UN News
World News In Brief: UN rights chief on Bangladesh protests, alarm over Gershkovich sentence, Afghanistan floods latest, decriminalising LGBT laws
July 19, 2024
As student protests continue to rage in Bangladesh, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is urging authorities to quickly restore internet access following a Government black out on Friday morning.
Guatemala: UN rights chief concerned over polarization, inequality, racism
July 19, 2024
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday highlighted changes and ongoing challenges in Guatemala – including corruption, racism and gender inequality - following a four-day official visit to the Central American country.
Boost for UNRWA as UK decides to restore funding
July 19, 2024
The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA welcomed the decision by the United Kingdom on Friday to resume funding of the agency “at a critical time, as the agency continues to come under harsh and unprecedented attacks”.
Exclusive: A look into the lives of Palestine refugees in Lebanon awaiting a solution to their plight
July 19, 2024
On the outskirts of Lebanon’s second capital, Tripoli, lies a Palestinian refugee camp that is almost as old as their plight itself.
Human Rights abuses in CAR detention centres need urgent response: UN experts
July 18, 2024
Immediate action is needed to address human rights abuses in detention centres across the Central African Republic (CAR) according to a new UN report released on Thursday.
No end in sight to the ‘war on women’ in Gaza
July 18, 2024
Wars are never gender neutral and Gaza is further evidence of this as some one million women and girls bear “the worst brunt” of nine months of conflict, the UN Women Special Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said on Thursday.
World News In Brief: Bangladesh student protests, Yemen’s maternal deaths, Mandela Day, honouring LGBT rights at EuroGames 2024
July 18, 2024
The UN chief urged the Government of Bangladesh on Thursday to create an environment that allows proper dialogue with student protesters following weeks of demonstrations in the South Asian country.
New support needed amid preparations for Ukraine’s third wartime winter
July 18, 2024
A new $100 million financial contribution will be given to support displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine as they prepare for the third winter since the start of Russia’s invasion, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced on Thu...
Books offer novel way to counter prison overcrowding in the Philippines
July 18, 2024
A reading programme for prisoners in jails in the Philippines is supporting their education as well as enabling them to shorten their sentences.
Eastern Afghanistan reels from fatal storms; dozens dead, hundreds homeless
July 18, 2024
UN teams and humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are mobilizing in response to devastating windstorms and flash floods that have ravaged eastern regions of the country, resulting in dozens of fatalities and the destruction of hundreds of homes.
‘Largest’ displacements so far in Gaza’s war of attrition: UN aid agencies
July 18, 2024
UN humanitarians issued a fresh alert on Thursday about having to cut rations in Gaza where fresh evacuation orders by the Israeli military have prompted “the largest displacements since October” across the enclave.
UN forum on sustainable development concludes with renewed commitment, call for urgent action
July 18, 2024
The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development concluded on Wednesday, with nations reiterating the need for renewed impetus and accelerated actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline.
World News in Brief: Bangladesh student protests, South Sudan attacks continue, opportunity knocks for climate action in Africa
July 17, 2024
As violent protests continued at university campuses in Bangladesh on Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged authorities to engage with students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs amid rising unemployment.
Security Council debates Gaza crisis, as civilian suffering continues unabated
July 17, 2024
The UN Security Council on Wednesday convened an open debate on the ongoing crisis in Gaza, which continues to be marked by immense suffering - compounded now by a complete breakdown of law and order - and a humanitarian system on the brink of collapse.
‘Listening to the agony’ in Gaza: Humanitarians struggle to meet needs of displaced
July 17, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) has registered more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since the October 7 terror attacks in Israel sparked the on-going war in Gaza, the agency’s top official in the re...
Haiti: Displaced women face ‘unprecedented’ level of insecurity and sexual violence
July 17, 2024
Instability in Haiti is fuelling a spike in sexual violence against women and girls as armed gangs continue their assault on the population, the UN agency championing gender equality said on Wednesday.
Guterres commends Turkmenistan’s ‘policy of neutrality’ amid troubled times
July 6, 2024
Cooperation between the United Nations and Turkmenistan, and regional developments in Central Asia, were the focus of a meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov held in the capital, Ashgabat, on Saturday.
Time running short as 2030 deadline looms for UN blueprint for a fairer future
July 5, 2024
How can we get closer to achieving UN Member States’ detailed plans to make the world a better place within the next six years? A two-week event starting on 8 July at UN Headquarters will attempt to answer that crucial question.
Refugees, migrants face violence, abuse and death on routes across Africa, new data shows
July 5, 2024
Refugees and migrants continue to face extreme forms of violence, exploitation and death on sea and on land across Africa as they move through the continent, UN agencies said on Friday, in an appeal to border authorities to do more to protect them.
Eleven new biosphere reserves added to global list
July 5, 2024
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday designated 11 new biosphere reserves, recognizing their importance for conserving biodiversity and cultural heritage.
UN official describes total devastation in Carriacou following Hurricane Beryl
July 5, 2024
The island of Carriacou in Grenada has been virtually “flattened” by the devastating Hurricane Beryl, a senior UN official there reported on Friday, as humanitarian teams ramp up their support to communities affected across the Caribbean.
Tens of thousands displaced as fighting intensifies in southeast Sudan
July 5, 2024
Fresh fighting in southeast Sudan is exacerbating civilian suffering, with reports that over 136,000 people have fled their homes in search of safety, UN humanitarians have said.
UN warns of escalating tensions on Lebanon-Israel ‘Blue Line’ frontier
July 5, 2024
The UN voiced deep concern on Friday at the increase in the intensity of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line, which separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.
Gaza war grinds on as forcibly displaced run out of space to shelter
July 4, 2024
Bombing continued overnight into Thursday in Gaza where some of the tens of thousands of people uprooted in response to Israeli evacuation orders have had to turn back after finding nowhere to shelter, UN humanitarians reported.
UN chief to leaders of regional bloc: end wars, deal with existential crises
July 4, 2024
Deep global divisions and conflicts must end to clear a path to tackling world’s two existential threats: climate change and the negative impacts of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, UN chief António Guterres told the Shanghai Cooperation Organiza...
UN mobilizes $4 million for Hurricane Beryl response in the Caribbean
July 4, 2024
The UN Secretary-General has reiterated his solidarity with countries affected by Hurricane Beryl, releasing $4 million from the Organization’s emergency response fund to kickstart relief efforts.
Gaza ‘split in two’ as civilians, humanitarians reset lives, aid efforts
July 3, 2024
The Gaza Strip is virtually “split in two”, with blockades not only restricting the movement of displaced people seeking shelter, but also aid workers trying to assist civilians in desperate need, a UN relief official said on Wednesday.
China-based inventors lead on global GenAI patents: UN report
July 3, 2024
China-based inventors are filing the highest number of generative artificial intelligence patents, a new report from the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows.
UN rights chief urges free and open space for debate in Venezuela
July 3, 2024
The UN’s top human rights official on Wednesday underscored the need for free and open debate in Venezuela as the country prepares to hold Presidential elections later this month, and local, regional and legislative polls next year.
Haiti: UN envoy welcomes democratic progress amidst alarming violence
July 3, 2024
The UN envoy for Haiti on Wednesday welcomed recent strides towards restoring democracy amid alarming levels of violence, while the country’s interim Prime Minister emphasized that the people “continue to fight for a better future.”
Belarus is not safe for anyone critical of authorities, warns rights expert
July 3, 2024
Citizens and civil society critical of the Belarussian authorities face worsening repression, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and harassment, nearly four years since widespread public protests took place surrounding the re-election of President Alex...
Ukraine: UN report reveals ‘horrific toll’ of Russian attacks
July 3, 2024
A new report from UN human rights monitors in Ukraine has revealed the “horrific toll” of attacks by Russian armed forces, with May recording the highest number of civilian casualties in nearly a year.
Tens of thousands displaced in fresh violence in DR Congo
July 2, 2024
Millions of displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are suffering amid one of the world’s most neglected crises, the UN International Organization of Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
Gaza: 250,000 set to be displaced by new Khan Younis escalation
July 2, 2024
“Chaos and panic” are spreading in southern Gaza where an estimated 250,000 people are set to be impacted by new Israeli military evacuation orders from Khan Younis in Gaza, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.