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Week in Review 30 August 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories There was no let-up in the famine and conflict-driven horrors unfolding in Gaza. The descent into a potentially "massive famine" has begun – as we reported on Friday - and we had a powerful interview with the head of the UN Palestine refugee agency summarising the plight of a people who feel dehumanized and abandoned, despite the UN continuous efforts to keep some aid flowing. Ambassadors in the Security Council held high-stakes meetings on Gaza, Haiti, Ukraine and Sudan – while the decades-long UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon learned that it will begin fully winding down at the end of next year, in the hopes that by then the Lebanese military can take full control. We had some positive news too: Iraq unveiled an historic new national migration plan which acknowledges that migrants – and returnees – can be a big boon to development and stability. Thailand granted work rights to long-term refugees from Myanmar along the same lines. We continued bringing you stories of individual resilience, sacrifice and extraordinary service. Dr. Tierno Balde left the stricken city of Goma in eastern DRC as rebels descended, on the last flight out. He vowed to return as soon as he could, managing to organise resistance to both cholera and mpox outbreaks that would saves thousands more lives. "I had to be there," he told UN News. Stay informed – follow UN News online, on our App, and on social media for the latest updates from the United Nations in New York, Geneva, Nairobi and around the world.

The descent into 'a massive famine' in Gaza has begun, relief agencies warn Amid reports of increased Israeli military operations across Gaza City on Friday, UN aid agencies repeated urgent warnings of ongoing famine and a likely rise in preventable disease, linked to the dire living conditions in the war-shattered enclave. Read more Peace and Security Ukraine: 'Diplomatic momentum' at risk amid large-scale Russian strikes Large-scale attacks by Russia against civilians in Ukraine could see any hopes of a lasting peace deal there rapidly fade, a senior UN official said during an emergency session of the Security Council on Friday.  Read more Peace and Security DR Congo: The doctor who couldn't leave Goma In the days leading up to the fall of Goma, the capital of North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dr. Thierno Balde slept with a helmet and bulletproof vest beside his bed as shells rattled the walls of his hotel. Read more Humanitarian Aid Sudan: Guterres calls for ceasefire in El Fasher, deplores 'relentless' militia attacks The UN Secretary-General appealed on Friday for an immediate ceasefire in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped for over a year.   Read more Peace and Security Gaza: UN calls for probe following deadly strikes on Nasser Hospital The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza following two deadly Israeli air strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the southern Strip on Monday.  Read more Peace and Security 'The people of Haiti are in a perfect storm of suffering,' warns UN chief State authority is crumbling across Haiti while gang violence engulfs the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond, "paralysing daily life and forcing families to flee," UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday. Read more Peace and Security Closing down UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon 'would create a vacuum for stability in the region' The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has operated since the late 1970s, tasked with monitoring the demilitarisation of the south of the country, supporting the Lebanese army, and ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need. Every year, the mandate has to be renewed by the Security Council, but powerful voices have been raised against extending it, which could spell either its closure, or lead to budget cuts that reduce its ability to operate effectively. With the Security Council deadline just a few days away, Nancy Sarkis from UN News spoke to Andrea Tenenti, UNIFIL's long-time spokesperson, and began by asking him to explain why it's still needed. Read more UN Interviews Yemen: How acts of compassion light the way for healing Dr. Nouf moves briskly from patient to patient wearing her mask and gloves, with a stethoscope resting around her neck, driven by a strong passion to help the vulnerable at the Migrant Response Point (MRP) in Ma'rib in Yemen. Read more Humanitarian Aid One in four still lacks access to safe drinking water and sanitation Despite progress over the past decade, billions worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, leaving them vulnerable to disease and social exclusion, according to a UN report released on Tuesday. Read more Economic Development Killing of journalists in Gaza hospital attack 'should shock the world': UN rights office The killing of five more Palestinian journalists in Gaza by Israeli forces – bringing the total killed overall to 247 since the war began – should shock the world into action, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday. Read more Peace and Security UN urges renewed solidarity eight years after forced exodus of Rohingya Monday marks eight years since the mass displacement of Rohingya from Rakhine state in Myanmar and the United Nations is calling for greater international solidarity with the mainly Muslim minority community.  Read more Migrants and Refugees International Day for Remembrance of Slave Trade: 'Time to abolish exploitation once and for all' Victims of atrocities and freedom fighters across history can inspire future generations to build just societies,the chief of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, commemorated annually on 23 August. Read more Human Rights Health and aid workers targeted in conflicts around the world, UN agency says From Gaza to Sudan, wars are being waged on the very systems set up to protect civilian populations, with health workers, hospitals, health centres and ambulances being targeted in horrifying numbers, according to the UN agency for reproductive health and rights, UNFPA.  Read more Humanitarian Aid

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