The UN Security Council met on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York for a scheduled quarterly open debate on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, now given greater urgency by the Hamas attacks of 7 October and the deepening humanitarian...

Afghanistan is facing a deteriorating human rights situation due to the Taliban's repressive policies, a culture of impunity and an ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis, the UN’s independent expert on the country said on Tuesday.

Nigeria introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunisation system on Tuesday, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls in the largest single round of HPV vaccinations across Africa.

Twenty-three years after a landmark UN Security Council agreement focusing on women, peace and security, women and girls continue to bear the brunt of conflicts and remain under-represented in decisions concerning their needs and rights. 

Femicide, which is the killing of women because of their gender, has reached “pandemic proportions” worldwide as countries fail in their duty to protect women, including trans women. 

With 735 million people going hungry last year and three billion unable to afford a healthy diet, the world is “going backwards on our goal of zero hunger by 2030”, the UN chief told the Committee on World Food Security on Monday.

Recent developments in Kosovo highlight ongoing security challenges and political tensions in the region, highlighting the need for effective dialogue and cooperation, the UN envoy for Kosovo said on Monday.

Tuesday’s annual observance marking the official creation of the United Nations was overshadowed by the rising toll of suffering and sacrifice in Gaza, where 35 staff members with Palestine refugee agency UNRWA have now lost their lives.

More aid arrived in Gaza on Sunday aboard 14 trucks that passed through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator said in a post on social media.

The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, will run out of fuel in three days, putting humanitarian response in Gaza at risk, Director-General Philippe Lazzarini warned on Sunday.

UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Martin Griffith welcomed the entry of an aid convoy into Gaza on Saturday, the first since the start of hostilities two weeks ago.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for sustained humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza and for Hamas to free all hostages, in remarks to the Cairo Summit for Peace on Saturday. 

The protection of civilians must be upheld at all times, the head of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Saturday, appealing for an end to attacks on places such as schools, hospitals and the homes of his staff.

The aid that entered Gaza on Saturday "is only a small beginning and far from enough", five UN agencies said in a joint statement.  They called for a humanitarian ceasefire and safe access to civilians in efforts to save lives and prevent more suffering.

When Russian invaders withdrew in early spring of 2022 from Borodianka, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a piece of street art by world renowned graffiti artist Banksy appeared on the wall of a war-damaged home.

The first humanitarian convoy into Gaza following two weeks of conflict crossed the border from Egypt on Saturday morning.

Families in western Afghanistan, who have lost everything to a series of devastating earthquakes, need urgent assistance to withstand the harsh winter, the UN relief wing reported on Friday.

UN humanitarians said on Friday that an agreement to unlock aid deliveries across the Gaza border was near, as UN chief António Guterres delivered a powerful call in front of the gates at the Rafah crossing to get lifesaving aid moving.

A new UN report has found continued evidence of war crimes and human rights violations committed by Russian authorities in Ukraine, including torture, rape and the deportation of children. 

Hundreds of trucks are waiting for a green light at the Rafah border in Egypt, poised to deliver lifesaving aid to 2.3 million besieged people in the Gaza Strip. What's inside the convoy?

As the possible transition to a new global order heightens security risks, more effective multilateral diplomacy is a vital tool to maintain peace, the Security Council heard on Friday. 

While aid workers serving conflict-affected civilian populations depend on a set of laws to protect them, some warring parties violate these global agreements, from targeting hospitals and schools to blocking aid workers from reaching civilians with li...

Conflict is raging, threatening to spill over multiple borders and the world’s only body charged with maintaining international peace and security can’t agree on a solution. Now what?

Humanitarians continued to stand ready on Thursday to deliver lifesaving aid to Gaza following reports of an agreement brokered by the United States for 20 aid trucks to enter the enclave from Egypt.

Insecurity persists in Somalia, with extremist group Al-Shabaab and fighting in the Laascaanood region taking a heavy toll on civilians, the UN envoy for the country told the Security Council on Thursday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday issued a call for better regulations over the use and potential mis-use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry.  

UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday called for progress on the ‘unfinished agenda’ of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights at an event in Geneva to mark the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Developme...

Sand and dust storms are increasingly threatening people’s health, safety and livelihoods – and climate change is making matters worse.

With essential supplies running out in Gaza, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appealed for humanitarian access to the besieged enclave. 

UN independent human rights experts on Thursday voiced deep concern over the fate of civilians and victims of terrorism caught up in the Israel-Gaza crisis.

UN chief António Guterres called on Wednesday for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East to ease the “epic human suffering” in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The head of the UN health agency (WHO) said he welcomed the reported agreement betw...

In Afghanistan, urgent funding is needed to feed some 100,000 people left hungry and homeless by a series of deadly earthquakes, amid a broader and already underfunded humanitarian crisis.

The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza. The failure by the Council to make its first public intervention on the Israel-Gaza c...

UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland on Wednesday highlighted the need for an inquiry into the strike against a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds, including patients, staff and displaced people seeking shelter. 

The UN Secretary-General said he was horrified by the killing of hundreds of civilians following a strike on a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. In a tweet, António Guterres strongly condemned the strike, adding that his heart is with the families of those ...

Pakistan should immediately cancel plans to deport 1.4 million Afghan nationals back to their country, independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council urged on Tuesday.

The UN Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region, appealed to the international community on Tuesday for increased support in resolving the escalating hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the mounting tension in the wider G...

Infrastructure is a “crucial pathway” to generate economic growth, create decent jobs, transform energy systems, and advance sustainable development, the UN Secretary-General said in an address to world leaders meeting in Beijing, China on Wednesday.