The United Nations Headquarters in New York City

Who will rescue the UN — will it be a “Madam SG”?

The choice of the next SG will determine whether the UN regains relevance or slides further into insignificance. A woman leader would not only break a glass ceiling; it would show the UN retains the capacity for renewal. A male candidate seen as a P5 compromise would confirm fears that global leadership remains a private club for the powerful.

Sri Lanka gets two-year respite at UNHRC; Colombo calls resolution intrusive, damaging to South Asia

A revised version presented on 1 October reflects the Western double standards and the continuous desire of the UNHRC to bend over backwards to please the West. The most shocking aspect is that the recommendations in the report were made without consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka. 

US reiterates claim it deescalated India-Pakistan conflict, but India affirms at UNSC it was resolved bilaterally

Op Sindoor was motivated by the Security Council statement on “the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors” of the Pahalgam attack accountable and it targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

'World on fire': Buddha’s teachings can show the way

Rulers and decision makers must deter aggression and a calculated pursuit of violence in today's world” by nations “impelled by political goals such as territorial expansion or domination, or by deviant nonstate actors and terrorists who sow fear and destruction due to their deviant belief systems”, he said.

More on UN Watch

Domestic workers among hardest hit by COVID crisis, says UN labour agency

Domestic workers globally have been among the hardest hit by the COVID crisis, losing more jobs and working hours than other sectors, the UN labour agency ILO said on Tuesday

More transparency needed in investigating coronavirus origins: WHO Director-General Tedros

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-Genral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on China to cooperate on the ongoing investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus

Vaccines should be considered 'global public goods': UN chief

Lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines should be considered “global public goods”, the UN chief told journalists on Friday, covering the G7 Summit of leading industrialized nations taking place in the United Kingdom

UN elects five new members to serve on the Security Council

Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were elected by the 75th session of the General Assembly on Friday to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2022-2023 term

UN rights chief urges accountability for escalating ‘catastrophe’ in Myanmar

Escalating violence across Myanmar including attacks on civilians must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said

UNESCO report highlights need for greater investment, diversity in science

Although spending on science has risen worldwide, greater investment is needed in the face of growing crises, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended in a new report published on Friday

UN rights chief urges accountability for escalating ‘catastrophe’ in Myanmar

Escalating violence across Myanmar including attacks on civilians must be halted to prevent even greater loss of life and a deepening humanitarian emergency, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Friday

UN condemns ‘horrendous attack’ on demining partner HALO Trust

The United Nations has called for an investigation into the deadly attack in northern Afghanistan against the HALO Trust, a humanitarian group working to rid the country of landmines

Child labour figure rises to 160 million worldwide, says UN report

For the first time in two decades, the number of children being put to work has risen to 160 million worldwide, representing an increase of 8.4 million over four years,  while millions of others are at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new UN report launched on Thursday

UN experts to G7: Production of safe COVID-19 vaccines must outweigh profit

A group of UN independent human rights experts called on Wednesday for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for people in the Global South, urging them not to allow the profit motive to undermine global health and equity

Abdullah Shahid, UNGA president-elect, picks Indian ambassador Nagaraj Naidu in his team

Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, the president-elect of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, has appointed India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu as his Chef de Cabinet

UNICEF expresses deep concern over death and injury of children due to landmine and grenade explosions in Pakistan

UNICEF has expressed deep concern over the death of three children, age 10 to 16, who were reported killed in the detonation of a landmine in South Waziristan, one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Merged Districts (KPMD) along the Afghan border, on Tuesday

UNICEF and celebrities appeal to G7 countries: Donate COVID vaccinations ‘now’

From David Beckham to Whoopi Goldberg and Angelique Kidjo, Ambassadors for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other agencies, have signed an open letter to the upcoming G7 Summit of world leaders, underscoring the urgency of supplying vaccine donations now

End war on nature and ensure ocean health, UN chief on World Oceans Day

Ending the “war on nature” must be part of global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday in his message for World Oceans Day

WHO warns of ‘two-track pandemic’ as cases decline but vaccine inequity persists

Even though COVID-19 cases and deaths have declined in recent weeks, the world is facing a “two-track pandemic”, the UN’s top health official said on Monday in his ongoing campaign to get more vaccines to developing countries