United Nations

Crises in the region on both Afghanistan’s longest borders are undermining the country’s stability, a senior UN official warned the Security Council on Monday as concerns over Middle East crisis grow amid clashes with Pakistan and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Despite some progress made globally, children around the world still face serious and evolving risks of being sold, sexually exploited and abused, the UN independent human rights expert on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, warned on Monday.

A Japanese peace activist is hoping to promote global nuclear disarmament by keeping alive the stories of the atomic bomb survivors through the creation of a mobile museum.

Conflict continues to fuel suffering and drive humanitarian needs in Myanmar, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, said in a bulletin on Monday.

On day 10 of the war engulfing the Middle East, UN agencies on Monday reported massive displacement across the region, along with surging food and fuel prices that risk increasing hunger and suffering for the most vulnerable.

Welcome to our live coverage of International Women’s Day 2026 and the opening of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York. Throughout the day, we will bring you updates, reactions and key moments from global leaders, diplomats and advocates gathering at the UN, alongside stories and reports from the field across the UN system, as communities around the world mark International Women's Day and advance the theme “Rights. Justice. Action” for all women and girls. UN News app users can follow the coverage here.

Every morning in Kabul, several cars make their way across the Afghan capital to pick up the producers of Radio Begum. The young women do not travel to the office on their own as moving around the city has become too complicated.

Lebanon has been “dragged back into a state of turmoil and violence”, the UN’s top envoy in the country warned on Saturday, after the latest round of regional strikes triggered a fast‑escalating crisis along the Blue Line. What had been fragile but real momentum, she said, has now collapsed in a matter of days.

Women have never been closer to equality and never closer to losing it, according to UN Women ahead of the start of the world’s largest gender equality gathering.

Women held 27.5 per cent of parliamentary seats worldwide as the year began –a 0.3 per cent increase from 2025, marking the slowest growth in nearly a decade, according to a new report from the UN-backed Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). 

The escalating war in the Middle East has heightened growing concerns about further civilian suffering and displacement in the region and far beyond, UN agencies said on Friday.

Military strikes and counter-strikes are continuing across the Middle East as the US and Israel wage war on Iran. With the world economy at grave risk, ‘the situation could spiral beyond anyone’s control’ warned UN chief António Guterres. “It is time to stop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations,” he urged – adding that the unlawful attacks by all sides are causing tremendous suffering for civilians across the whole Middle East region. Follow our live coverage for updates and reaction from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow here.

There has been an alarming escalation of violence in the Kordofan region where fighting has killed and injured civilians, destroyed homes, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. 

Critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt are central to the transition to a zero-carbon economy. As the Security Council meets on Thursday to discuss “energy, critical minerals and security,” here is some of the work the UN is doing to ensure that the transition is just and equitable.

On day six of the war in the Middle East, there's been no let-up in bombs, drones and rockets targeting Iran, Israel, Lebanon and many Gulf States, while NATO forces reportedly intercepted a missile fired at Türkiye by Iran, a claim denied by Tehran. We'll bring you the latest from the United Nations and our partners at headquarters and in the field. UN News app users can follow the coverage here.

As an increase in conflicts leads to a significant spike in gender-based violence, women across the world face a “justice gap” with discriminatory laws reported in most countries, according to a report from gender equality agency UN Women, released on Wednesday. 

Clashes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have continued for a seventh straight day, with humanitarian access to affected areas still restricted, the UN said on Wednesday.

As US, Israeli and Iranian strikes continued for a fifth day, a top Human Rights Council probe warned on Wednesday that Iranian prisoners including detained protesters face expedited death penalty proceedings.

Violence in the Middle East is continuing into a fifth day, with US and Israeli strikes against Iran and Iranian missile and drone attacks reported across several countries in the region. The escalating confrontation is disrupting airspace, transport and daily life while raising fears of a wider regional conflict. Follow our live coverage for real-time updates, reactions and humanitarian developments from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow the coverage here.

Violent escalation in the Middle East has entered a fourth day, with US and Israeli military strikes against Iran and ensuing Iranian counter-strikes hitting targets across the region, disrupting airspace and transport routes. The situation has caused civilian casualties and raised fears of broader instability, including in Lebanon and the Gulf. We will bring you real-time reporting and updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow the coverage here.