NICE, France, Jun 2 2025 (IPS)** – As David Attenborough reflects in his new documentary Ocean, “After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea”.
Credit: NOAA Photo Library
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), scheduled to take place in Nice, France from 9-13 June, will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet’s largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem.
(UN News)* —As coral reefs bleach, fish stocks collapse, and sea temperatures break records, world leaders are heading to the French Riviera — not for leisure, but for one of the most urgent diplomatic gatherings of the year.
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 5 2025 (IPS)* – A particularly virulent outbreak of cholera was detected in the Khartoum State of Sudan and is a direct result of the Sudanese Civil War, warns the United Nations.
UNICEF’S cholera response in Sudan. A doctor mixes an oral rehydration solution, which treats cholera. Credit: UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih
“The resurgence of cholera is more than a public health emergency – it is a symptom of deep, persistent inequality. Cholera takes hold where poverty is entrenched, where healthcare is scarce, and where conflict has shattered the systems that keep children safe…”
(UN News)* — Dozens of bodies have been discovered at official and unofficial detention sites in Libya. The grim findings confirm deep concerns about abuse and torture at the facilities, according to the UN human rights chief Volker Türk.
“Our worst held fears are being confirmed: dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,” Türk said.
4 June 2025 — Like generations before her, Haoua farmed cattle in the Central African Republic (CAR). But one day, about ten years ago, armed fighters appeared in the village, intent on killing people and animals.
“We didn’t want to leave our herd of oxen, so we were the last to flee,” says Haoua. With her husband and children, she made it across the border to Cameroon.
With her back bent and a broom in her hand, 47-year-old Haoua briskly sweeps away the red soil in the courtyard. Swish, swish. As if every swish were a year that has passed. Swish. The dust of what once was. Swish.
(UN News)* — The UN is facing a deepening budget crisis that threatens lifesaving operations worldwide. From refugee aid in Mozambique to maternal health services in Afghanistan, critical programmes are on the brink of collapse unless urgent funding is secured.
TheUnited Statesis the largest debtor at about $1.5 billion, as the Trump Administration is withholding funds to cut what it sees as unnecessary spending.
(UN News)* — The UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his calls for Member states and the United Nations to work towards justice and reparations for Africans and the diaspora in a speech in New York on Friday .
UN News/Israa Hamad | Slavery memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
“Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility. But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed,” he said.
Joint global partnership aims to tackle the deadliest form of malnutrition
Nyanene Gatdoor holds her son Tuach as he’s tested for malnutrition in South Sudan’s Unity State. Photo: WFP/Samantha Reinders
The darkest moments for Nyanene Gatdoor come when her 2-year-old son Tuach sobs from hunger. “When the baby is crying in front of you, and you have nothing to give him, you feel pain in your heart,” says the 25-year-old mother of 3.
BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM –Women and girls in Sudan’s Darfur region are at near-constant risk of sexual violence, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on 28 May 2025 warned.
The true scale of this crisis remains difficult to quantify, as services remain limited, and people face barriers in seeking treatment or speaking about their ordeal.
Shameless manipulation of our children, for industry profit.
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WHO | WHO calls on all young people to join the fight to become a tobacco-free generation.
Every day, tobacco and nicotine industries use carefully engineered products and deceptive tactics to hook a new generation of users and keep existing ones.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 