UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• UNICEF ‘outraged’ by killing of Gaza water truck drivers, urges investigation
  The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the killing of two contracted workers delivering clean water to families in the Gaza Strip.
• Gender, geography and powerbroking in play in race for next UN chief
  The choice of the tenth UN Secretary-General,  who will take office in January 2027, could shape global diplomacy, the response to crises across the world and the direction of the multilateral system for the next decade.
• Sudan: Three quarters of women feel unsafe as war rages on
  Across war-torn Sudan, women and girls “are telling a consistent story of continued experience of danger, and risks for gender-based violence” whether when fleeing to safety or arriving at displacement camps, a senior official with the UN reproductive and sexual health agency UNFPA said on Friday.
• World News in Brief: Myanmar amnesty, rising needs in Afghanistan, another power loss at Ukraine nuclear plant
  Authorities in Myanmar released the country’s ousted president from prison on Friday, along with some 4,000 other people, as part of an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year festival.
• More than half of Haitians continue to face food crisis
  5.8 million Haitians, or roughly 52 per cent of the population, are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, or worse. Of those, more than 1.8 million are dealing with emergency levels, which means they are exhausting their last assets and unable to meet even basic food needs.
• UNESCO grants ‘enhanced protection’ to cultural heritage sites in the Middle East  
  Since the Middle East war started on 28 February, several sites of major cultural significance have come under attack in Israel, Iran and Lebanon. Ensuring their protection is the task of the UN agency for education, science and culture, UNESCO. 
• ‘Slaughtered like goats’: Despair and abandonment in South Sudan
  Senior UN officials painted a sorry picture of South Sudan on Friday at the Security Council, describing political turmoil, rising violence, hunger and disease, amid budget cuts that are limiting the ability of the UN peacekeeping mission to protect civilians.
• As the ‘world court’ turns 80, Guterres says law must prevail over force
  The world is at a “moment of crisis” and countries must reaffirm commitment to international law amid rising violations and geopolitical tensions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at an event on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 
• Shockwaves of Middle East war reach Caribbean as food prices soar
  Six weeks since war erupted in the Middle East, the shockwaves have spread to the Caribbean region, already pushed to the brink, amid fears of a looming El Niño-linked climate disaster.
• Record number of Rohingya refugees died at sea in 2025: UNHCR
  In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
• More than 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza war, UN gender equality agency reports
  The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
• MIDDLE EAST LIVE 17 April: Israel-Lebanon ceasefire begins; Iran announces opening of Strait of Hormuz
  A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect at midnight in Beirut, offering a pause in hostilities after weeks of fighting. The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the agreement and urged all parties to respect it, expressing hope it could open the way for further negotiations. He also welcomed Iran’s announcement that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire, calling it a step in the right direction. Stay with us for live updates. App users can follow coverage here.
• New food alert platform helps humanitarians combat hunger
  The UN World Food Programme (WFP) released its next-generation platform on Thursday known as HungerMap Live, a digital monitoring and intelligence site that integrates food security data with predictive modelling to help fight hunger in more than 50 countries.
• The Epstein files: Rights experts demand accountability, call for probe into trafficking allegations
  UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for justice and accountability for young women and girls who were trafficked systematically as part of allegations contained in the so-called Epstein files.
• Deadly Russian strikes on Ukrainians ‘simply trying to live their lives’ must stop, says senior UN official
  The latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians in Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa, which killed and injured scores of civilians, was roundly condemned by Matthias Schmale, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.
• UN peacekeeping missions under strain as funding cuts and new threats grow
  From election support in the Central African Republic to patrols in the disputed Abyei region, UN peacekeepers are operating in increasingly volatile environments – but shrinking resources and new threats, including drone warfare, are testing their ability to keep communities safe.
• MIDDLE EAST LIVE 16 April: UN meets over China-Russia Hormuz crisis veto as humanitarian crisis continues in Lebanon
  War in Lebanon continues amid the fragile US-Iran ceasefire amid hopes for direct talks between Israel and Beirut. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly is debating the China-Russia Security Council veto on the crucial Strait of Hormuz crisis last month, with assembly president Annalena Baerbock saying debate must move “to action”, on stabilising the Middle East. Stay with us for live updates below and live Meetings Coverage on the veto meeting is here. App users can follow our live coverage here.
• Strength in numbers: Developing countries band together as Iran war batters global economy
  Developing countries are banking on having a stronger voice in debt negotiations, following the launch of a new country-led borrowing initiative on Wednesday on the margins of the annual IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.
• ‘Sudan is an atrocities laboratory’, UN aid chief tells Berlin conference
  Foreign ministers from across the world met in Berlin on Wednesday to show support for Sudan, where a fourth year of brutal warfare has begun as humanitarian needs deepen. 
• Tobago’s teen archery champion takes aim at sustainability targets
  Six-time Trinidad and Tobago archery champion, Anthurium Lewis, has told UN News how sport helped her overcome age barriers in environmental advocacy and how in the future it can contribute to reaching globally agreed poverty and sustainability goals.
• Africa: Nearly 20 million measles deaths averted since 2000
  Measles vaccinations have saved nearly 20 million lives in Africa since the year 2000 and more than 500 million children were protected through routine immunisation, but the continent remains offtrack in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. 
• Youth shape the road to 2030, call for urgent action on sustainable development
  As we confront increasingly complex and interconnected crises - from climate change to the AI revolution - the leadership and voices of young people have never been more vital, says the UN. 
• SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Security fears rise in eastern DR Congo
  The UN Security Council met Wednesday over the deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and wider Great Lakes region. Despite mediation efforts in Doha and Washington, regional tensions between the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi remain acute. Follow the full live updates below from our Meetings Coverage team, and app users can click here.
• Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific
  For Pacific Island countries, the Middle East crisis is not a distant geopolitical event. It is already showing up in higher fuel prices, electricity uncertainty and fears that communities sitting at the far end of global supply chains could be pushed into deeper economic insecurity.
• MIDDLE EAST LIVE 15 April: Civilian dangers intensify as Israel expands Lebanon evacuation orders
  Across the Middle East, tensions remain high with Israeli military operations continuing in Lebanon following direct talks between the two governments in Washington on Tuesday. More than 2,000 Lebanese have been reported killed since early March. Uncertainty also continues over the crucial Strait of Hormuz crisis. Stay with us for live updates on developments on the ground, humanitarian impacts and diplomatic efforts. App users can follow coverage here.