UNITED NATIONS, Feb 6 2025 (IPS)* –A new executive order from the United States White House calls for withdrawing support from major UN entities and a review of all international intergovernmental organizations which the United States is a member of.
Coly Seck (at microphone), Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the United Nations, briefs reporters with Members of the newly-elected Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP Bureau). At fourth from right is Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations. Credit: UN Photo: Manuel Elías
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 4 2025 (IPS)* – US President Donald Trump’s ominous threat to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland sets the stage for a new political battle with the United Nations.
.
In Greenland, the melting of ice sheets is accelerating. Credit: WMO/Karolin Eichier / UN News
But judging by UN’s track record of failures—including the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine — the world body may lose again while battling a veto-wielding superpower.
(UN News)* — Escalating hostilities in the occupied West Bank are putting the fragile ceasefire in Gaza at risk, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned in a statement on Monday [].
It comes a day after Israeli Security Forces (ISF) carried out a series of controlled detonations at the Jenin refugee camp, located in the northern West Bank, destroying large areas there “in a split second”.
(UN News)* — The worsening security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced many mpox patients to flee treatment centres, increasing the risk of transmission, the UN health agency (WHO) warned on Monday [].
UN News | Internally displaced persons (IPDs) sheltering at a camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Fighting escalated sharply in late January, as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control of parts of North Kivu, including areas near the regional capital Goma, and advanced towards South Kivu.
29 Jan 2025 – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains one of the most volatile regions in the world, plagued by persistent conflict, exploitation, and foreign interference.
Raïs Neza Boneza
The ongoing offensive by the M23 rebel group in the eastern part of the Congo, backed by Rwanda, highlights the complex web of geopolitics and resource exploitation that fuels instability in the region.
This conflict is more than a localized struggle; it represents a broader pattern of global economic interests undermining the sovereignty and well-being of African nations.
(UN News)* —Four years after the military coup which plunged Myanmar into turmoil, the country is facing an unprecedented “polycrisis,” marked by economic collapse, intensifying conflict, complex climate hazards and deepening poverty, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Rome – The ceasefire is the first step in delivering emergency relief and rebuilding local food production in the Gaza Strip, where more than 2 million people urgently need assistance due to the collapse of agricultural output, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“The ceasefire provides a critical opportunity to address the catastrophic food crisis in Gaza by enabling emergency aid delivery and initiating early recovery efforts. But this is just the beginning of a long journey to recover from the devastation…
Kinshasa, 31 January 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM), is deeply concerned about the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced over the last few days in Goma, North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
.
The Surge in violence has seen thousands already displaced by the insecurity in Goma fleeing the town. Photo: WFP 2025/ Moses Sawasawa
An upsurge in heavy fighting and violence in recent days has forced people– some already previously displaced – out of their homes.
(UN News)* — The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has voiced deep alarm over reports of summary executions of civilians allegedly carried out by fighters and militias allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the city of Khartoum North, calling for an immediate halt to the killings.
Government forces and a rival military – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – have been battling for control of the country since April 2023 in what Mr. Türk called a “senseless war”, which has recently taken an “even more dangerous turn for civilians” as reports of people brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks mount.
(UN News)* — Violent clashes this week between security forces and armed groups on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince have led to another wave of displacement, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).
In a briefing on Friday [], UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reported that more than 1,600 men, women and children have fled.
.
Two-thirds are seeking refuge with host families and over 500 sheltering in three newly established displacement sites, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The situation for children remains particularly dire.