UN News - Global perspective Human stories

• Gaza: Destruction of buildings rises by nearly 10 per cent since ceasefire
  New satellite assessments show the destruction of buildings in Gaza has climbed by nearly 10 per cent since October’s faltering ceasefire between Hamas and Israeli forces aim to end the two-year war, which reduced cities to rubble and displaced more than one million people, UN agencies said on Thursday.
• Ebola tracing improves in DR Congo – but the virus is still winning the race
  Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are tracking a growing share of people exposed to Ebola, but the epidemic in the country's restive east continues to outpace their ability to find and isolate the sick, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
• World News in Brief: Afghanistan education, Myanmar flooding, Syria recovery, homecare workers in New York
  Five years since the Taliban seized power in Kabul, life for some Afghans has improved while many others suffer growing hardship.
• Ukraine: Civilian casualties hit highest level since March 2022
  Civilian casualties in Ukraine reached their highest monthly level in July, with more people killed and injured than at any time since March 2022, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, said in an update on Thursday. 
• Türkiye’s changes to child detention ‘raise serious human rights concerns’
  UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday condemned an amendment adopted by Türkiye’s parliament that would allow judges to give life sentences to child offenders convicted of serious crimes.
• Security Council LIVE: Escalating attacks threaten peace in Yemen
  As tensions triggered by the US-Iran war continue to ripple across the Middle East, the Security Council held an open debate Thursday on Yemen, where escalating deadly military clashes are worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation amid fears that recent Houthi missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels could threaten the 2022 truce between Houthi militia and the internationally-recognised Government. UN News app users can follow our live coverage here.
• Occupied West Bank: Settler siege of Palestinians marks a new low
  In the occupied West Bank, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, appealed on Thursday to Israeli authorities to help Palestinian families trapped in their homes by settlers for days, amid an intensifying campaign to seize their land.
• Youth advocates gather in New York to launch new AI standards
  As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms everything from how we learn, to the job market, children are adopting the technology more than three times faster than adults – exposing them to unique opportunities and risks.
• UN continues scaling up response to earthquake in Colombia
  The UN on Wednesday continued scaling up assistance to areas affected by the deadly earthquake that hit Colombia two days earlier.
• Migrant deaths climb sharply in 2026, new UN data shows
  Severe weather, war, economic pressure and shifting policies reshaped migration journeys across multiple regions in the first four months of 2026, driving a surge in deaths, according to new data released on Wednesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• Sudan: Attacks and further displacement in Blue Nile and North Kordofan
  The United Nations has once again urged warring parties in Sudan to protect civilians as the fighting continues to take a heavy toll on the population.
• Cholera spreads across borders in West and Central Africa
  Cholera is spreading rapidly across West and Central Africa, with active outbreaks now in six countries and millions of children at growing risk, UN children’s agency UNICEF has said.
• WHO chief voices concern over Trump Administration’s executive order on vaccines
  The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday upheld the safety of childhood vaccines in response to a new directive from the White House to overhaul the recommended inoculation schedule.
• Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women ‘erased from public life’
  Five years after the Taliban seized power, women and girls in Afghanistan have been systematically stripped of their rights, UN agencies said on Wednesday. De facto authorities have issued more than 100 decrees curbing education, work and freedom of movement – restrictions now compounded by deep cuts to aid on the ground.
• Deadly attack on Red Sea ship adds to global supply chain uncertainty
  A strike on a merchant ship off the southern coast of Yemen that reportedly killed several seafarers on Tuesday threatens to reignite deep concerns about global trade, amid the ongoing Iran-US war that has choked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
• After post-pandemic improvement, youth unemployment is rising again
  Frustrated by skyrocketing youth unemployment, among other issues, tens of thousands of Gen Z activists took to the streets of Nepal last year, demanding a stake in the country’s economic growth. The protest worked and the prime minister resigned.
• South Sudan: UN mission decries deadly attacks, works to calm tensions after ‘nothing but devastation’
  The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has condemned recent armed group attacks in Warrap state which reportedly left more than 60 civilians dead and 50 others injured. 
• Ebola deaths top 2,000 as scientists race to develop vaccine
  Local officials in the DR Congo (DRC) reported on Tuesday that deaths from the Ebola virus disease have surpassed 2,000, with half of that number in the last 20 days.
• World marks second warmest July on record
  As multiple regions contend with unbearable heat, drought, wildfires and other extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Tuesday underlined the crucial need for stronger forecasts and early warning systems to protect lives and livelihoods. 
• Security Council LIVE: Spotlight on Israeli settler violence in West Bank
  The Security Council held an open debate on Tuesday which is expected to address escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinians and their property continue. UN News app users can follow here.
• Colombia earthquake: UN joins national response
  As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got”, in coordination with national authorities.
• Myanmar: UN investigators document deliberate military attacks on civilians
  Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – according to Human Rights Council-appointed investigators.
• Fighting deepens needs and fuels further displacement in Sudan
  Ongoing conflict, displacement and funding shortages continue to deepen needs in Sudan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Monday, underscoring the need for greater civilian protection.
• Lebanon: UN peacekeepers count hundreds of Israeli strikes and incursions in a single weekend
  Israeli forces fired 455 projectiles into south Lebanon and breached Lebanese airspace 97 times between Friday and Sunday, the UN's peacekeeping mission in the country reported Monday – among the heaviest fire seen in months.
• UN offers support to Colombia after magnitude 7.4 earthquake kills dozens
  The UN offered its support to Colombia on Monday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the west of the country, killing at least 111 people and injuring at least 87, including several children, while leaving others trapped under the rubble and causing landslides and serious damage to homes and infrastructure.