UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• End of eternal ice: Many glaciers will not survive this century, climate scientists say
  Glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century if they keep melting at the current rate, potentially jeopardising hundreds of millions of people living downstream, UN climate experts said on the first World Day for Glaciers.
• Free societies are good for business says UN rights chief, wrapping up visit to Kyrgyzstan
  Respect for human rights is not only a moral obligation but a necessity for economic stability, the UN’s top human rights official said on Thursday, during a visit to the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.
• Syria's humanitarian crisis: 16.5 million in need amid continuing conflict
  The legacy of the Syrian conflict, which saw the overthrow of the Assad regime in December last year, is that 16.5 million people are in dire need of assistance, making it one of the largest humanitarian crises globally, a senior UN humanitarian said on Thursday.
• Trailblazers: UN’s ‘founding mothers’ remind all people to stand up for human rights
  Silence is not an option in the fight for human rights – that was the message on Thursday at an event honouring the legacy of the women who have shaped the United Nations’ commitment to gender equality.
• WHO gives clean bill of health to cities taking action on preventable diseases
  Three cities that share a healthy vision for their residents won UN World Health Organization awards on Thursday for their smoke-free parks, clean air initiatives and obesity-busting school lunch initiatives.
• Gaza: ‘Bring them all home now’, freed hostage tells Security Council
  A senior UN political affairs official called for Israel and Hamas to restore the shattered ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday and release all remaining hostages, while one of those freed told the Security Council of his 500-day ordeal in captivity.
• Sudan: Civilians targeted as hostilities intensify in the capital
  Dozens of civilians, including local humanitarian volunteers, have been killed by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment in the eastern part of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported on Thursday.
• Guterres welcomes deals to halt energy attacks in Ukraine, Russia
  UN chief António Guterres on Thursday hailed positive announcements from the White House, Kremlin and Kyiv aimed at stopping crippling attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, linked to Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
• Gaza: ‘Dramatic escalation’ as bombardments intensify and displacement surges
  Israeli bombardments continued across Gaza on Wednesday, killing hundreds more people – many of them women and children – and leaving widespread destruction in its wake, according to local authorities. 
• Ukrainians tortured, raped, executed by Russian captors, Human Rights Council hears
  The Human Rights Council on Wednesday heard gruesome testimony of torture, rape and execution of Ukrainian detainees and soldiers allegedly committed by Russian forces, as a high-level independent probe into Russia’s full-scale invasion delivered its latest mandated report in Geneva.
• Violence triggers record displacements in Haiti’s capital
  In just one month, intensifying violence has forced over 60,000 people to flee their homes in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, marking another grim record in the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
• UN staff member killed in central Gaza blast, five others injured
  At least one UN staffer has been killed and at least five others injured – several very severely – following an explosion at two UN guesthouses in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
• Haitian media struggle to survive in face of attacks, revenue collapse
  An increase in attacks on media outlets in Haiti by armed gangs which control most of the capital Port-au-Prince is intended to intimidate journalists and instill chaos according to the UN agency for culture, UNESCO.
• Climate change: Paris Agreement goals still within reach, says UN chief
  The effects of human-driven climate change surged to alarming levels in 2024, with some consequences likely to be irreversible for centuries - if not millennia – according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 
• ‘Intolerable’ suffering in Gaza amid deadly airstrikes, continued aid blockade
  The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday spoke of new “intolerable” suffering for Gazans following the resumption of deadly Israeli airstrikes, underscoring three immediate needs: a renewed ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and the unconditional release of hostages.
• Human Rights Council focuses on Iran, Syria, Venezuela
  Top independent experts reported to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, putting the records of Iran, Syria and Venezuela under the spotlight during the 47-member body’s latest session.
• Cyprus talks show ‘new atmosphere’ between divided island’s leaders: Guterres
  UN-led efforts to kick-start talks on the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus have resulted in agreements on new trust-building measures.
• UN migration agency forced to restructure amid significant budget cuts
  The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is undertaking “essential structural adjustments” at its Geneva headquarters and globally, in response to a substantial 30 per cent reduction in donor support for 2025 – including a significant decrease in projects funded by the United States.
• LIVE NOW: ‘Abject fear’ returns to Gaza, Security Council hears, as UN calls for urgent renewal of ceasefire and hostage releases
  The UN Security Council met in New York on Tuesday on the Middle East crisis, exactly two months since the start of the fragile Gaza ceasefire and hostages deal came into effect. That's been shattered by deadly Israeli airstrikes overnight following a two-week aid blockade which has strained critical supplies. Well over 400 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to local authorities. We'll have reaction from across the UN and agencies on the ground. UN News app users follow live here.
• Joint UN meeting tackles small arms control to foster sustainable development
  On Monday, during a meeting of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, UN officials and disarmament experts emphasized the urgent need to tackle the widespread issue of small arms and light weapons. They warned that the stakes are higher than ever in a world increasingly plagued by conflict and crisis.
• World News in Brief: US strikes on Yemen, Gaza aid update, debt burden weighs on developing world
  The UN on Monday expressed concern over the continued threat posed to shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi attacks from their bases in Yemen as well as recent airstrikes by the United States which have left over 50 reportedly dead.
• Funding shortages risk undermining a ‘watershed moment’ for Syria
  Fourteen years of war have left Syria’s people in desperate need – but international support is dwindling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, calling for urgent investment in the country’s recovery.
• FAO warns of ‘unprecedented’ avian flu spread, in call for global action
  The rapid spread of the highly infectious avian flu virus H5N1 has reached an “unprecedented” scale, wiping out hundreds of millions of birds worldwide and increasingly spilling over into mammals, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday.
• Afghanistan: Security Council renews UN mission as WHO warns of health catastrophe
  The Security Council on Monday extended the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year, as UN agencies reported sharp declines in resources for lifesaving aid.
• Syria: Relative of Assad regime’s disappeared speaks of anguish in search for truth and justice
  A relative of two Syrians tortured and murdered by the Assad regime has spoken of the anguish caused by their enforced disappearance during the country’s civil war.