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Week in Review 31 May 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories The hunger in Gaza grows by the day. We've reported every development and even at this desperate hour, there is some comfort to be found in the power of music. Our correspondent in the enclave brought us the story of guitarist Ahmed Abu Amsha, who continues to teach in the ruins of Gaza City. From Ukraine, we featured the stories of ordinary people on the frontlines of the chilling new reality of urban warfare: drones that stalk civilians in their homes and on the streets. "My husband died in my arms," one victim told UN-appointed independent human rights investigators. We've been keeping a tally of the continued cuts to overseas aid which are disrupting lifesaving programmes worldwide but also honouring the UN personnel who continue to put their lives on the line every day. UN women peacekeepers Sharon Mwinsote Syme and Zainab Mbalu Gbla won awards this week for their work in the field, as the world marked peacekeepers' day. "Justice is long overdue," said the UN chief this week in a call for reparations for centuries of enslavement and colonialism, while in Tajikistan the UN called for urgent action over the world's melting glaciers to protect water-related ecosystems impacted by climate change. The search for solutions in an ever-complex world continues, from the housing crisis to tackling the scourge of flavoured tobacco products aimed at children – here's a sample of what the UN has been doing this week…

Gaza is the 'hungriest place on earth', as Israel continues stranglehold on aid Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday. Read more Humanitarian Aid Songs of hope rise from Gaza's ruins In Al-Jundi Al-Majhool Square – once the bustling heart of Gaza City – music now floats among the tents. The square, transformed into a sprawling displacement camp, shelters hundreds of families driven from their homes by more than 19 months of war. Read more Culture and Education 'This is not just ice': Glaciers support human livelihoods, UN deputy chief says UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for urgent action to protect water-related ecosystems in remarks to the International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Friday. Read more Climate and Environment 'Justice is long overdue': Guterres calls for reparations for enslavement and colonialism Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his calls for Member states and the United Nations to work towards justice and reparations for Africans and the diaspora in a speech in New York on Friday. Read more Human Rights Flavoured nicotine products driving youth addiction, WHO warns For most nicotine users today, their first experience with the drug is a flavoured product – making it easier, and more appealing, to try. Read more Health 'We are women like you': UN honours peacekeepers for work in gender empowerment In early summer 2024, Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana ventured into sector North of Abyei, a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan where she was deployed as a military gender advocate with the UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA). Read more UN Affairs UN's lifesaving programmes under threat as budget crisis hits hard The UN is facing a deepening budget crisis that threatens lifesaving operations worldwide. From refugee aid in Mozambique to maternal health services in Afghanistan, critical programmes are on the brink of collapse unless urgent funding is secured. Read more Humanitarian Aid 'My husband died in my arms': UN probe says Russian drone strikes may be crimes against humanity Russian drone attacks against civilians in the Kherson region of Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, independent UN-appointed human rights investigators concluded in a new report published on Wednesday.  Read more Human Rights UN searches for solutions to global housing crisis The UN's urban development agency estimates that an astonishing 2.8 billion people worldwide lack access to adequate housing, secure land, and basic water and sanitation services – that's around 40 per cent of the global population. Read more SDGs Exponential rise in synthetic drug production and trafficking in the Golden Triangle The Golden Triangle – the remote, jungle-covered border region where Thailand, Myanmar, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic meet – has seen an exponential surge in the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs. Read more Law and Crime Prevention Sanctions relief for Syria offers 'powerful message of hope,' says UN migration agency The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has welcomed recent decisions by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union to ease sanctions against Syria. Read more Economic Development

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