United Nations

Recovery in Gaza must also include accountability for violations, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

The Secretary-General on Wednesday outlined a set of proposals to strengthen the UN’s effectiveness and improve coordination across its three core pillars: peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

Nearly 14 million people could face severe hunger by the end of the year, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday, as slashed humanitarian funding threatens six of its most critical operations. 

The UN relief chief on Wednesday urged Israel and Hamas to honour their agreement to return deceased hostages and allow aid at scale into Gaza, warning that it should not be used as “a bargaining chip” amid reports of new civilian killings and extrajudicial executions.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose by a record amount in 2024, reaching new highs and locking in further long-term warming and extreme weather, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

More than eight per cent of the world population or around 673 million people are not getting enough to eat and going hungry, according to the UN.

The UN maritime agency opened a special session in London on Tuesday, where nations are debating – and may adopt – a landmark framework to curb greenhouse gas emissions for global shipping, amid intense debate and open US opposition.

Israel announced late on Tuesday that it will limit the flow of aid to Gaza, accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement by returning only four of the bodies of deceased hostages so far.

With the end of the year fast approaching, humanitarians are urging donors to step up support for their operations which remain underfunded due to brutal cuts to aid budgets. 

A new report released on Tuesday warns the world is falling behind on its clean energy goals, prompting UN chief António Guterres to call once more for a ramped-up transition to a net zero global economy.

The UN’s top envoy for Libya warned on Tuesday that the country’s long-delayed political transition will stay on hold unless rival institutions swiftly resolve differences over election laws and key appointments.

Russian drones hit a “clearly marked” UN convoy on Tuesday which was bringing desperately needed aid to a war-torn frontline town in southern Ukraine. 

Countries must scale up investment and care to treat neurological disorders, responsible for over 11 million deaths each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 

Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid is getting in to meet the needs of desperate Palestinians.

UN Deputy-Secretary General Amina Mohammed has acknowledged the Chinese capital’s enduring association with the fight for women’s rights and gender equality, 30 years on from the adoption of the landmark Beijing Declaration, a foundational international treaty.

The UN is stepping up its emergency response in Gaza, releasing $11 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to meet urgent needs before winter – a move that underscores both the expanding humanitarian effort and the funding shortfall threatening to stall it.

As the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate in Haiti, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday that women, children and displaced families are disproportionately affected as malnutrition and hunger rise.

People around the world who are transforming food systems in their local communities are being recognised and supported by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Ramallah, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, is a bustling urban centre, but it is ringed by barriers and checkpoints which dominate every aspect of life. Speaking at the UN Forum of Mayors in Geneva, Issa Kassis, the mayor of Ramallah, says that the challenges faced by city leaders are amplified by conflict and occupation.

There is now “real hope” for a ceasefire which would pave the way for a lasting and definitive settlement of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Huang Xia, told the Security Council on Monday.