UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• Human rights expert welcomes clemency for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier
  The UN independent expert on the rights of Indigenous Peoples on Thursday welcomed the decision by outgoing US President Joe Biden to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous leader who has spent nearly 50 years in prison under controversial circumstances.
• UN rights office raises alarm over escalating violence in occupied West Bank
  The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday expressed grave concerns over escalating violence in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank, condemning the use of “unlawful lethal force” by Israeli security forces.
• DR Congo emergency: Fears that regional capital Goma faces attack
  Intensifying hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo involving the non-state armed group M23 have caused further mass displacement in the mineral-rich region, with fears that the regional capital Goma could come under attack, UN agencies warned on Friday.
• Global education must integrate AI, centred on humanity
  Marking the International Day of Education, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized learning as a basic human right and foundation for individual and societal growth.
• Guterres voices alarm over M23 rebel offensive in DR Congo, ‘devastating toll’ on civilians
  The UN chief on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in recent days in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is taking a “devastating toll” on civilians.
• UN scales up humanitarian response in Gaza as ceasefire offers respite
  The ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza is providing a critical window of relief for Palestinians in the war-torn enclave, as UN agencies ramp up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
• ‘We must be there for them now,’ says UN relief chief, highlighting plight of Gaza’s children
  In a rare moment of cautious optimism, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher addressed the Security Council on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza on Thursday, emphasizing the plight of children who have borne the brunt of the conflict.
• Afghanistan: ICC seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution
  The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken an historic step towards addressing the “unacceptable” systemic repression of Afghan women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals by the Taliban. 
• UN to strengthen cooperation with League of Arab States
  The United Nations and the League of Arab States are deepening their collaboration to tackle critical peace and security challenges in the Middle East and beyond, a senior UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Thursday.
• Middle East crisis: Updates for 23 January, UN relief chief says ‘we can save more lives’ if Gaza ceasefire holds
  The Security Council met on Thursday afternoon in New York to discuss the life-threatening dangers faced by Palestinian children – thousands of whom have been killed during the war in Gaza. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said a whole generation had been traumatised, but the ceasefire has "significantly improved" humanitarian aid operations. Join us for live coverage as well as updates from our colleagues on the ground throughout the region. App users can follow here.
• Georgia: Malaria-free certification ‘a huge milestone worth marking’
  The country of Georgia has been certified malaria-free following a nearly century-long fight to combat the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday. 
• Support for Haiti needed now ‘more than ever’, Security Council hears
  Haiti is showing signs of progress on the political front despite serious setbacks in terms of security, the Special Representative and Head of the UN office in the country, BINUH, told the Security Council on Wednesday. 
• Myanmar crisis: Civilians killed in airstrikes as Rohingya risk dangerous journeys
  The security situation in Myanmar continues to remain highly volatile, with intensified airstrikes across multiple regions leading to dozens of civilian casualties, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.
• World News in Brief: Gaza aid surge, El Fasher update, aid to Somalia, justice in Belarus
  The UN and partners are “seizing every opportunity” provided by the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to support civilians, providing a surge in aid alongside storage capacity, repair work, lifesaving services and damage assessments. 
• In Syria, top UN envoy highlights international backing for political transition
  The UN Special Envoy for Syria on Wednesday emphasised the strong international consensus that is emerging in support of the country’s political transition since the fall of the Assad regime last month.
• Release of ship’s crew, ‘a step in the right direction’: UN Yemen envoy
  The UN Special Envoy for Yemen and the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Wednesday welcomed the release of the crew of a commercial ship held by Houthi rebels for more than a year. 
• Colombia: Catatumbo killings highlight fragility of peace process
  The recent deadly violence in Colombia’s Catatumbo region has highlighted the ongoing challenges in consolidating peace, eight years after the signing of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement, the UN Security Council heard on Wednesday. 
• Lebanon: Food insecurity deepens following conflict, new report reveals
  Nearly a third of Lebanon’s population is facing acute food insecurity following the escalation of hostilities in late 2024, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released on Wednesday.
• At Davos, Guterres slams backsliding on climate commitments
  The world’s political and business elite present in Davos on Wednesday faced an uncompromising address from UN chief António Guterres as he rounded on a lack of multilateral collaboration in an “increasingly rudderless world” at risk from two existential dangers: climate change and unregulated Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• What is the World Health Organization and why does it matter?
  When the plague, cholera and yellow fever rippled deadly waves across a newly industrialised and interconnected world in the mid-19th century, taking a global approach to health became an imperative. Doctors, scientists, presidents and prime ministers urgently convened the International Sanitary Conference in Paris in 1851, a precursor to what is now the largest of its kind: the World Health Organization, known as WHO.
• World News in Brief: Hostilities in northeast Syria, response plan in Mali, Uyghur deportations in Thailand
  The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alert on Tuesday over intensifying hostilities in the northeast in recent days. 
• Ceasefire in Gaza brings hope, but West Bank faces escalating violence
  The crisis in Gaza continues to remain acute, with UN humanitarians reporting critical shortages of water, food and efforts to deliver vital aid to the war-torn region. Meanwhile, escalating violence in the West Bank has further deepened concerns over civilian safety and access to assistance.
• Security Council debates growing terrorism threat in Africa
  Africa tragically remains the epicentre of global terrorism, and more action is required to implement international commitments to combat this scourge, the UN Deputy Secretary-General told the Security Council on Tuesday. 
• Climate emergency: 2025 declared international year of glaciers
  As glaciers disappear at an alarming rate due to climate change, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).
• UN rights expert calls for end to Russia’s crackdown on lawyers
  A UN independent human rights expert on Tuesday called for an end to Russia’s severe crackdown on the legal profession, condemning the prison sentences handed down to three lawyers last week who defended the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.