News headlines in December 2025
‘People Reacted to a System of Governance Shaped by Informal Powers and Personal Interests’
- Inter Press Service

CIVICUS discusses Generation Z-led protests in Bulgaria with Zahari Iankov, senior legal expert at the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, a civil society organisation that advocates for participation and human rights.
UN renews ceasefire push in Sudan
- UN News
The UN has urged Sudan’s warring parties to pursue compromise and an immediate ceasefire, even as drone attacks, displacement and the killing of peacekeepers underscore the growing risks to civilians and humanitarians.
Syria: Guterres deplores deadly mosque blast in Homs
- UN News
UN Secretary-General António Guterres “unequivocally condemns” the deadly terrorist attack on a mosque in Homs, Syria during Friday prayers, his spokesperson said in a statement
Sudan civil war: Health system ‘on the verge of collapse’
- UN News

The war in Sudan has been tearing the country apart for almost 1,000 days, putting the country’s health system under intolerable pressure. The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting widespread disease outbreaks, severe shortages, malnutrition and rising deaths.
Sri Lanka cyclone: More than a million still need aid weeks after Ditwah floods
- UN News

Nearly a month after Cyclone Ditwah tore across Sri Lanka, more than a million people – including over half a million children – remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, as floods, landslides and renewed rainfall continue to compound one of the country’s worst disasters in decades.
Development cooperation agreement marks new phase in UN-Iraq partnership
- UN News

Better access to education, the protection of the environment and good governance are some of the areas in which the United Nations helps countries improve.
How climate change is threatening human rights
- UN News

With rising effects of climate change across the globe, the world has started recognising that climate change is not just an ecological collapse, but also a human rights crisis.
First Person: Felipe Paullier, the youngest ever senior UN official, charged with giving a voice to young people around the world
- UN News

A paediatrician by training, Felipe Paullier has long been an advocate for youth. Formerly Director of the Uruguayan Government's Youth Institute, a role which involved several joint actions with various UN agencies, he was appointed to run the UN Youth Office in 2023, the youngest senior appointment in United Nations history.
The Bitter Sweet Future of Cocoa Showcased During COP30, Belém
- Inter Press Service

BELÉM, Brazil, December 24 (IPS) - Izete dos Santos Costa, also known as Dona Nena among locals in Combu Island, welcomed hundreds of people from around the world during the recent climate conference in Belém.
A Grim Year for Democracy and Civic Freedoms – but in Gen Z There Is Hope
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, December 24 (IPS) - 2025 has been a terrible year for democracy. Just over 7 per cent of the world’s population now live in places where the rights to organise, protest and speak out are generally respected, according to the CIVICUS Monitor, a civil society research partnership that measures civic freedoms around the world. This is a sharp drop from over 14 per cent this time last year.
Global Issues