Global Issues
News headlines
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.
Can dialogue heal a fractured world? A UN-led alliance is making the case
- UN News
As 2025 draws to a close, geopolitical divides are deepening – North and South, East and West. Against this backdrop, the UN Alliance of Civilizations marks two decades of bridging divides as its Riyadh Forum takes on intolerance, hate speech, and the fight for mutual respect in a multipolar world.
UN warns of ‘regional conflagration’ as DR Congo violence uproots 500,000
- UN News
More than half a million people have now been uprooted by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the UN said on Thursday, warning that the M23 rebel offensive is driving a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency.
Hurricane Melissa: WFP calls for greater investment in preparedness, building resilience
- UN News
More than a month after Hurricane Melissa slammed the Caribbean, devastated communities still require assistance, the regional director for the World Food Programme (WFP) told journalists at UN Headquarters on Thursday.
Risks mount for pregnant women in Ukraine
- UN News
Pregnant women took shelter in a bunkerised maternity unit in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last week, after a hospital was struck just 1.5 km from the frontline.
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