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Week in Review 26 July 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories The UN continues to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has become "a nightmare of historic proportions," as Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council this week. Starvation continues to deepen, and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that people are dying every day from the lack of humanitarian assistance. Hunger is affecting everyone, including staff with the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA who are increasingly fainting while carrying out their duties. Meanwhile, people continue to get killed seeking food. The UN's top court issued a landmark ruling outlining that states must act on climate change and do all they can to prevent harm to the climate system and the environment. UN human rights chief Volker Türk welcomed the advisory opinion, saying states now need to take action, including through legislation and policy change "to stop the climate crisis from worsening and open paths towards due reparations for those affected." The news came a day after UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a special address to Member States on the unstoppable global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. "This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility," he said, urging countries to seize this "moment of opportunity" to speed up efforts to deliver clean energy for all. In another powerful and wide-ranging speech to the Global Assembly of the human rights charity Amnesty International – the first by a UN Secretary-General – Mr. Guterres called for climate justice and berated the level of indifference and inaction on Gaza. The week ended with the celebration of the first-ever International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, highlighting their role as leaders, including in advocating for justice. However, as women from the African diaspora remain among the most marginalized groups globally due to racism, sexism and other discrimination, the UN calls for measures to support them such as combating negative racial and gender stereotypes and ensuring greater representation in political, legal and other leadership.

UN official reiterates call for Gaza ceasefire as 'nightmare of historic proportions' unfolds A senior UN official on Wednesday urged the Security Council to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, warning that the war has become "a nightmare of historic proportions" and it is "long past time" for the fighting to end and for hostages to return home. Read more Peace and Security In hard-hitting human rights address, Guterres calls for urgent action on Gaza, authoritarianism and climate justice The world is facing a "moral crisis" marked by rising authoritarianism, deepening inequality and a dangerous indifference to human suffering, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns in a powerful address on human rights. Read more Human Rights 'Famine silently begins to unfold' in Gaza, UNRWA chief says "People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses."  Read more Peace and Security Syria: Second convoy brings critical aid to Sweida A second convoy from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) reached battered Sweida on Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in its latest update.  Read more Humanitarian Aid World must protect climate as it preserved ozone layer, Ban says on International Day A political commitment to manage hydrofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol – a huge environmental success that agreed to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals – could be one of the biggest climate change wins in the lead-up to the December's climate conference, says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Read more Torture, threats and arbitrary arrests: UN warns of 'serious abuses' against Afghans forced to return Afghans returning to their country face "serious violations" of their human rights committed by the Taliban de facto authorities, according to a United Nations report published on Thursday amid mass deportation campaigns from Iran and Pakistan. Read more Migrants and Refugees 'Perfect storm' of global crises drove years of food price surges: FAO The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Máximo Torero Cullen, previewed its annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report in a briefing on Tuesday to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York. Read more Health UN warns of escalating human toll in Ukraine amid relentless aerial attacks, mounting aid shortfall Russian aerial attacks continue to intensify across Ukraine, exacting a rising toll on civilians and infrastructure, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Friday, warning of mounting humanitarian needs amid faltering donor support. Read more Peace and Security Desks become beds as Haitian school shelters people displaced by violence Gang violence in Haiti has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and many are finding shelter in former schools where belief in the power of education remains strong. Read more Peace and Security Droughts are causing record devastation worldwide, UN-backed report reveals Worldwide, some of the most widespread and damaging drought events in recorded history have occurred in recent years due to climate change and resource depletion.  Read more Climate and Environment Two ex-militia leaders in Central African Republic sentenced for war crimes, crimes against humanity Two former leaders of the predominantly Christian Anti-Balaka militia in the Central African Republic have been convicted of multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Read more Law and Crime Prevention UN forum affirms stronger commitment to achieve sustainable development The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) has concluded at United Nations Headquarters in New York following a week-and-a-half of substantive discussion between Member States, civil society representatives and UN agencies.    Read more SDGs Women and girls of African descent: Celebrating contributions, recognising challenges This Friday marks the first observation of the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, following a declaration last year by the UN General Assembly. Read more Women Gaza First Person: 'The best of humankind in a place abandoned by humanity' In the centre of war-torn Gaza, UN staff continue to work despite the "unprecedented" destruction and suffering around them, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Head of Office. Read more Peace and Security 'The UN is here to do the right things': Envoy Colin Stewart bids farewell but keeps the faith After nearly three decades on the frontlines of UN's peace operations – from Timor-Leste's turbulent independence referendum to Western Sahara's protracted ceasefire and Cyprus' frozen conflict – Colin Stewart is leaving the Organization with his faith in it intact. Read more Peace and Security Deep-sea must not turn into 'Wild West' of rare minerals exploitation, agency head says Nations are pursuing underwater exploration for highly sought-after rare earth minerals, but the head of the UN's International Seabed Authority (ISA) said the deep-sea belongs to no single country or corporation as efforts are underway to ensure this rich resource will not become "the Wild West" of exploitation. Read more Climate and Environment Home is where the heart is – and where development begins When Denis Jobin, a senior evaluation specialist at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), visited a slum in Kenya in March as part of an ongoing evaluation, the smell was overwhelming.   Read more SDGs UN laments US withdrawal from its educational and cultural agency The United States announced on Tuesday that it will leave the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will take effect at the end of December 2026.  Read more UN Affairs

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