UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• UN renews ceasefire push in Sudan
  The UN has urged Sudan’s warring parties to pursue compromise and an immediate ceasefire, even as drone attacks, displacement and the killing of peacekeepers underscore the growing risks to civilians and humanitarians.
• Syria: Guterres deplores deadly mosque blast in Homs
  UN Secretary-General António Guterres “unequivocally condemns” the deadly terrorist attack on a mosque in Homs, Syria during Friday prayers, his spokesperson said in a statement 
• Sudan civil war: Health system ‘on the verge of collapse’
  The war in Sudan has been tearing the country apart for almost 1,000 days, putting the country’s health system under intolerable pressure. The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting widespread disease outbreaks, severe shortages, malnutrition and rising deaths.
• Sri Lanka cyclone: More than a million still need aid weeks after Ditwah floods
  Nearly a month after Cyclone Ditwah tore across Sri Lanka, more than a million people – including over half a million children – remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, as floods, landslides and renewed rainfall continue to compound one of the country’s worst disasters in decades.
• Development cooperation agreement marks new phase in UN-Iraq partnership
  Better access to education, the protection of the environment and good governance are some of the areas in which the United Nations helps countries improve.  
• How climate change is threatening human rights
  With rising effects of climate change across the globe, the world has started recognising that climate change is not just an ecological collapse, but also a human rights crisis.
• First Person: Felipe Paullier, the youngest ever senior UN official, charged with giving a voice to young people around the world
  A paediatrician by training, Felipe Paullier has long been an advocate for youth. Formerly Director of the Uruguayan Government's Youth Institute, a role which involved several joint actions with various UN agencies, he was appointed to run the UN Youth Office in 2023, the youngest senior appointment in United Nations history.
• Industrialisation without destruction: A UN blueprint for the future
  Since the 19th century, industrialisation has had a transformative effect on the world, both positive and negative. It has created jobs and lifted millions out of poverty. But it has also had devastating consequences; destroying ecosystems, polluting the air, and driving the climate crisis that threatens to make large parts of the planet uninhabitable. 
• Gaza: Humanitarian response ongoing despite restrictions
   Although “significant restrictions and impediments” continue to hamper humanitarian operations in Gaza, teams are still responding to the population’s needs, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Wednesday. 
• Paper and wood: Forest products show signs of recovery, UN agency says
  From wood-based panels used in construction, to charcoal for cooking food, forest products are valued and traded all around the world.
• Historic vote looms in Central African Republic as UN urges peaceful participation
  With Central Africans set to vote in presidential, legislative, regional and long-delayed municipal elections this weekend, the United Nations has appealed for calm and restraint, warning that the credibility of the process will be critical to consolidating peace after years of conflict and instability.
• UN celebrates 10 years of progress in youth, peace and security agenda
  The UN has long been at the forefront of efforts to involve young people in decision-making, and the last decade has seen significant progress, thanks to the adoption of a Security Council resolution on youth, peace and security which led to widespread changes in the ways that the voices of young people are not just heard, but also incorporated in peace plans and policies.
• UN Security Council hears warnings over escalating US-Venezuela standoff
  Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have sharply escalated amid increased US military operations in the Southern Caribbean, prompting accusations of sovereignty violations, concerns over civilian harm and growing calls at the UN Security Council for restraint and de-escalation.
• Overnight strikes leave death, destruction and power outages in Ukraine
  A new wave of overnight strikes and front-line hostilities in Ukraine have caused further civilian casualties and damage to critical energy infrastructure, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
• World News in Brief: Gaza aid restrictions, Syria humanitarian needs, lawyer reprisals in Burundi
  The UN and partners continue to provide assistance to people in Gaza, where recent winter storms have worsened conditions for thousands across the enclave. 
• Myanmar elections marked by fear as UN warns civilians are coerced from all sides
  As Myanmar approaches elections scheduled for 28 December, the UN’s top human rights official has said that civilians are being coerced from all sides – forced by the military to vote and threatened by armed opposition groups to boycott – in a climate of fear, violence and mass repression.
• Security Council remains divided over Iran nuclear programme, sanctions stay in place
  At a meeting to discuss nuclear non-proliferation on Tuesday, the Security Council’s stance on Iran’s nuclear activities remained divided on the issue, split between those who support the reinstatement of sanctions, and the members who believe the sanctions should be permanently lifted, whilst questioning the legality of the meeting itself.
• DR Congo: Displaced people in South Kivu close to ‘utter desperation’, WFP says
  An estimated 500,000 people have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the beginning of December. 
• LIVE: Security Council meets on Venezuela, Iran, Somalia
  The Security Council convened earlier today for a packed agenda, adopting a resolution extending the authorisation of the African Union support mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and hearing a briefing on Iran and the implementation of resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Members are set to reconvene at 3 pm for an emergency meeting requested by Venezuela, amid heightened tensions between Caracas and Washington. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari is expected to brief ambassadors. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here.
• UN warns Sudan war entering deadlier phase as fighting spreads in Kordofan
  The war in Sudan is entering a deadlier phase, the United Nations has warned, as intensified fighting in the Kordofan region, mounting civilian casualties from drone strikes and growing risks of regional spillover push the conflict toward the 1,000-day mark.
• Somalia: Funding cuts impact assistance to millions affected by drought
  Brutal slashes to aid budgets are hampering efforts to assist millions of people in Somalia affected by drought, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday. 
• Winter aid delivery continues in Gaza
  Despite the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, humanitarians continue to receive reports of airstrikes, shelling and gunfire in all five governorates, the United Nations said on Monday. 
• Weekend attacks in Ukraine bring more casualties, damage infrastructure
  Hostilities in Ukraine this weekend resulted in more civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday.  
• LIVE: Security Council meets on escalating violence in Sudan
  Senior UN political and humanitarian officials are set brief the Security Council this afternoon as members meet to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan, where intensified fighting – including in the Kordofan region – has driven widespread civilian harm and displacement. The region has seen a sharp escalation, including a deadly drone attack on a UN peacekeeping base that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers. The meeting was requested by Sudan and Transitional Prime Minister, Kamil Eltayeb Idris, is expected to attend. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here.
• Synthetic drug market disrupted in Syria after regime change
  Past geopolitical tensions related to the synthetic drug “captagon” are now being mitigated with the Syrian authorities’ commitment to dismantle illicit manufacturing, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).