UN agencies responded on Tuesday to President Trump’s executive orders ending US membership of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its adherence to the Paris Climate Agreement, highlighting the massive potential negative impact on public health and efforts to curb global warming.

21 January 2025

A UN independent human rights expert on Tuesday called for an end to Russia’s severe crackdown on the legal profession, condemning the prison sentences handed down to three lawyers last week who defended the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

21 January 2025

Aid is entering Gaza “at scale” in line with the ceasefire agreement that has seen Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners released and families reunited, but massive needs remain across the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

21 January 2025

As glaciers disappear at an alarming rate due to climate change, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).

21 January 2025

Africa tragically remains the epicentre of global terrorism, and more action is required to implement international commitments to combat this scourge, the UN Deputy Secretary-General told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

21 January 2025

The crisis in Gaza continues to remain acute, with UN humanitarians reporting critical shortages of water, food and efforts to deliver vital aid to the war-torn region. Meanwhile, escalating violence in the West Bank has further deepened concerns over civilian safety and access to assistance.

21 January 2025

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alert on Tuesday over intensifying hostilities in the northeast in recent days. 

21 January 2025

When the plague, cholera and yellow fever rippled deadly waves across a newly industrialised and interconnected world in the mid-19th century, taking a global approach to health became an imperative. Doctors, scientists, presidents and prime ministers urgently convened the International Sanitary Conference in Paris in 1851, a precursor to what is now the largest of its kind: the World Health Organization, known as WHO.

21 January 2025

Following the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the UN Security Council is meeting in New York to hear from the Secretary-General and foreign ministers from the Middle East and beyond. UN chief António Guterres told the meeting there must be “irreversible action” to realise the two-State solution. Stay with us for latest live developments from the UN and our partners. UN News app users can follow our coverage here. 

20 January 2025

With the Middle East undergoing “a period of profound transformation”, the international community must support efforts towards more justice, dignity, human rights and peace in the region, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Monday. 

20 January 2025