News headlines for “Geopolitics”, page 45
Sexual Exploitation & Abuse at UN Reveals “Significant Underreporting”
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 (IPS) - A system-wide UN survey of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), described as “grave violations of human rights”, has revealed that in 2024, there were 675 allegations reported.A UN message to staffers last week says this is “widely believed” to be “significant underreporting” because the real numbers may be much higher.
DR Congo: Rising insecurity in the east impedes diplomatic progress, Security Council hears
- UN News

US and Qatari diplomatic efforts to bring a lasting peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have not yet led to improved conditions on the ground, where the security situation remains dire, the UN Security Council heard on Friday.
Famine in Gaza: ‘A failure of humanity itself’, says UN chief
- UN News

More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday.
Human Rights Watch Warns of Surge in Executions in Saudi Arabia
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, August 21 (IPS) - Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the surge in unprecedented executions in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Humanitarian experts have underscored the Saudi Arabian monarchy’s use of the death penalty to silence peaceful dissent among civilians and impose justice for minor offenses, with little to no due process.
Overtourism: Civil Society Mobilising
- Inter Press Service

LONDON, August 21 (IPS) - It’s peak holiday season across Europe and North America, and people are hitting the beaches and crowding into city centres in ever-increasing numbers. They’re part of a huge industry: last year, travel and tourism’s share of the global economy stood at US$10.9 trillion, around 10 per cent of the world’s GDP.
Seeding Strength: Farmer Cooperatives and the Future of Food Systems
- Inter Press Service

KATHMANDU, Nepal / NEW DELHI, India, August 21 (IPS) - “The future of agriculture lies not in the hands of a few giants, but in the joint hands of many.” This quote captures the spirit of farmer cooperatives—values-driven, collectively run enterprises rooted in solidarity and self-help. As global food systems grow more fragile and inequitable, cooperatives offer a compelling model: putting people before profits, and communities before corporations, while advancing social equity, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability.
Accountability on Trial: UN’s Unabated SEA Crisis Erodes Trust in World Body’s Leadership
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, August 21 (IPS) - After taking oath of office in December 2016 as Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres described the eradication of sexual offenses by UN peacekeeping and all other UN personnel as the first item on his reform agenda.
Survivors’ voices ‘integral’ to preventing terrorism
- UN News

Terror attack survivors came together to bear witness at UN Headquarters on Thursday, emphasising that their voices must not be sidelined in shaping policy and driving efforts to prevent future atrocities.
Syria: Political transition on ‘a knife-edge’ amid military skirmishes
- UN News

The UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Thursday, saying that amid a strained ceasefire and military skirmishes in Syria, the political transition “remains on a knife’s edge”.
UN rights chief decries ‘relentless intensification’ of US sanctions against International Criminal Court staff
- UN News

The United States must stop ramping up sanctions against officials with the International Criminal Court (ICC), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Thursday.
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