Week in Review

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Week in Review 4 October 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories as UN Headquarters hosted world leaders for UNGA80 This week, with focus moving away from the General Debate and high-level week in New York, we returned to the harrowing reality of the wars that continued unabated. We had hard-hitting updates from the heart of Gaza through the eyes of UNICEF's Tess Ingram and James Elder. From our own UN News correspondent there, we had the story of families forced to burn plastic to heat food – leading to a surge in respiratory illness as the bombs keep falling. In the final major meeting of the GA's opening week, the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims was at the fore on Monday. Assembly President Annalena Baerbock wrapped up UNGA80 urged leaders to carry on the 'hot debates' at home and find collective solutions.  A major policy shift that could dramatically improve conditions for Haitians made its way through the Security Council this week. We had explainers and interviews highlighting the ways the new Gang Suppression Force could make a difference, with UN support.  Beyond daily coverage of Sudan and Ukraine, we had special features on Syria's prison survivors – and the extraordinary UN Humanitarian Air Service which goes where nowhere else will.  Stay informed – follow UN News online, on our app, and on social media for the latest updates in New York, Geneva, Nairobi and around the world.

Drone victims, terror and death: 30 minutes inside a Gaza hospital UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza's makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.  Read more Peace and Security Ukraine: 'This war needs to end,' Türk tells UN Human Rights Council UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Friday that the war in Ukraine "has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters." Read more Human Rights UN warns of 'catastrophic' humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur The UN's top humanitarian official in Sudan has warned of an impending catastrophe in Darfur, with civilians facing relentless violence, sexual abuse and starvation. Read more Humanitarian Aid Full coverage of the General Debate, as it happened Follow our full live coverage of six days of the General Debate in New York, as it happened. UN News app users can click here. Read more UN Affairs Breathless in Gaza: Health crisis deepens as families burn plastic for fuel Doctors in Gaza are warning of a surge in respiratory illnesses as families – cut off from basic supplies – burn plastic and cardboard to cook and keep warm. They say the outbreak will worsen unless life-saving medicines, fuel and food are allowed into the devastated territory. Read more Health Guterres condemns deadly terror attack targeting Manchester synagogue Thursday's terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester, which left at least two worshippers dead on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, has been strongly condemned by the UN Secretary-General. Read more Peace and Security Increasing violence and funding cuts imperil millions across Haiti Rising violence by gangs in Haiti's capital is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday. Read more Peace and Security The Syria prison survivor seeking justice for the missing When the gates of Syria's notorious Sednaya prison opened soon after the fall of the Assad regime last December, graffiti scrawled on the walls offered a frightening glimpse into what was widely known as the "human slaughterhouse". "First day, severe beating," one prisoner wrote. Read more Human Rights 'Hot debates about hot topics', a strength not a weakness, says UNGA80 president Over 190 world leaders spoke from the General Assembly podium during high-level week – underscoring the UN's enduring relevance as a form of "life insurance" for many of the world's developing countries, said President Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday. Read more UN Affairs Fighting back against the gangs: What is Haiti's new UN-backed force? As gangs in Haiti continue to expand the areas under their control and show no signs of holding back on terrorizing the population, decisive action has been taken by the UN Security Council to fight back against the violence they are perpetrating. Read more Peace and Security The world is failing Gaza's starving children, aid teams warn As Israeli forces continued their push to take full control of Gaza City on Wednesday, reports emerged that another skeletal child whose plight was highlighted by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has now died. Her name was Jana and she was nine years old. Read more Peace and Security The UN air service that flies where no one else can For George Stroumboulopoulos, WFP Goodwill Ambassador, the only way to get to an inaccessible destination near the border of Chad in 2004 was to fly on an UN Humanitarian Air Service plane: it was the first time he'd ever heard of UNHAS.   Read more Humanitarian Aid Rohingya plight in Myanmar, a 'test for humanity' "Houses burned. Neighbours killed. Hope vanishing." With those stark words, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock opened a high-level UN conference on Tuesday, as alarm rises over the impact of Myanmar's deepening crisis which threatens to destabilise the wider region. Read more Migrants and Refugees DR Congo: Peace still elusive despite 'progress we see on paper', UN official says Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) "is still mostly a promise", the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, told the Security Council on Tuesday.  Read more Peace and Security From crisis to community cure: A Haitian mother fights back against cholera Faced with a deadly outbreak of cholera and a lack of sanitation infrastructure, one Haitian mother sparked a community movement that has transformed her neighbourhood – and saved multiple lives. Read more Health 'We don't believe in giving up' deputy UN chief tells New York festival crowd Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed thanked the crowd at New York's Global Citizen Festival on Saturday for using their voice for justice and "refusing to give up on a better world." Read more SDGs

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