News items | The United Nations Office at Geneva

Welcome to the United Nations

UN honours service and sacrifice of its peacekeepers

The United Nations is honouring staff serving at its field missions through several events to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on Thursday. The first UN peacekeeping operation was…

Gaza: Top UN envoy calls on Israel to end devastating strikes, starvation of civilians

Gaza’s population is being “starved and denied the very basics,” while the region stands at a dangerous crossroads, the UN’s Middle East peace envoy warned the Security Council Wednesday, urging immediate action to halt the violence, restore aid and advance a two-State solution before time runs out…

UN awards 2025 Mandela Prize to Brenda Reynolds and Kennedy Odede

An Indigenous social worker from Canada and a social entrepreneur from Kenya are the laureates of the 2025 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize, the United Nations announced on Wednesday. Secretary-…

UN aid teams plead for access amid reports Gazans shot collecting food

In Gaza, dozens of Palestinians have been reportedly injured and shot trying to collect aid from the new US and Israeli-backed aid distribution facility operating independently of the UN. Unverified…

Sudan war exacerbates risk of cholera and malaria: UNICEF

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned of an escalating public health crisis in Sudan, as conflict and mass displacement continue to drive a surge in disease, particularly cholera and malaria. In a…

‘My husband died in my arms’: Russian drone attacks on Ukrainians amount to crimes against humanity, UN investigators report

Russian drone attacks against civilians in the Kherson region of Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, independent UN-appointed human rights investigators concluded in a new report published on Wednesday.…

Climate change: World likely to breach 1.5°C limit in next five years

Fact: 2024 was the warmest year on record – but the heat is far from over. A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that global temperatures will likely continue rising, with an 80 per cent chance that at least one year between now and 2029 will be even hotter…

Yemen: UN warns against Houthi-Israel escalation, calls for dialogue

The United Nations has called for restraint following another wave of escalation between Houthi rebels in Yemen and Israeli forces. On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes on Yemen’s main airport…

Exponential rise in synthetic drug production and trafficking in the Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle – the remote, jungle-covered border region where Thailand, Myanmar, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic meet – has seen an exponential surge in the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs…

‘We are women like you’: UN honours peacekeepers for work in gender empowerment

In early summer 2024, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana ventured into sector North of Abyei, a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan where she was deployed as a military gender advocate with the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA…