The historic shift of power in Syria and the possibility of finally accessing evidence of horrific human rights violations could bring accountability closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved - a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.

Senior UN officials have been meeting representatives of the new caretaker Government in Damascus in the past few days, following the overthrow of the Assad regime. This morning in New York, the Security Council just began its first meeting on the future of Syria, where the UN Special Envoy and the UN's emergency relief chief are briefing ambassadors. UN News app users can follow our coverage here.

SYDNEY, Dec 16 (IPS) - This piece is not about the crisis or the chaos that the country is now facing after successfully toppling the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina. Rather, it is about the crisis of confidence and social capital or trust — interlinked, nonetheless.

DAKAR, Senegal, Dec 16 (IPS) - From increased pests and diseases to lower crop yields and extreme weather events, the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture in Africa cannot be overstated.

DUBLIN, Ireland, Dec 16 (IPS) - For decades, preventable deaths, lifelong disabilities, and disfigurements presented devastating consequences for over 90% of the population in Africa, where surgical care remains largely out of reach.

IDLIB, Syria, Dec 16 (IPS) - Detained without trial for over three years for trial for allegedly treating "terrorists" (as opponents of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were deemed), Alaa al-Khalil, a 33-year-old nurse from the Syrian city of Hama, recounts the agony of her time in a prison cell she shared with at least 35 women.

UN humanitarians expressed alarm on Monday at the rising numbers of civilian casualties in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, in northern Darfur.

Civilians near the frontlines of Ukraine’s war with Russia are living “on the edge”, a senior UN humanitarian official told the Security Council on Monday, calling for urgent international action to increase protection and sustain humanitarian aid.

International migrants comprised 4.7 per cent of the labour force in 2022 – an indication of the crucial role they play in the global economy, the UN labour agency ILO said in a report published on Monday.

As the world navigates rapid digital transformation, the 19th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme "Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future."