SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Ambassadors debate safety of civilians with 36,000 lives lost during conflict last year

An explosion rocks Beirut, Lebanon. In 2024, the country was among those reporting high civilian casualties from conflict.
© UNICEF/Dar Al Mussawir
An explosion rocks Beirut, Lebanon. In 2024, the country was among those reporting high civilian casualties from conflict.
  • UN News

We're live as the Security Council convenes for its annual open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, with briefings from UN relief chief Tom Fletcher and the head of UN Women Sima Bahous. Ambassadors will discuss evolving threats, including use of heavy weapons and the rise of lethal autonomous killing machines such as drones. The UN has documented a spike in deaths, with Gaza, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine among the hardest-hit. Mobile app users can follow here.

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