ‘in every possible way' pledges UN chiefUN rights chief warns new Somalia draft law ‘risks legitimizing child marriage'Boosting migrant worker protections during COVID pandemic 

Ukraine: UNICEF highlights war's psychological toll on youngstersDR Congo: Ebola response hamstrung by lack of healthcare facilities - WHOLack of accountability into abuse in Afghanistan: UNAMA

Food prices edged up in July amid heatwaves and energy price hikes - FAO  Hormuz crisis: UN maritime agency stresses 'day after' needs for trapped seafarers  UN rights chief Türk stands up for transitional justice amid attacks on international law 

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Agencies on high alert in displacement campsGaza: 300 children killed in 300 days of Israeli-Hamas ‘ceasefire'Guatemala: El Niño coupled with lean season driving 3.2 million people into acute food insecurity - IPC

Strengthening El Niño set to significantly worsen food insecurity into 2027 – WFP  UN's Türk says he's alarmed at a sharp rise in executions and death sentences in Iran  Trapped shipping in Strait of Hormuz is an ecological timebomb - IMO  

Unprecedented levels of child hunger in Afghanistan: WFP DR Congo: Ebola Bundibugyo treatment trials update: WHO Hormuz crunch caused 95 pc drop in natural gas exports: ITC

With the worst Ebola outbreak in the history of DR Congo still raging, UN peacekeepers must continue to protect civilians from both the virus and violence at the hands of multiple armed groups operating in the region, the Force Commander there has told UN News.MONUSCO's General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes said 'blue helmets' had increased their presence to ensure civilians are fully protected, while troops were working with local authorities and the World Health Organization to ensure there is enough security amid the outbreak.He told Eleuterio Guevane troops were playing other key roles including conducting vital community awareness campaigns and establishing rapid mobile operating bases to protect treatment centres.

DR Congo: New treatment centre set to open doors to Ebola patients: OCHA Gaza's families still struggling with massive food shortages: WFPSudan drone strike in North Darfur highlights huge needs @UNFPA 

UNICEF urges protection after another child killed in IranWorld must take preventive action on El Niño, says WMOWHO: Climate change increases health risks of wildfire smoke

Prevention is the best defence against the wildfire crisis, says UNUN rights chief denounces a further crackdown on dissent in UgandaAfghans returning from neighbouring countries face heightened trafficking risks

DR Congo: WFP increases food aid as Ebola outbreak widensShrinking student population creates new challenges in Latin AmericaSudan: Children bear brunt of violence, UNICEF warns

UN peace coordinator urges Security Council to act on Gaza, West BankMany scam callers victims of human trafficking: IOMNepal: School lunch programme improves millions of lives

Security Council discusses escalating Russian attacks against Ukraine Sudan UNICEF: the more health centres we build, the more children come  South Sudan hunger needs are growing among children: UNICEF 

Every day, judges make decisions that change lives forever. They do so while reckoning with some of the worst of human nature, overwhelming workloads and constant public scrutiny - pressures that can ultimately affect the quality of justice they deliver.The Honorable Rangajeeva Wimalasena, Judge of the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea, told UN News that judicial well-being is not simply about providing support for the profession, it's also about safeguarding the integrity of courts and ensuring fair, impartial justice for all.He spoke to Jolina Dong – who last year saw the law in action up close after interning at the US Supreme Court – just ahead of the International Day of Judicial Well-being on 25 July.

Sudan: Women and girls face impossible choice over waterUN rights chief Türk calls for protection for thousands of stranded seafarers Burundi: Food aid for Congolese refugees is at risk, WFP warns

Operating in some of the world's worst humanitarian hotspots, the World Food Programme's (WFP) aviation service is the backbone of emergency relief efforts and a lifeline for isolated communities.From war-torn Sudan to Ebola-affected eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, millions of civilians rely on aid to survive.  In turn, more than 680 humanitarian organizations worldwide count on the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) to reach populations cut off by conflict, disease or natural disaster.Hedley Tah, UNHAS Head of External Relations, spoke to UN News's Nathalie Minard about the critical role the service plays. 

Strait of Hormuz crisis: 6,000 seafarers still trapped, warns IMO chiefGlobal trade growth driven by higher energy prices not volumes: UNCTADWHO launches bid to tackle global drowning scourge

Little progress has been made for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which an estimated 20 per cent of the world's oils and gas supplies pass and which is now effectively closed as Iran and the United States continue to ratchet up strikes and counterstrikes.That's according to the head of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, who told UN News that some 6,000 seafarers are still trapped on around 500 ships, in the Persian Gulf behind the strait.IMO is advising shipping not to attempt the passage until the conflict has been resolved.Daniel Dickinson spoke to Mr. Dominguez about what options are available to reopen the waterway but began by asking him for an update on the current situation in the gulf.

For Elisha Acheampong Darko, the climate crisis is personal.Since losing his friend to a flood in Ghana, which he attributes partially to climate change, Mr. Darko has worked to empower young people to fight for climate justice.As an undergraduate student at the University of Education, Winneba, in Ghana, Mr. Darko founded Join Me Today, a youth-led organization dedicated to protecting the environment from pollution and climate-related hazards.UN News' Isaiah Steinberg asked him how a degree from the UN University fits into his journey in climate research and civil society.

Nicaragua: UN rights chief Türk deplores new clampdown on political freedomsPitfalls of critical minerals extraction in spotlight at Security CouncilAfghanistan: flash flooding creates new challenges for vulnerable families: OCHA

As demand continues to grow for the critical minerals that power our mobile phones, electric cars and more, who's looking out for the mainly indigenous peoples whose territories contain the vast majority of these natural riches?Tackling the issue from a human rights angle is UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent rights expert on climate change, Eliza Morgera, who's been talking to UN News's Daniel Johnson on the same day as the Security Council meets to discuss how to ensure that critical minerals extraction promotes peace and development, rather than conflict. 

DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilizationGaza: Children, women and men continue to be killed by Israeli militaryUkraine: Condemnation for long-range attacks on residential buildings