UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• From malaria to energy: Why solutions from the Global South aren’t reaching the people who need them most
  Innovators – especially in the Global South – are too often locked out of funding and opportunity despite offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
• Sudan: Security Council warns of mass atrocity risk in El Obeid
  The UN Security Council has expressed alarm over reports of substantial military reinforcements by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) around El Obeid in Sudan, warning of the risk of a potential ground offensive on the city.
• Ebola in DR Congo: One month on, scaled up response remains insufficient
  One month after the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, case numbers continue to rise. 
• Art and culture can both fuel and counter hate, UN discussion hears on Juneteenth
  From a gold collar worn by an enslaved African to music preserved for nearly a century after the Holocaust, a staged reconstruction of a hate radio broadcast or porcelain coffee cups laid out in participatory remembrance, artists in a United Nations discussion on Friday used powerful images to underscore how culture can shape the fight against hatred.
• For one young refugee in Uganda, basketball is more than a game
  When 19-year-old Stephane Kulimushi looks around the basketball court in Kampala where he trains young refugees, he sees more than players.
• UNESCO launches consultation on fair payment for news in the digital age
  UN cultural agency UNESCO has launched a global consultation process to inform its Draft Guidance on Fair Compensation for News, particularly as online platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly rely on journalistic content. 
• Old and new challenges for the Human Rights Council as it turns 20
  It’s 20 years to the day since the UN Human Rights Council began its work as the world’s principal forum tasked with promoting and defending fundamental rights everywhere, particularly the world’s most vulnerable people.
• UN welcomes fresh Lebanon ceasefire reports as rights experts urge Iran accountability
  The United Nations has welcomed reports of a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday while warning that civilians on the ground are still fleeing amid ongoing insecurity.
• World Refugee Day: UN calls for renewed commitment and solidarity
  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to strengthen support for the nearly 42 million people worldwide who have fled their home countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution.
• DR Congo: Efforts ramp up as Ebola outbreak accelerates beyond borders
  The spread of Ebola is accelerating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid continued armed violence, posing a grave and growing risk to the region, UN agencies warned on Friday.
• Gaza: Sneeze and you might get shot, warns UNICEF in alert on child killings
  After another deadly night of clashes in Lebanon, aid agencies issued a new alert for Gaza, where 265 Palestinian children have been killed since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025.
• UN upholds freedom of movement for peacekeepers in Lebanon
  The United Nations has again called for freedom of movement for its peacekeepers in Lebanon who continue to closely monitor developments in the south of the country, including in the wake of the recent provisional agreement signed by the United States and Iran.
• Libya’s political process regains momentum, but window for action is narrowing, UN envoy warns
  Libya has been mired in political dysfunction since the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, which shattered State institutions and triggered recurring struggles over legitimacy and power. 
• From ‘media deserts’ to the invisibility of women, rights experts spotlight latest trends
  From the invisibility of women and girls to “media deserts” amid an artificial intelligence (AI) tsunami, dozens of UN independent experts have been shedding light on the battle for equal rights worldwide as the Geneva-based Human Rights Council continued its 62nd session on Thursday.
• Fermentation, flavour and the future of food: Making sustainability delicious
  Words like “sustainability” and “healthy” shouldn’t take the joy out of eating. As elite chef Jaume Biarnés has been explaining to UN News, sustainable gastronomy can be delicious, exciting and fun.
• Security Council LIVE: Gaza in the spotlight as dire conditions continue
  The Security Council debated conditions in Gaza at the request of its 10 elected members amid concern that the territory's humanitarian crisis is being overshadowed by wider regional developments. The meeting took place under a ceasefire that has existed in name since October 2025 – but nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, and most Gazans remain displaced. Relief chief Tom Fletcher told ambassadors that “fragile gains” since the truce are “the bare minimum of what Palestinians need.” Full coverage here, and wider Meetings Coverage can be found here.
• Climate shocks accelerating as El Niño threat looms over already vulnerable regions
  Millions of people already facing hunger, displacement and economic hardship could soon face another major climate shock, as UN agencies warned on Thursday that extreme weather risks are intensifying across some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
• US makes $1 billion contribution to UN child rights and food agencies
  Two United Nations agencies have together welcomed more than $1 billion in assistance from the United States to support their operations targeting millions of children and hungry families in more than 40 countries.
• ‘Stop this madness’: Rights chief warns of impending atrocities as militia closes in on El Obeid, Sudan
  The UN’s top human rights official has issued an urgent warning that an imminent offensive against El Obeid, the capital of Sudan’s North Kordofan state, carries the risk of serious international crimes and threatens to deepen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
• US-Iran deal: technical work can begin, says atomic energy agency
  The head of the UN-affiliated atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures such as verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a key sticking point.
• ‘Darkest chapter’: Record child violations in 2025, with national forces leading the way
  For the first time, soldiers and Government forces were responsible for more grave violations against children in armed conflict than non-State armed groups – and 2025 set a grim new record for the total number of child victims. 
• Rights defender killings hit record high as UN pushes to shore up humanitarian action
  Attacks against human right defenders have reached record levels over the past year, according to a new report issued on Wednesday by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
• Hate speech is ‘first step down the path of dehumanisation’
  As online platforms continue to fuel a surge in real-world violence against vulnerable communities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is warning that freedom of expression must never be used to justify hate speech. 
• Worsening hunger could push millions closer to famine in 13 global hotspots
  Millions of people across some of the world’s most vulnerable regions are expected to face worsening hunger in the months ahead, as conflict, economic pressures and shrinking aid budgets exacerbate long-running crises.
• Ebola treatment capacity expands in DR Congo as WHO issues new guidelines
  Treatment capacity for the rare and deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola is expanding in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that community mistrust remains a major challenge to ending the outbreak.