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Senior envoy warns Iran-Israel conflict is deepening crisis in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is already grappling with immense humanitarian and economic challenges and growing instability in the wider region following airstrikes by Israel and the United States in Iran is compounding the situation, the UN’s top envoy in the country told the Security Council on Monday.…

Asia is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world

In April 2024, China broke the average temperature record that month. The following month, it was the same - and then again in August. And September. And November. While there are records which exist to…

Guterres condemns Iran attack on US airbase in Qatar

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, his Spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. It comes in the wake of…

Tobacco control efforts protect three-quarters of the world’s population, WHO report finds

Tobacco use still claims over seven million lives a year, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, calling for greater efforts to limit its use amid rising interference from the global tobacco industry…

Iran-Israel crisis: IAEA chief calls for access to damaged nuclear sites

After surprise US bombing raids on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities over the weekend, the head of the UN-backed nuclear watchdog on Monday appealed for immediate access to the targeted sites to assess the damage that is likely “very significant…

UN80 Initiative: What it is – and why it matters to the world

In a world grappling with growing crises, deepening inequalities, and eroding trust in global institutions, the United Nations has launched an ambitious effort to strengthen how it serves people everywhere. The UN80 Initiative, unveiled in March by Secretary-General António Guterres, is a system-…

UN condemns ‘heinous’ terrorist attack at Damascus church that killed dozens

The United Nations has condemned a suicide bombing on Sunday at a Damascus church that killed at least 25 worshippers, including women and children during mass, as a “heinous crime”. More than 60…

Bearing the brunt of war: UNICEF chief meets some of Sudan’s 700,000 child refugees crossing into Chad

Since fighting erupted in Sudan in April 2023, more than two million children have been displaced by the brutal war between rival militaries there. In neighbouring Chad, children make up 61 per cent of…

Human Rights Council hears concerns over displacement, genocide risks and migrant trafficking

On day six of the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the Council heard urgent updates on rising internal displacement driven by organised crime, escalating genocide risks and the trafficking of women in the domestic work sector…

Yemen: Nearly half the population facing acute food insecurity in some southern areas

The food security situation in Government-controlled areas of southern Yemen is dire, with nearly half the population facing acute food insecurity and struggling to find their next meal. Yemen remains…