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Security Council LIVE: Open debate on women, peace and security

The UN Security Council met in New York Wednesday for its annual open debate on women, peace and security, in line with a 25-year-old resolution. The Secretary-General’s most recent report on the issue shows that in 2024, women made up only seven percent of negotiators on average worldwide, and…

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.…

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. Preliminary data indicates that…

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…

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…

Lebanon: 12 children killed, maimed daily, despite Hezbollah-Israel truce

More than 100 days of war reveals a shattering snapshot of life for civilians in Lebanon amid Israeli strikes and forced displacement, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday. Key…

Monica Juma: Steering global cooperation at a time of converging threats

Criminal networks are moving faster, reaching further and blurring the lines between threats. Into this shifting landscape steps Monica Juma, taking on one of the UN’s most demanding security and justice portfolios…

‘Some question if Ebola is real’: how trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak

In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday. Since the outbreak…

UN urges adherence to mine ban treaty

Countries must uphold international law limiting the use of anti-personnel mines, which kill and maim civilians long after conflicts have ended, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Tuesday.…

A turning point for Haiti? New security force takes fight to powerful gangs

Passengers look out of the back of a brightly-coloured shared pick-up style taxi, known locally in Haiti as a “tap tap” as it makes its way along the Boulevard du 15 Octobre in the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince…