Drums and celebration filled a hall in New Delhi, India, as communities from across the world saw their traditions recognised, from Panama’s Quincha homes built by collective hands, to Yemen’s Hadrami Dan gatherings where poetry and music are created in the moment.

Civilians across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are facing collapsing health services and mass displacement as fighting spreads, undermining recent peace efforts and raising fears of a wider regional crisis.

The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday with Member States adopting 11 resolutions, three decisions and a ministerial declaration aiming to advance solutions for a more resilient planet.

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has expressed alarm at reports of a so-called “settler road” being built in the occupied West Bank.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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).