News headlines in March 2026

GENEVA, March 24 (IPS) - As trade ministers gather in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) on 26–29 March 2026, the preparatory process has produced a dense fog of competing reform proposals, draft ministerial statements, and work plans.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 24 (IPS) - In mid-1971, US President Nixon ended the dollar’s gold peg at $35 per ounce, triggering de-dollarisation. The 2025 gold and silver rush followed private speculators trying to profit from central banks hedging against perceived new risks.

As the war continues to roil the Middle East and compound suffering for civilians across the region, the economic ramifications of the emergency are still playing out, with the Strait of Hormuz the focus of global attention. Meanwhile, settler attacks have escalated dramatically against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a topic that we'll be across today also, with updates from the UN and our partners. UN News app users can follow coverage here.

VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 23 (IPS) - When the 11th Our Ocean Conference opens in Mombasa and Kilifi, Kenya, from June 16-18, 2026, it will mark the first time this influential meeting has been held on African soil. For coastal and island nations across the continent and the wider Indian Ocean – and for the Global South more broadly – the stakes could not be higher: the promises and commitments made there will help decide whether the ocean becomes a source of justice and resilience, or deepens existing inequalities.

PORTLAND, USA, March 23 (IPS) - On planet Earth, world population in 2026 is 8.3 billion people, which is four times larger than it was a hundred years ago.Despite this record number of humans living on the planet, world population is expected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century, significantly impacting planetary sustainability.

CIVICUS discusses Nepal’s upcoming election with youth activist Anusha Khanal of the Gen Z Movement Alliance, a youth-led civil society coalition mobilising for democratic accountability and governance reform in Nepal.

SAO PAULO, Brazil, March 23 (IPS) - The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) (March 9-19), held at the United Nations headquarters, brought together governments, decision makers, civil society, and international organizations to address a central issue: access to justice for women and girls.

GENEVA, Switzerland & SRINAGAR, India, March 23 (IPS) - The global climate system continued its alarming trajectory in 2025, with multiple indicators reaching record or near-record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its cascading impacts on ecosystems and human societies, according to the latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “the violence is worse than ever” and far from abating, the head of UN political and peacebuilding affairs said on Monday in a briefing to the Security Council.

The Security Council is meeting for an open briefing on Ukraine, requested by European members following Kyiv’s 18 March letter citing a surge in Russian strikes. Inside the country, attacks continue to take a heavy toll: since 19 March, at least 25 civilians have reportedly been killed and more than 130 injured, including children, particularly in Donetsk, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. We’ll have live coverage below, app users can follow here – and for all our key meetings coverage each day, go here.