Global Issues
News headlines
Deep concerns for Palestinians amid intense Israeli raids in occupied West Bank
- UN News
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed alarm at reports of a so-called “settler road” being built in the occupied West Bank.
UN sounds alarm over rising demands on water resources as scarcity increases
- UN News
Pressure on freshwater resources is growing as demand increases in regions marked by scarcity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report published on Friday.
UN mission’s exit marks milestone in Iraq’s post-conflict transition
- UN News
After more than two decades working alongside Iraq through war, political upheaval and the fight against ISIL terrorists, the UN Assistance Mission there (UNAMI) ends its mandate on 31 December – a closure its top official describes as “honourable, dignified, and earned”.
Security Council LIVE: Ambassadors debate deepening crisis in eastern DR Congo
- UN News
The UN Security Council meets at 10 AM in New York to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), amid intensified fighting and mass displacement. UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix is due to brief on recent peace efforts – including the Washington Accords between the DRC and Rwanda, signed just days before violence surged again, heightening fears of a worsening humanitarian emergency and regional spillover. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here. Find our recent reporting here on the crisis and go here for all our in-depth meeting coverage.
Sudan war: Aid teams say deal struck to reach stricken El Fasher
- UN News
In Sudan, deep concerns persist for the many tens of thousands of people believed to still be trapped in El Fasher in the Darfur region, but UN aid agencies believe they may soon get access to the embattled city.
In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, a Young Woman Works in Disguise to Feed Her Family
- Inter Press Service
KABUL, December 11 (IPS) - Shabnam, a 26-year-old law graduate, manages her life and work by disguising herself as a boy. In the middle of a crowded market with the clatter of street sellers and the smell of nearby restaurants, a small, nondescript shop blends into the chaos. Inside, rusty shelves line the walls, empty soda cans hanging on the wall add a touch of color, and an old table covered with a worn-out cloth sits in the corner. To most passersby, the shopkeeper looks like a young man.
‘Once Conversations about Democracy and Equality Begin, They Are Very Hard to Silence’
- Inter Press Service
CIVICUS discusses restrictions on civic space in Thailand and the detention of activist and human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa with Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, Advocacy Lead at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).
CIVICUS 2025 Report Reveals Widespread Attacks on Civic Freedoms Worldwide
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IPS) - Over the course of 2025, global civic space conditions have deteriorated sharply, with most countries experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold and have even escalated the use of military force to suppress public dissent, civilians report facing increasing limitations of freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, petition and religion, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Funding for Human Rights Organizations – including at the Grassroots Level – have Been Slashed Worldwide
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, December 11 (IPS) - Human rights are underfunded, undermined and under attack. And yet. Powerful. Undeterred. Mobilizing.This year no doubt has been a difficult one. And one full of dangerous contradictions. Funding for human rights has been slashed, while anti-rights movements are increasingly well-funded.
A New UN Secretary-General Needs the Blessings of the US – or Get Vetoed
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IPS) - When there was widespread speculation that a UN Under-Secretary-General (USG), a product of two prestigious universities– Oxford and Cambridge– was planning to run for the post of Secretary-General back in the 1980s, I pointedly asked him to confirm or deny the rumor during an interview in the UN delegate’s lounge.
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