Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
February 11, 2025
Washington D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their Senate colleagues to urge the Trump Administration to exempt seasonal firefighters from the federal hiring freeze that’s reportedly preventing the hiring and onboarding of seasonal firefighters, a workforce that already struggles with recruitment and retention.
“We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze,” wrote the senators. “We are extremely concerned to hear that this is happening across the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service ahead of what’s expected to be another devastating wildfire year.”
“Although there is an urgent need to hire more federal firefighters, the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze does the opposite and is pausing hiring at a critical time for this already understaffed workforce,” they continued. “We urge you to put the safety of families and communities across the country first and allow the federal seasonal firefighter hiring process to continue without delay.”
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and along with Wyden and Merkley, the letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Angus King, I-Maine, Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.
Wyden and Merkley have been champions for wildland firefighters. In January, Wyden joined Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation to expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who died or became permanently disabled from service-related cancers. When he was Chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee – which funds the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service – Merkley wrote government funding legislation that honors the courageous work of federal wildland firefighters by establishing a permanent fix to prevent a devastating pay cut and providing additional support. In 2023, Wyden and Merkley urged the Senate to prioritize permanent, comprehensive pay reform for wildland firefighters in Oregon and nationwide.
Full text of the letter is here.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
The first subpoena I issued as the new chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the COVID-19 pandemic, including Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails.
These records and data were previously withheld by the Biden administration. This is a culmination of a multi-year fight to overcome the obstruction of the Biden administration to get unredacted records and data about the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. For years, Biden officials at HHS and its subcomponent agencies withheld crucial health information the public. Many of my 70 oversight letters were either completely ignored or inadequately addressed.
It is well past time to bring accountability and transparency back to our U.S. health agencies.
I made this announcement during Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation hearingbefore the Senate Finance Committee. Watch my call for this nomination to unify and heal our nation.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joining forces with President Trump to address chronic illness was the answer to my – and millions of other Americans’ – prayers. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to confirm his nomination and give him the opportunity to Make America Healthy Again.
WATCH: Sen. Johnson’s entire 7-minute questioning of RFK Jr.
WATCH: News Nation interview with Sen. Johnson on RFK Jr. hearing
SOCIAL: Daily Signal X post
SOCIAL: Eric Daugherty X post
READ: Why Sen. Johnson suggests a Secretary of Information Extraction
My budget proposals are as close as we will ever get to zero-based budgeting. Use one of the pre-pandemic spending levels as a starting point instead of starting at $7 trillion and suffering death by a thousand cuts. I’ve suggested using $5.5 trillion (which would match Biden’s projected revenue) and add if we must.
If we use President Trump’s projected FY2025 outlays, plus Biden’s projected FY2025 spending for Social Security, Medicare, and Interest, then FY2025 outlays would equal $6.1 trillion. This will dramatically reduce the deficit, and put us in a position where actually balancing the budget is entirely doable.
We’ve got to bring spending down. It’s not a revenue problem, it’s a spending problem.
We just released the text of the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 budget resolution.
This will be the blueprint that unlocks the pathway for a fully paid-for reconciliation bill to secure the border, bolster our military, increase American energy independence, and begin the process of fiscal sanity.
WATCH: Newsmax interview on budget battle
WATCH: “I have greater faith in Elon Musk to root out waste, fraud, and abuse than unelected bureaucrats who refuse to be held accountable.”
READ: Sen. Johnson’s Wall Street Journal op-ed on fiscal sanity
SOCIAL: Sen. Johnson’s X post response to Elon Musk
WATCH: Badger Institute Speaker Series — Forthright facts from the Senate’s pre-eminent accountant
I joined the Megyn Kelly Show to talk about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination and restoring integrity to science. We need to make sure that the data is transparent and that everybody has a seat at the table.
On the Steve Deace Show, I talked about why ALL of Trump’s cabinet appointments must be approved and why we must balance the budget with out-of-the-box thinking.
On the Daily Signal podcast, I sat down with Fred Lucas to talk about serving as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. I told him I’ll be like a mosquito in a nudist colony — it’s a target rich environment!
Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
WASHINGTON, DC—This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to rename U.S. Army base Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg. The base, originally named ‘Bragg’ after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, was first renamed to ‘Liberty’ after Congress passed a 2019 law—overriding then-President Trump’s veto—to prohibit the Department of Defense from naming installations after Confederate leaders.
In response to Hegseth’s order, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:
“I oppose Secretary Hegseth’s cynical maneuver.
“On a bipartisan basis, Congress passed a law to prohibit the Department of Defense from naming any installations after Confederate leaders. The bipartisan ‘Naming Commission’ removed the name of Confederate General Braxton Bragg and, at the request of Gold Star families, established ‘Fort Liberty’ to honor our fallen military men and women.
“By instead invoking the name of World War II soldier Private Roland Bragg, Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit. Worse, he has insulted the Gold Star families who proudly supported Fort Liberty’s name, and he has dishonored himself by associating Private Bragg’s good name with a Confederate traitor.
“This is typical of the Trump Administration’s obsession with fighting culture wars instead of actually supporting our warfighters and their families.
“This order disregards the law and disrespects our servicemembers. Secretary Hegseth must immediately rescind it.”
Background
In the FY 2020 and FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts, respectively, Congress prohibited the Department of Defense from naming any assets after Confederate leaders or victories, and directed the establishment of a Naming Commission to identify assets with Confederate names and to recommend new names for such assets. The bipartisan Naming Commission produced a report in 2022 recommending the renaming of nine U.S. Army bases, including then-Fort Bragg, all of which were approved and completed in 2023.
The relevant legislative language is detailed below.
FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act
SEC. 1749. Prohibition on Names Related to the Confederacy.
(a) Prohibition on Names Related to the Confederacy.— In naming a new asset or renaming an existing asset, the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of a military department may not give a name to an asset that refers to, or includes a term referring to, the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Confederacy’’), including any name referring to— (1) a person who served or held leadership within the Confederacy; or (2) a Confederate battlefield victory.
(b) Asset Defined.—In this section, the term ‘‘asset’’ includes any base, installation, facility, aircraft, ship, equipment, or any other property owned or controlled by the Department of Defense or a military department.
Read the full legislative text.
FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act
SEC. 370. Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense That Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily With the Confederate States of America.
Under the law, the Commission shall:
(1) assess the cost of renaming or removing names, symbols, displays, monuments, or paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;
(2) develop procedures and criteria to assess whether an existing name, symbol, monument, display, or paraphernalia commemorates the Confederate States of America or person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;
(3) recommend procedures for renaming assets of the Department of Defense to prevent commemoration of the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;
(4) develop a plan to remove names, symbols, displays, monuments, or paraphernalia that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from assets of the Department of Defense, within the timeline established by this Act; and
(5) include in the plan procedures and criteria for collecting and incorporating local sensitivities associated with naming or renaming of assets of the Department of Defense.
Read the full legislative text.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Navy Caucus, and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, are sending a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of the Navy urging an exemption for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Office of Personnel Management’s deferred resignation program for federal employees. In their letter to Acting Secretary Terence G. Emmert, the Senators note that any reduction to the Shipyard’s workforce will jeopardize our nation’s security by increasing submarine maintenance timelines.
The Senators wrote, in part: “We write with concern regarding the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) recently announced policy which offers a deferred resignation program for federal employees. […] the men and women who work at our public shipyards are critical members of our defense industrial base, without whom the ability to repair, retrofit and refuel our country’s submarines would be in jeopardy. In our states, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) has nearly eight thousand civilian employees, creating more than $1.5 billion in annual economic impact in surrounding communities.”
They concluded: “We ask that the Department of the Navy engage with OPM to provide an exception for employees at PNSY and other parts of the defense industrial base from recently announced workforce-shaping policies. […] While we continue to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reductions to the size of our defense industrial workforce cannot be one of them. To do so would make our country less safe, and we urge you to maintain this necessary investment in our economic and national security.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Shaheen has long advocated for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce, including through authorizing funding and workforce development for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Through the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Shaheen secured full authorization for the Shipbuilding Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which will expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet. Shaheen recently attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Shipyard for its new Waterfront Production Facility funded under SIOP. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, Senator Shaheen helped secure this funding beginning in the FY 2019 funding legislation, which she has continued in ensuing years.
Additionally, in the FY 2025 government funding bills, Shaheen and Collins worked to include a $9.5 million Congressionally Directed Spending add for a new parking structure at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard—which will contribute to quality of life for the Shipyard’s workforce.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Senator Murray, Former WA Federal Workers Highlight How Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Assault on Federal Workers in WA State and Nationwide is Undermining Essential Services
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump signing a new executive order ordering massive, careless job cuts to federal agencies that are already understaffed—and are struggling to keep up with the demand for their services from the American people.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have never waited in line at a Social Security office or tried to get health care at the VA—and their reckless assault on our federal workforce shows that they sure couldn’t care less about the people who do. Arbitrary staffing cuts across government are the exact opposite of efficient; they will just make it harder for taxpayers to get the essential services they have earned. It means no one will be able to pick up the phone to help with your Social Security and Medicare benefits, it means energy and infrastructure projects will be delayed or canceled because their permits can’t get approved, and it means national parks will be closed because they don’t have the rangers to staff them.
“This executive action is yet another senseless move by two billionaires who have no clue what the federal government does or what it’s like for regular people who have to work every day for a living. Make no mistake, the contempt Trump and Musk have for federal workers will push out critical personnel across government—air traffic controllers, VA doctors, wildland firefighters, food safety inspectors, and more. Who on earth would want to work for someone who does nothing but denigrate their employees? This executive order will only make government worse and less efficient for the taxpayers who count on Social Security, Medicaid, and so much else.“
Just this morning, Senator Murray held a virtual press conference with former federal workers in Washington state to sound the alarm on the Trump administration’s all-out assault on America’s federal workforce. Senator Murray has spoken out forcefully on the Senate floor against this administration’s attacks on federal workers, and sent an open letter to federal workers and a warning to her constituents in Washington state outlining her concerns with the administration’s so-called “Fork in the Road” offer.
Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
Stop-work orders for wildfire risk reduction projects on public lands undermine community preparedness
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet, and 10 of their Senate colleagues from Western states wrote a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Acting Agriculture Secretary Gary Washington to raise the alarm about wildfire risk reduction projects that remove hazardous fuels on Bureau of Land Management lands, and to express concerns about the potential for a future freeze at the U.S. Forest Service.
“Catastrophic wildfires across the United States are an ongoing national crisis and responding to them must be a national priority. These stop work orders and funding freezes jeopardize communities that depend on a robust federal response to our wildfire crisis – and also jeopardize small businesses, often in frontier and rural communities, that are contracted to do the work on the ground to reduce hazardous fuels,” wrote the senators.
This follows President Trump’s illegal executive orders cutting federal funds to mitigate and fight wildfires and comes as communities in Colorado and nationwide prepare for wildfire season. Hazardous fuel removal projects cut off fuel to wildfires which increases ecosystem resilience – protecting firefighters and civilians alike. Delaying these treatments even for a short period can mean missing out on the right seasonal and weather conditions for safe removal.
The full text of the letter can be found HERE or below:
Dear Secretary Burgum and Acting Secretary Washington,
We are writing with great concern about reports from our constituents that the Bureau of Land Management has issued stop work orders for hazardous fuels reduction projects. We are further concerned that fuels projects overseen by the U.S. Forest Service will be next. These projects are integral to increased safety and resiliency and any delay in implementation puts those communities at greater risk. We urge you to immediately rescind these stop work orders, halt any further stop work orders or funding freezes, and instead work with the tools and funds Congress has provided to better safeguard our communities from the serious risk of catastrophic wildfire.
These projects are part of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy, funded by theInfrastructure and Investment in Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Investing in fuels reduction treatments is a primary recommendation in the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Report, a nonpartisan strategy document to tackle the myriad challenges associated with wildfire across the country. We also note with alarm that this report was removed from federal websites this week.
In 2022, the Forest Service identified high-risk firesheds across the country to be prioritized for hazardous fuels reduction work through the Wildlife Crisis Strategy and Implementation Plan. The Forest Service chose 10 high-priority landscapes with the enactment of IIJA and an additional 11 landscapes with the enactment of IRA – each of these landscapes require significant investment to reduce wildfire risk. These 21 landscapes were awarded a total of $1.73 billion to protect at-risk communities, critical infrastructure, public water sources, and adjacent Tribal lands in 10 Western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, States, Tribes, local stakeholders, and small businesses have been working together over the last three years to implement fuels reduction on these landscapes.
Catastrophic wildfires across the United States are an ongoing national crisis and responding to them must be a national priority. These stop work orders and funding freezes jeopardize communities that depend on a robust federal response to our wildfire crisis – and also jeopardize small businesses, often in frontier and rural communities, that are contracted to do the work on the ground to reduce hazardous fuels.
In addition to endangering communities, the President’s Executive Orders freezing funding are flagrantly illegal. The Government Accountability Office, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (including in an opinion written by future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist), and the Supreme Court of the United States have all disavowed the notion of some “inherent Presidential power to impound,” as some in the Administration, as well as pending Administration nominees, have tried to argue without legal or textual basis.
Not only does the Constitution vest the power of the purse with Congress and provide no power to the President to impound funds, but there have been several bedrock fiscal statutes enacted to protect Congress’ constitutional power of the purse and prevent unlawful executive overreach, including the Antideficiency Act and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). The ICA prohibits any action or inaction that precludes Federal funds from being obligated or spent, either temporarily or permanently, without following the strictly circumscribed requirements of that law, which have not been honored in this instance.
As we’ve seen with the recent fires surrounding Los Angeles, wildfire does not distinguish between homes and trees. But we do have ways to mitigate the risk. One of the most effective strategies to reduce that risk is to reduce the hazardous natural fuels that surround our communities. These fuels reduction projects save lives and property, reduce the danger to firefighters, and return our lands to a fire-adapted ecosystem that can better withstand the threat to human life, communities, infrastructure, and property.
By terminating or even pausing these projects, all of the progress made at protecting these communities is at risk. We are imploring you to rescind the order to stop work on these hazardous fuels reduction efforts, as well as any other wildland fire management programs that are working to reduce risk and safeguard communities from catastrophic wildfire.
We hope to work with you to combat the scourge of catastrophic wildfire.
Sincerely,
The United Nations has welcomed the election of a President in Lebanon.
General Joseph Aoun was declared President on Thursday following voting in Lebanon’s parliament.
UN Secretary-General António Guterrescongratulated the new leader as he takes up his functions, saying this is a critical step towards overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional impasse after over two years of presidential vacuum.
The election of the President provides an important opportunity to empower the state institutions to address the country’s multi-faceted crises, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists attending his daily media briefing in New York.
Form a government
Earlier on Thursday, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert welcomed the election of the new President.
She called the development a long-awaited first step towards overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functioning state institutions they deserve.
“A Prime Minister must be designated and a government formed without delay. The tasks ahead of the Lebanese State are too monumental to waste any more time,” she stressed.
“Now is the moment for each and every decision-maker to put the interest of Lebanon above all personal or political considerations.”
Renewed hope
She noted that the election of a President offers renewed hope and an opportunity to pave the way for progress towards consolidating the cessation of hostilities and preserving the country’s security and stability, including by strengthening state authority across Lebanon and advancing comprehensive and sustainable reforms.
She said the UN looks forward to working with President Aoun and relevant authorities to support Lebanon as it takes meaningful and measurable steps in this direction.
The mechanism to complete the work of UN war crimes tribunals continues to make progress in delivering justice for the most serious crimes in Rwanda and the States of the former Yugoslavia, top officials told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Briefing ambassadors Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IMRCT), highlighted key achievements, ongoing challenges and her commitment to concluding the mechanism’s mandate.
“We are delivering justice in line with our statutory obligations, are doing so efficiently and with a completion mindset,” she said.
Its mandate includes conducting trials, handling appeals, managing archives and supporting national jurisdictions with evidence and expertise. It also supervises the enforcement of sentences, and tracks and prosecutes remaining fugitives, while also ensuring witness and victim protection.
UN Photo/Manuel Elías
Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, briefs the Security Council.
Upholding the justice cycle
Judge Gatti Santana highlighted recent successes of the IMRCT, including the review of the final conviction in the Gérard Ntakirutimana case.
Mr. Ntakirutimana was originally convicted by Trial Chamber I of ICTR in February 2003, for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. The review was ordered after Mr. Ntakirutimana claimed he uncovered new information that a witness had recanted evidence.
The Appeals Chamber conducted an expeditious review and upheld the convictions after considering all evidence.
“This process was key to the justice cycle and ensured that no miscarriage of justice had occurred. It also exemplified the institution’s dedication to ensure that any in-court proceedings are completed quickly and cost-effectively,” Judge Gatti Santana said.
Judge Gatti Santana further highlighted that the Mechanism’s other residual functions, including supervising the enforcement of sentences and assisting national jurisdictions continue to require time, attention, and resources.
The Mechanism remains best placed to execute them in the near term, given its institutional knowledge and the need to identify viable and just solutions for transfer or completion, she said.
Call for cooperation
However, she underscored the need for greater cooperation from States to address critical, unresolved challenges, including the case of six acquitted or released persons in Niger, which remains in a state of limbo.
Similarly, the case of Jojić and Radeta remains unresolved after nearly a decade due to Serbia’s lack of cooperation in arresting and transferring the accused.
Judge Gatti Santana also urged greater support regarding the conversion of the United Nations Detention Unit into a prison facility.
Located in a Dutch prison complex in The Hague, the Detention Unit holds four individuals – three convicted persons awaiting transfer to an enforcement State; and one detainee awaiting provisional release to a State.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider
Serge Brammertz, Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals briefs the Security Council.
Safeguarding integrity of judgements
Mechanism Prosecutor Serge Brammertz also briefed Ambassadors, detailing progress on individual cases and broader efforts to support justice. He informed ambassadors the recent rejection of Gérard Ntakirutimana’s appeal and ongoing efforts to transfer Fulgence Kayishema from South Africa to the Mechanism for trial.
He highlighted the importance of safeguarding integrity of prior judgments, especially amid allegations of interference aimed at reversing convictions, stating that “review proceedings cannot be a license for convicted persons to rewrite history and erase their crimes by fabricating evidence.”
Locating missing persons
A standout initiative is the collaboration between the Office of the Prosecutor and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to locate missing persons from the Yugoslav conflicts of the 1990s.
This joint project has provided evidence and audiovisual material on over 12,000 missing persons, underscoring the humanitarian imperative of resolving these cases.
The Office also supports national authorities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, where many fugitives and suspects remain unaccounted for. More than 400 requests for assistance were received in 2024, Mr. Brammertz said.
“It is clear that today, Member States need our help as much as ever before,” he added.
The number of victims of human trafficking detected globally is rising again after falling off during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its latest report on the issue, covering 156 countries.
The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons reveals a 25 per cent increase between 2022 and 2019, as more children are exploited and forced labour cases spike due to vulnerabilities brought on by poverty, conflict and the climate crisis.
“Criminals are increasingly trafficking people into forced labour, including to coerce them into running sophisticated online scams and cyberfraud, while women and girls face the risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.
“We need to step up criminal justice responses to hold those at the top of the criminal chain accountable, work across borders to rescue victims and ensure survivors receive the support they need,” she added.
Unaccompanied children at risk
The number of victims detected for trafficking for forced labour worldwide surged by 47 per cent between 2019 and 2022, according to the report.
The number of child victims increased 31 per cent in 2022 compared to 2019, with a 38 per cent rise recorded for girls.
More boy victims have been detected in areas where increasing numbers of unaccompanied and separated children had been recorded, the report said.
Child trafficking is also on the rise in high-income countries, often involving girls trafficked for sexual exploitation.
ILO
Natalia, a mother of two children from Belarus, became a victim of human traffickers (file).
Victims mainly women
The study found that women and girls continue to account for the majority of victims detected worldwide, or 61 per cent. Most girls, 60 per cent, continue to be trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Regarding boys, some 45 per cent are trafficked for forced labour and another 47 per cent are exploited for other purposes, including forced criminality and begging.
Meanwhile, trafficking for forced criminality – which includes online scams – ranks third in the number of victims detected, jumping from one per cent of total victims detected in 2016 to eight per cent in 2022.
Special focus on Africa
The report features a special chapter on Africa, a region UNODC said has often been neglected in trafficking studies due to the difficulties in obtaining data.
The agency made extensive efforts to gather data from all regions of the continent, including through help from its field offices and joint initiatives with the UN migration agency IOM, the African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and various national authorities.
The report detected that African victims account for the highest number of destinations reached. At least 162 different nationalities were trafficked to 128 different destination countries in 2022. Of the cross-border flows detected, 31 per cent involved citizens of African countries.
Most African victims are trafficked within the continent, where displacement, insecurity and climate change are making vulnerabilities worse.
UNODC warned that children are more frequently detected than adult trafficking in most parts of Africa, particularly for forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced begging.
The agency noted that a contributing factor to the global rise in child victims is the overall increase of the number of cases detected in sub-Saharan Africa.
For the second consecutive year, conflict zones have proven dangerous for journalists and media workers, with 2024 seeing at least 68 deaths in the line of duty, according to new data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
More than 60 per cent of these killings occurred in countries experiencing conflict – the highest percentage in over a decade.
“Reliable information is vital in conflict situations to help affected populations and to enlighten the world,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
“It is unacceptable that journalists pay with their lives for this work. I call on all States to step up and ensure the protection of media workers, in accordance with international law,” she added.
Alarming trends
The report highlights that 42 journalists were killed in conflict zones this year, including 18 in Palestine, which recorded the highest toll.
Other countries such as Ukraine, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan also saw multiple fatalities, underscoring the heightened risks in regions marked by violence and instability.
This follows an unsettling trend seen in 2023, with more journalists losing their lives in conflicts over the past two years than in any comparable period since 2016-2017.
A glimmer of hope
While conflict zones remain a critical concern, the overall number of journalist killings decreased slightly during this year.
A notable reduction in deaths occurred in non-conflict areas, where 26 journalists were killed – the lowest figure in 16 years.
This decline was particularly evident in Latin America and the Caribbean, where journalist killings dropped from 43 in 2022 to 12 in 2024.
This suggests some progress in addressing threats against journalists in peacetime, especially in regions previously plagued by violence against media workers.
Beyond the numbers
UNESCO‘s data, sourced from leading international press freedom organizations, is rigorously verified to ensure impartiality.
Cases are excluded if deaths are deemed unrelated to the victims’ journalistic work. However, dozens of cases remain under review, and UNESCO continues to monitor developments closely.
The Organization’s mandate extends beyond tracking fatalities. It works to protect journalists through initiatives such as the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
Emerging threats
In addition to physical threats, journalists are facing new challenges, including financial and legal pressures.
UNESCO has reported a 42 per cent increase in attacks on journalists reporting on environmental issues between 2019 and 2024, highlighting the evolving nature of risks confronting the media.
As UNESCO continues its efforts to promote press freedom and safeguard journalists, the agency calls on the international community to strengthen protections for media workers – ensuring that the quest for truth does not come at the ultimate cost.
As millions unwrap new gaming devices this holiday season, UN experts are warning that these digital playgrounds need next-generation protection against extremist exploitation.
In an industry that has outgrown Hollywood in sheer monetary value – reaching $196 billion in 2023 – these digital platforms are becoming recruitment grounds for extremists, prompting an unprecedented collaboration between counter terrorism specialists and gaming companies.
To discuss the growing threat, UN News’s Sarah Daly sat down with Steven Siqueira, Deputy Director of the UN Counter Terrorism Centre (part of the counter-terrorism office, UNOCT) and Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
The senior officials hosted a landmark event on the issue called New Quest Unlocked held earlier in December, which brought together gaming companies, policymakers and researchers to address violent extremism in gaming spaces.
“The alarming trend has necessitated a collaborative research approach with the gaming industry and adjacent platforms,” Mr. Siqueira said, highlighting how extremist groups are increasingly targeting gaming spaces and adjacent platforms like Discord and Telegram.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
UN News: Your joint event,New Quest Unlocked, brought together both UNICRI and UNOCT as well as gaming companies, policymakers and researchers. What prompted this collaboration?
Steven Siqueira: Last year in 2023, the gaming industry and adjacent platforms was a $196 billion industry. By comparison the movie industry was about 40 billion, so it’s five times the size of the movie industry.
Young people are being reached by terrorists and violent extremist groups through these platforms, with propaganda videos increasingly appearing across Discord, Telegram and Tiktok. This alarming trend necessitated collaborative research and working together with the gaming industry, adjacent platforms and of course, our members and member governments.
UN News: Recent intelligence reports suggest the threat level is higher than previously understood. What exactly are you seeing?
Steven Siqueira: While gaming has many positive aspects in terms of social interaction around the world – there’s also increasing risk that terrorists and violent extremist groups are using these platforms and the gaming adjacent platforms to get their message out.
The findings are stark: in Australia alone, approximately one in five counter-terrorism cases now involve young people, with gaming platforms playing a role in every investigated case.
Soundcloud
UN News: These findings challenge common perceptions about gaming platforms. How has the landscape evolved?
Steven Siqueira: The industry is not only open to young people. Increasingly, the average age of gamers is about 30-35 and it’s much more gender balanced than it has been in previous years.
UN News: Your research focuses particularly on Africa’s gaming market. Why is this region so crucial in understanding future challenges?
Leif Villadsen: Africa has indeed become one of the fastest growing markets for mobile games. With an unprecedented 11 per cent year-over-year growth rate, the continent represents both an extraordinary opportunity and a potential vulnerability.
We aim to better understand the industry, the community, the tactics used and the gaps and challenges in our own understanding of this threat across the continent.
UN News: You’re developing something called ‘gaming intelligence’ as part of global prevention strategies. How will this transform digital security?
Leif Villadsen: Gaming intelligence is focused on carrying intelligence from open-source platforms like in games, chats and social media to track extremist content and recruitment activities. This intelligence information will inform early warning systems help to detect and prevent radicalisation at an early stage.
UN News: How crucial is artificial intelligence to these global prevention measures?
Leif Villadsen: Given the size of the ecosystem, we are looking to develop and deploy advanced content moderation tools, with AI-based tools. However, the gaming community is filled with personalities with large followings so, we want to avoid any type of takedowns or massive actions which could be counterproductive and seen as suspicious by gamers.
It is crucial that we work with the gaming community, private sector companies and with gamers themselves, including young women and men to educate and build resilience across the community.
UN News: As we look toward 2025, what concrete outcomes, will make gaming spaces safer?
Leif Villadsen: By creating shared global standards and encouraging collaboration between governments, tech companies and civil society, we can provide a framework for addressing these threats in a more coordinating manner.
Steven Siqueira: The Global Digital Compact recognises these dual realities of the digital age and calls for unified global commitment to ensure that digital spaces are safe, inclusive and aligned with human rights principles.
Ultimately, finding the right actors in the gaming system – those who have a voice, but who are also open to understanding what the threat is and where to mitigate and how best to mitigate threats, could really help us strengthen and make the gaming ecosystem more resilient to violent extremism.
The General Assembly on Tuesday adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, a landmark global treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation to combat cybercrime and protecting societies from digital threats.
The agreement on the legally binding treaty marked the culmination of a five-year effort by UN Member States, with inputs from civil society, information security experts, academia and the private sector.
“This treaty is a demonstration of multilateralism succeeding during difficult times and reflects the collective will of Member States to promote international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement added that the Convention “creates an unprecedented platform for collaboration” in the exchange of evidence, protection for victims and prevention, while safeguarding human rights online.
“The Secretary-General trusts that the new treaty will promote a safe cyberspace and calls on all States to join the Convention and to implement it in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.”
“We live in a digital world, one where information and communications technologies have enormous potential for the development of societies, but also increases the potential threat of cybercrime,” he said.
“With the adoption of this Convention, Member States have at hand the tools and means to strengthen international cooperation in preventing and combating cybercrime, protecting people and their rights online.”
The resolution containing the Convention was adopted without a vote by the 193-member General Assembly.
A victory for multilateralism
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also described the adoption of the treaty as a “major victory” for multilateralism.
“It is a crucial step forward in our efforts to address crimes like online child sexual abuse, sophisticated online scams and money laundering,” she said.
Ms. Waly reiterated the UN agency’s commitment to support all nations in signing, ratifying and implementing the new treaty, as well as providing them with the tools and support they need to protect their economies and safeguard the digital sphere from cybercrime.
The Convention
The Convention against Cybercrime acknowledges the significant risks posed by the misuse of information and communications technologies (ICT), which enable criminal activities on an unprecedented scale, speed, and scope.
It highlights the adverse impacts such crimes can have on States, enterprises, and the well-being of individuals and society, and focuses on protecting them from offenses such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling and online financial crimes.
It also recognises the growing impact of cybercrime on victims and prioritises justice, especially for vulnerable groups. It further underscores the need for technical assistance, capacity-building and collaboration among States and other stakeholders.
Read more about why the Convention against Cybercrime matters inthis explainer.
Next steps
The Convention against Cybercrime will open for signature at a formal ceremony to be hosted in Hanoi, Viet Nam, in 2025. It will enter into force 90 days after being ratified by the 40th signatory.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially concludes this weekend, leaving a trail of destruction, loss of life and massive economic damage across the Americas and the Caribbean, the UN meteorological agency reported on Friday.
This year saw 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes – classified as Category 3 or higher – marking the ninth consecutive above-average season for the Atlantic basin.
“Year after year, the climate crisis continues to break new records, resulting in more extreme weather events, including rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, intense rainfall and flooding,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Among them was Hurricane Beryl, which made history as the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Striking in July, Beryl left widespread devastation across the Caribbean.
While the storm caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, its impact on human life was mitigated by advances in early warning systems.
“Despite its ferocity, the hurricane resulted in fewer deaths compared to previous ones. This was thanks to advances in strengthening their early warning systems,” Ms. Saulo said.
A season of extremes
After the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Beryl in July, activity slowed in August due to atmospheric conditions over Western Africa impeding storm development.
However, storm frequency and intensity surged in early September, with seven hurricanes forming after 25 September – a record for late-season activity.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September as a Category 4 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding in the southern Appalachians, widespread wind damage across the eastern United States and storm surge flooding along Florida’s coast.
With over 150 direct fatalities, Helene became the deadliest hurricane to strike the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
In October, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm. It unleashed 46 tornadoes, torrential rainfall and severe flooding.
IOM/Gema Cortés
Aerial view of houses destroyed by Hurricane Beryl as it barreled through Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Rising threats amid climate change
The 2024 hurricane season underscored the alarming trend of increasingly severe storms fueled by the climate crisis.
Rising global temperatures are intensifying tropical cyclones, leading to rapid storm intensification, heavier rainfall and more frequent flooding, according to the WMO.
While fatalities from tropical cyclones have decreased dramatically – from over 350,000 in the 1970s to fewer than 20,000 in the 2010s – economic losses have risen sharply. In 2024 alone, four US hurricanes caused damage exceeding $1 billion each.
Small island developing states in the Caribbean remain particularly vulnerable, with disproportionate impacts highlighting the need to scale up initiatives like the Early Warnings for All campaign, aimed at building resilience.
Migrants and refugees across Latin America and the Caribbean face profound challenges in accessing basic needs, formal employment and safe living conditions, UN agencies reported on Friday, launching a $1.4 billion regional plan to address their urgent needs.
The Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V), co-led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced the 2025-2026 regional response plan to support over 2.3 million vulnerable individuals, including host communities, in 17 countries.
“The integration of refugees and migrants is crucial for building inclusive and resilient societies,” said Eduardo Stein, UNHCR-IOM Joint Special Representative for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela.
“When migrants and refugees are empowered to contribute fully to their communities, they enrich the social fabric while driving economic growth and innovation. By ensuring access to essential services, like labour markets and social networks, we create a win-win situation for refugees, migrants, and host communities.”
Since 2019, more than 4.5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees have obtained regular status in 17 countries thanks to the proactive measures taken by host governments and support from the international community.
This regularization has enabled many to access documentation and protection, while also boosting local economies and fostering stability.
Challenges remain
Despite strides in regularization and support, many refugees and migrants continue to suffer with few job opportunities, substandard wages, and barriers to healthcare, education and essential services.
Among the 6.7 million Venezuelans residing in the region, 82 per cent are in informal jobs, 42 per cent cannot afford enough food and 23 per cent live in overcrowded conditions.
Migrants and refugees of other nationalities in transit across the region face even greater challenges, with up to 90 per cent lacking access to food, shelter and protection.
A call for solidarity
The newly launched regional response plan emphasises the need for sustained financial and political commitment from the international community.
“By securing this funding, life-saving assistance and long-term initiatives will be implemented that foster successful stabilization and socioeconomic integration while addressing discrimination and improving access to documentation, health care, education, and decent employment,” UNHCR and IOM said.
The plan will be implemented by 230 partner organizations, including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society groups and the Red Cross.
An environmental lawyer has told UN News how children and teenagers from some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, have been moved to tears after encountering nature for the first time.
Ana Di Pangracio works for the civil society organization Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales or FARN which is involved in projects to restore degraded land in Argentina.
She spoke to UN News in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she was attending a UN conference (COP16) focused on desertification, drought and land restoration.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Ana Di Pangracio attends the COP16 desertification conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“We work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin which is a polluted area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, which is home to around 4.5 million people, many of whom are living in socio-environmental vulnerable situations or other difficult circumstances.
Restoration activities include planting native flora and removing non-native invasive species across some 4.5 hectares, as well as building viewpoints and interpretative trails and cleaning up illegal garbage disposal.
Part of our work is bringing people, especially young people, to experience this restored natural wetland.
Many live close by in very urban, built-up areas and may come from challenging or violent environments but have never seen this land or had not even known of its existence.
Emotions and tears
Some are moved to tears when they experience nature for the first time in their lives.
We comfort them and tell them it is OK to be emotional; I’m really pleased that they are able to connect with nature in this way, as I can see that our work is having a big impact.
Some are moved to tears when they experience nature for the first time in their lives.
They tell their friends and teachers about the experience as well and so we get more visitors.
There is an educational element to our work as we teach the children about the importance of protecting wetlands but also the adjacent grasslands and native forest.
I am a birdwatching lawyer, and although I am no expert, I enjoy showing our visitors my favourite bird, the carancho, which is a very clever and funny bird which you can see across Argentina, including in urban areas. It is my way to connect with nature.
The recognition that the right to a healthy environment is a human right underpins all of our work.
An ibis and ducks graze the wetlands close to Buenos Aires.
There is a lot of land loss in Argentina, including areas which have become degraded by drought. In 2020, we experienced a three-year-long drought, the worst in over 60 years. This had serious social and environmental impacts.
UN desertification conference
It’s important to come to this conference of the UN Convention on Combatting Desertification (UNCCD) as it gives us the opportunity to engage with civil society constituencies and to consider the interface between national and global policy on a range of issues including land restoration and biodiversity.
If you believe in multilateralism, it is important to be here and civil society organizations (CSOs) can make a difference.
It was the pressure from CSOs which led to the inclusion of human rights and gender-focused elements in the Biodiversity Convention and its recently adopted Global Biodiversity Framework.
In the UNCCD, the issue of land tenure, reflected in COP decisions, was also promoted by CSOs.
A carancho sits on a sign in the wetlands in Buenos Aires Province.
The UNCCD process, and this COP16 is no exception, does facilitate inclusivity, as CSOs are able to access the plenary meetings and deliver statements so we are being listened to.
We are mindful that CSOs in other international fora like the UN climate COPs do not have the same level of access.
We have received a grant from the G20 Global Land Initiative and are presenting our work at the meeting in Riyadh. This support will enable us to carry on our work in the Matanza Riachuelo basin.
I’m excited to give more young people the opportunity to enjoy nature and for them to become the new guardians of wetlands and take the message back to their peers about the importance of preserving ecosystems for future generations.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday reiterated the need for accountability for post-electoral violence in Venezuela and alleged excessive use of force during protests that left at least 28 people dead.
Hundreds more were reportedly injured in clashes following the disputed elections and around 2,000 arrested, including teenagers, young adults, opposition members, human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers, as well as bystanders.
Since then, the Government has announced the conditional release of over 100 of those detained.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, High Commissioner Volker Türk termed the move “an important step” and called for review of cases of all those still held.
“I also urge the authorities to provide guarantees of a fair trial for detainees. This includes allowing them to designate a lawyer of their choice, and providing Indigenous People with interpreters,” he said.
Concern over anti-terror laws
The UN rights chief also voiced concern over the continued use of counter-terrorism legislation against protestors, including adolescents, as well as reports of enforced disappearances and ill treatment.
In addition, he urged authorities to ensure that detention conditions comply with international norms.
“The authorities must provide adequate food, drinking water and healthcare for all detainees, many of whom are incarcerated in overcrowded cells and are in critical need of medical attention,” he said.
Restricted civic space
Mr. Türk also highlighted the restrictive civic space in Venezuela, which has been increasingly monitored by his Office, OHCHR.
There have been reports of threats and harassment against human rights defenders, union leaders and journalists, further undermining freedom of expression and assembly in the country.
At least three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are said to have ceased operations amid allegations of surveillance, persecution and acts of reprisal – including the cancellation of passports.
“This contributes to a climate of fear and social tension and prevents civil society organizations from conducting their vital work,” Mr. Türk warned, also noting concerns over suspension of salaries for workers over alleged political views.
Open for business
Mr. Türk also informed the Human Rights Council – the paramount rights body in the UN System – that his office has resumed operations in Venezuela, after it was reportedly ordered to suspend its work in February.
“My hope is that we will be able to restore our full presence,” he said.
“As in other situations, my Office can play an important role as a bridge-builder between the institutions of the State and the people of the country.”
OHCHR has been working in Venezuela since October 2019, providing technical assistance and monitoring the situation to protect and promote respect for human rights, enhance rule of law and protect democratic space.
In November, following several failed attempts, politicians of all stripes approved a bill to overhaul legislation that has been in effect since 1887, reflecting a deep-rooted practice that violates the rights of children and adolescents: according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). one in five girls aged between 14 and 18 is in a union.
“This approval has been possible because we have gathered the consensus of all political parties, highlights Senator Clara López. “It not only implies prohibition but also a robust public policy that reflects changing customs and raises awareness among the population about the great harm done to children and adolescents with marriages and unions”.
Courtesy Leonardo Vargas/Press Senate of Colombia
Activists celebrate the elimination of child marriage in the Colombian Parliament.
Advancing children’s rights
“We want to congratulate Colombia on the magnificent news,” says Bibiana Aido Almagro, the head of UN Women in Colombia.
“These practices severely affect the rights to life, health, education, and integrity of women and girls and negatively impact their development.”
Andrea Tague Montaña, gender and development officer at UNICEF in Colombia, agrees that the decision is a positive move.
“Child marriages and early unions are understood as harmful practices that not only lead to gender violence but also cause the victims, especially girls, to fall into poverty,” she warns. “They reinforce discrimination and the idea that the best thing that can happen to them is to marry and have children”.
By entering into an unequal power relationship with older partners, explains Ms. Montaña, girls have few opportunities to decide if they want to have sexual relations, how many children they want to have, or what kind of life they want to lead.
“They enter scenarios where, in many cases, they start fulfilling adult women’s roles. Child labour, domestic work, and caregiving become their almost daily tasks,” adds the UNICEF official.
“These are girls who stop studying, who lose their rights by entering an early union. It is important to call on society to stop normalizing early unions; this is a violation of rights. Girls do not stop being girls because they are living with a man”.
The bill also establishes actions to strengthen national public policy on childhood and adolescence, including measures to restore the rights of children and adolescents affected by underage marriages and unions, with a special emphasis on remote rural areas – ensuring that indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities can take part.
The new law comes into effect once it is signed by President Gustavo Petro.
Colombia and gender equality
Colombia ranks 20th worldwide in terms of the number of girls married or in unions before the age of 15, and 11th in Latin America and the Caribbean in adolescents who marry before the age of 18.
By adopting the decision to end underage marriage and unions, Colombia has taken a decisive step towards protecting children’s rights and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically, Goal 5 – achieving gender equality, empowering women and girls, and eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation by 2030.
In a landmark move towards ending statelessness, Thailand’s cabinet has approved an accelerated pathway to permanent residency and nationality for nearly half a million stateless people, marking one of the region’s most significant citizenship initiatives.
The decision announced on Friday will benefit 335,000 longtime residents and members of officially recognized minority ethnic groups, along with approximately 142,000 of their children born in Thailand.
‘Historic development’
“This is a historic development,” said Ms. Hai Kyung Jun, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) Bureau Director for Asia and the Pacific. The measure is expected to dramatically reduce statelessness, addressing the situation of the majority of nearly 600,000 people currently registered as stateless in the country.
Thailand’s commitment to eradicating statelessness has positioned the Government as a leader in addressing this humanitarian challenge, the agency said.
The country recently pledged at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 to resolve statelessness and was among the founding members of the Global Alliance to End Stateless, an initiative launched by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Geneva last month.
The nation has also been actively involved in the Get Every One in the Picture campaign, from UN regional commission ESCAP, which promotes the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade across Asia and the Pacific, due to end this year.
UNHCR has expressed its commitment to continue working closely with the Royal Thai Government on the implementation of this groundbreaking decision and to ending statelessness overall.
The missile, launched on 31 October at approximately 7:11am local time, reportedly flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes, covered approximately 1,000 kilometres, reaching an altitude of over 7,000 kilometres before landing in the sea.
“The DPRK described this latest launch as a ‘very crucial test’ that ‘updated the recent records of the strategic missile capability of the DPRK’,” Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Asia at the UN Department of Political Affairs, told ambassadors.
“The Hwasong-19 sets new records in terms of flight duration and altitude and is the second solid-fuel ICBM developed by the DPRK which does not need to undergo fuelling prior to launch. It is reported to be larger than its predecessor, the Hwasong-18, and may be capable of carrying larger warheads or even multiple warheads.”
This latest test marks the 11th intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch by DPRK – more commonly known as North Korea – since announcing a new five-year military expansion plan in 2021.
Diplomatic engagement vital
Mr. Khiari noted that the launch also posed “serious risks” to international civil aviation and maritime traffic, with the potential for unintended incidents, as North Korea had issued no safety alerts.
“The DPRK’s launch of yet another ICBM is of serious concern and represents a grave threat to regional stability,” he stated, noting that despite numerous meetings of the Security Council in 2023 and 2024, the country “has not heeded calls to refrain from further launches.”
Secretary-General António Guterres also condemned the missile launch, urging the country to de-escalate and comply with international resolutions. He stressed that diplomatic engagement remains the “only pathway to sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Uphold non-proliferation regime
Mr. Khiari also expressed concern about growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, warning that DPRK’s “persistent pursuit” of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes – in violation of Security Council resolutions – continues to undermine the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
“There is a crucial need for practical measures to reduce tensions and reverse this dangerous trajectory,” he said, urging Member States to foster an environment conducive to dialogue and cooperation.
Concluding his briefing, Mr. Khiari said that the UN and its partners stand ready to assist DPRK in addressing the basic needs of its people.
He urged the country to facilitate the full return of the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team which leads the humanitarian effort.
Assistant Secretary-General Khiari briefing the Security Council.
Hold DPRK accountable: United States
US Ambassador and Alternate Permanent Representative Robert Wood described the missile launches by DPRK as a “direct violation” of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, with each launch allowing Pyongyang to further advance its weapons programmes.
“These are unacceptable attempts to undermine global peace and security and make us all less safe. This Council has the responsibility to hold the DPRK accountable,” he said.
“Yet we are here again today because two members of this Council – China and Russia – have repeatedly shielded the DPRK, contributing to the normalization of these tests and emboldening the DPRK to further violate this Council’s sanctions and resolutions.”
He alleged that “Russia’s willingness to openly violate this Council’s sanctions resolutions and to jeopardize international peace and security knows no bounds – as Russia, is unlawfully training DPRK soldiers in its territory.”
He claimed that DPRK has sent “around 10,000” soldiers to Russia, adding that these troops are not yet seen to have been deployed into combat against Ukraine’s forces, “but we expect them to do so in the coming days.”
“If these troops engage in combat or combat support operations against Ukraine, they would render themselves legitimate military targets,” he noted.
Japan: Missiles ‘more threatening than ever’
Japan’s Ambassador Yamazaki Kazuyuki “strongly urged” DPRK not to conduct further launches, to immediately and fully comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions, and to engage in diplomacy and accept the repeated offers of dialogue.
The most recent ICBM landed around only 200 kilometres from the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and was “more threatening than ever” due to its trajectory and flight time, he said.
“This launch has deteriorated the not only regional but entire global security situation even further, and has brought the gravest threat yet from North Korea to all citizens of the region and beyond,” he added.
Ambassador Yamazaki said increased military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a great concern to the international community.
He noted the lawlessness of Russia’s “procurement of ballistic missiles from North Korea, as well as the training of North Korean soldiers, both of which constitute serious violations of relevant Security Council resolutions.”
He added that DPRK’s “involvement in Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine would constitute a grave violation of international law, including the UN Charter.”
Republic of Korea: Missiles are a distraction
Joonkook Hwang, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, recalled the Security Council meeting last week and the ignoring by Pyongyang of the “repeated calls” for restraint.
“North Korea launched another ICBM right after our meeting last Wednesday,” he said, adding: “its intention could be to distract the world’s attention from its troops in Russia, demonstrate themselves as larger than life, or gain diplomatic leverage amid the US presidential election.”
Questioning how could an “impoverished pariah regime” continue to develop its ballistic missile programme despite “rigorous” sanctions regime imposed by the Security Council, he emphasized the presence of “large loopholes” that enable DPRK’s access to the equipment, materials and technology necessary to advance its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes.
He also warned of the challenges facing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
“Once the NPT regime begins to erode and ultimately collapses, it will be extremely difficult to restore it,” he said, adding:
“The repercussion will have a deep and lasting impact on international peace and security, and Permanent Members of the Security Council will not be immune to it either.”
China: Prioritize peace and stability
China’s Ambassador Fu Cong said that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula “remains tense” with growing antagonism that is not in the interest of any party.
“China calls on all parties to bear in mind the overall peace and stability on the Peninsula and the world at large, exercise calm and restraint, and avoid intensifying and escalating tensions,” he said.
He noted that the longstanding issue of the Korea Peninsula is in essence a security issue, with its root cases stemming from the vestiges of the Cold War and lack of mutual trust between the US and DPRK.
“It is imperative for all parties to take a rational and pragmatic approach and work to build mutual trust,” Ambassador Fu said.
He added that the US, while claiming that it seeks to uphold the international non-proliferation regime and denuclearize the Peninsula, “has continued to increase the deployment of its strategic forces…and even transferred weapons-grade, highly enriched uranium to a non-nuclear weapon state under AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation framework.”
“These moves are tantamount to pushing the threat to the doorstep of China and other countries in the region, seriously jeopardising regional security and upsetting the strategic security balance,” he said.
Russia: The west only seeks to demonize DPRK
Anna Evstigneeva, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia said that the “collective West is methodically using” the Security Council to present Pyongyang as being responsible for the deteriorating situation on the Peninsula.
“We did not expect nor did we hear anything new from the group of countries that requested today’s meeting,” she said, adding that the “aim of convening the meeting is the same every time – to make yet another step towards demonizing the DPRK.”
She said that it would be “interesting” to hear from those that requested the meeting if even one of these meetings had any impact on resolving the Peninsula’s problems, of if they have even made one constructive proposal or launching dialogue.
“The answer is obvious to everyone in this Chamber.”
She added that the “real motives” of those that requested the meeting was for creating a negative information backdrop around Pyongyang and keeping afloat ineffective sanctions measures and justifying aggressive steps by the US and their allies in the region.
Song Kim, DPRK Ambassador and Permanent Representative, said that the missile test conducted on 31 October by his country, within the area around the Korean Peninsula, did not have “the slightest” impact on security of neighbouring countries.
He said the present meeting of the Security Council, convened at the request of the US, runs contrary to the spirit of the UN Charter of state sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs. It also sets the example of “extreme double standards”.
“I resolutely denounce the holding of another unlawful meeting by UN Security Council infringing upon the sovereign right of the DPRK at the instigation of the US and its followers,” he said.
“Like all strategic weapons tests we have conducted so far, the test launching of the ICBM Hwasong-19 is an exercise of the just and legitimate right to self-defence to reliably safeguard the security of our State as well as peace of the region involved against escalating reckless nuclear war threats of hostile forces,” he added.
Ambassador Kim further noted that “some countries” speak of violation of Security Council resolutions at every opportunity as a “cure-all prescription,” adding however that these resolutions are “nothing but illegal documents” going totally against the principle of the sovereign equality of the UN Charter.
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan spiked by 19 per cent in 2024, covering an estimated 12,800 hectares despite a ban imposed by the Taliban, a report released on Wednesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed.
The rebound follows a massive 95 per cent decrease in 2023, when the ban nearly eliminated poppy production nationwide, leading to a severe decline in Afghanistan’s opium output.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly emphasized the urgency of sustainable alternatives for Afghan farmers, given their pressing challenges.
“With opium cultivation remaining at a low level in Afghanistan, we have the opportunity and responsibility to support Afghan farmers to develop sustainable sources of income free from illicit markets,” she said.
“The women and men of Afghanistan continue to face dire financial and humanitarian challenges, and alternative livelihoods are urgently needed.”
Shift in cultivation patterns
The UNODC report pointed to a notable geographic shift in cultivation patterns. While southwest Afghanistan has traditionally been the country’s opium hub, 59 per cent of opium cultivation this year has taken place in provinces in the northeast.
This represents a nearly four-fold increase in the region compared to last year, suggesting the potential for both adaptive planting practices and the influence of market pressures, as rural communities seek alternatives amidst strict enforcement of the opium ban.
A factor behind the resurgence in opium cultivation could be market dynamics combined with hardships farmers face, according to UNODC. Dry opium prices stand at approximately $730 per kilogramme in the first half of 2024, a steep increase from pre-ban levels, which averaged around $100 per kilo.
“The high prices and dwindling opium stocks may encourage farmers to flout the ban, particularly in areas outside of traditional cultivation centres, including neighbouring countries,” UNODC said.
Farmers left without sustainable alternatives faced a more precarious financial situation, underscoring the need for other income streams so they can become resilient against returning to poppy cultivation in the future, it added.
Need for support
Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA), acknowledged both the success in reducing opium output and the ongoing hardship faced by Afghan farmers.
“This is important further evidence that opium cultivation has indeed been reduced, and this will be welcomed by Afghanistan’s neighbours, the region and the world,” she said.
She also cautioned however that rural Afghan communities have lost a vital income source and urgently require international assistance to ensure a sustainable shift away from opium production.
“If we want this transition to be sustainable…they desperately need international support.”
After enduring 12 typhoons this year, including two back-to-back storms in less than a month, communities across the Philippines are bracing for more extreme weather.
Typhoons Kristine and Leon caused widespread damage in the Philippines, leaving thousands of families and children without access to safe water and sanitation facilities.
The 11th and 12th tropical cyclones to hit the country this year affected at least 4.2 million individuals – approximately 1.3 million of them children – and displaced over 300,000.
Worsening water and sanitation crisis
The recent typhoons have exacerbated pre-existing fragilities where access to safe water and sanitation services was already limited. In some communities, open defecation has been reported with facilities washed away, raising concerns about disease outbreaks.
“We can’t emphasise enough the importance of lifesaving supplies during and after an emergency,” said UNICEF Representative to the Philippines Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov.
“We are working with our partners to provide water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to affected families and children to ensure their access to critical measures against the spread of diseases,” she stressed.
Since October 31, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners have distributed 2,950 hygiene and water kits to families in the hardest-hit provinces of Camarines Sur and Albay in the Bicol Region.
An additional 350 kits will be delivered in the coming days through partnerships with Action Against Hunger and Plan International Pilipinas.
Education disrupted
The Department of Education estimates that at least 500 schools in the Bicol Region need urgent assistance, with the recent typhoons disrupting learning for 20 million children nationwide.
“UNICEF strongly urges that schools remain dedicated to education and not used as evacuation centres so that children continue to have a stable learning environment,” said UNICEF Philippines Education Chief, Akihiro Fushimi.
In collaboration with local education authorities, UNICEF is set to provide educational supplies to 14,594 learners and 765 teachers in 25 schools and five Community Development Centres.
“Ensuring that children’s learning is not disrupted is a priority for UNICEF,” Mr. Fushimi further emphasised, highlighting the importance of providing children with a sense of normalcy amid the chaos.
A season of uncertainty
The Philippines, already Southeast Asia’s most disaster-prone country, faces increasingly frequent and severe weather events due to climate change.
With storms Marce and Nika impacting many of the same regions last weekend and a new weather system forming that could become Tropical Storm Ofel, recovery efforts are under immense strain.
Despite these challenges, the government has ramped up its response, while UNICEF and its partners continue to support communities with critical resources and interventions.
UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines Gustavo González recently explained in a blog on the growing risk posed by natural hazards for UN News: “As we see, the exposure to disasters and the vulnerability to climate change have compelled Filipinos to cultivate a unique sense of resilience. The ‘saving lives’ spirit is widely spread within local communities.”
“As Filipinos frequently say, ‘as long as there is life, there is hope,’” he added.
A public execution carried out in a sports stadium in Afghanistan drew condemnation from senior UN officials on Wednesday, who demanded an immediate end to such practices by the ruling Taliban.
The latest incident comes amid growing international concern over the use of capital punishment in the country since 2021, when the Taliban swept back into power 20 years on from the allied invasion that ended their rule, in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States.
Since the Taliban takeover of August 2021, the de facto authorities have reintroduced public executions, floggings and other forms of corporal punishment, despite international appeals to uphold human rights standards.
These practices have raised significant concerns among human rights experts and the international community.
The latest execution, which took place in Gardez, Paktya province, represents a “clear violation of human rights” and demonstrates an alarming pattern of public punishments, according to UN independent expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett.
“I condemn today’s horrific public execution,” Mr. Bennett said in a statement on social media, describing the incident as a clear human rights violation. “These atrocious punishments are clear violations of human rights and must be immediately halted”.
Calls for moratorium
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasised that “executions carried out in public are contrary to Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must cease.” The Mission called on the de facto authorities to “establish an immediate moratorium on all executions with a view to abolition of the death penalty”.
“We also call for respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation,” UNAMA stated.
Deteriorating rights situation
The public execution reflects a broader pattern of human rights deterioration in Afghanistan. The Taliban have issued more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees since their 2021 takeover, including limiting girls to primary level education, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using parks, gyms and other public places.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous recently told the Security Council that “Afghanistan’s women do not only fear these oppressive laws, but they also fear their capricious application,” noting that “a life lived in such circumstance is truly incomprehensible”.
The UN Special Representative in Afghanistan and head of UNAMA Roza Otunbayeva reported in September that while the de facto authorities have “delivered a period of stability,” they are “exacerbating this crisis by policies that focus insufficiently on the real needs of its people.”
In a message commemorating Friday’sInternational Day of Epidemic Preparedness, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged all nations to invest in resilience and equity to make a healthier and safer world for all.
The world remains dangerously unprepared for the next pandemic, despite the harrowing lessons of COVID-19, Mr. Guterres warned.
“COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world,” he stated, reflecting on the devastating human, economic and social toll of the pandemic.
“The crisis may have passed, but a harsh lesson remains: the world is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic,” he emphasised.
Resilient systems and equitable access
While recent outbreaks of mpox, cholera, polio, and Marburg virus serve as stark reminders of persistent threats, the Secretary-General emphasised the need for stronger, more inclusive health systems.
He underscored the need for bold investments in pandemic monitoring, detection and response, alongside Universal Health Coverage, as critical pillars of preparedness.
He said that equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics is a moral imperative, underscoring the lessons learned during COVID-19 when disparities in healthcare access were striking.
“Today, and every day, let’s commit to working together for a safer and healthier world for everyone, everywhere,” he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated this message, highlighting its ongoing collaboration with governments to strengthen emergency and epidemic preparedness systems.
In a statement, the UN health agency underscored the importance of the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health sectors to mitigate epidemic risks.
Health challenges in northwest Syria have escalated due to harsh winter conditions, exacerbating the vulnerability of displaced populations, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)-led Health Cluster reported on Friday.
It also cited rising cases of respiratory illnesses, compounded by inadequate heating, overcrowded camps and damaged infrastructure.
“There is continuous significant rise in influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), since the beginning of winter with subsequent rise in hospital visits and heightened public health concerns,” the Health Cluster said.
Led by WHO, the Health Cluster coordinates the efforts of over 900 partners globally to address health needs in humanitarian emergencies, providing expertise, capacity-building and technical guidance to ensure effective and life-saving responses in crisis-affected regions.
Worsening conditions
Harsh winter conditions in northwest Syria continue to exacerbate the existing health vulnerabilities, especially among the internally displaced, who often reside in makeshift shelters and overcrowded camps that lack adequate insulation and heating, it added.
Public health officials also warned of heightened risks, including hypothermia, as temperatures fall.
To address these issues, health partners emphasized the need for targeted interventions, including better insulated shelters, heating and access to essential medical supplies.
Humanitarian response
The UN and partners have also intensified efforts to improve healthcare access.
As of Wednesday, 750 trucks carrying aid from seven UN agencies, including WHO and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), crossed into northwest Syria through Bab Al-Hawa and Bab Al-Salam crossings, with 37 trucks arriving this week.
These shipments include vital medical supplies, food and other humanitarian aid.
WHO has supported 37 health facilities and 14 health cluster partners with 510 trauma supply kits, enabling treatment for over 90,000 individuals.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has also delivered health kits and material to shore up sexual and reproductive health services. Mobile mental health units continue to deliver psychological support to vulnerable populations, including children and IDPs, in isolated areas.
To address critical shortages, health partners such as the WATAN foundation have deployed three mobile blood banks, collecting 210 blood units through donation campaigns. Other partners are also extending support to hospitals in Aleppo, focusing on pediatric care and trauma services.
Ongoing challenges
Despite these efforts, the health crisis in northwest Syria remains dire.
Recent landmine explosions in Idlib, Aleppo and Hama have caused fatalities and injuries, further straining the health system. On 24 December, three explosions killed a man in Idlib and injured others in Aleppo, including a child.
Funding shortages are another critical concern.
The Health Cluster requires $22 million over the next three months to sustain essential healthcare services for 450,000 people. Severe underfunding has left 140 health facilities at risk, including general and specialized hospitals, primary health centers and dialysis units.
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week reflected on COVID-19, and ongoing efforts to understand the disease, five years after its emergence.
WHO recalled that on 31 December 2019, its Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of “viral pneumonia” in the city.
“In the weeks, months and years that unfolded after that, COVID-19 came to shape our lives and our world,” the UN agency said on Monday.
Worldwide, there have been 777,074,803 confirmed cases of the disease, which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and more than seven million deaths.
Share data and access
“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19,” WHO said.
“This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics. “
In marking the five-year milestone, WHO also honoured lives lost to the disease, and recognized those are still suffering from it or from long COVID.
The agency also expressed gratitude to the health workers “who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”
It said staff initiated emergency procedures on 1 January 2020 and informed the world three days later.
By 9 to12 January, WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries, and on 13 January, brought together partners to publish the blueprint of the first SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test.
“All along, we convened experts and ministries of health from around the world, gathered and analysed data, and shared what was reported, what we learned and what it meant for people,” the agency said.
In northeast Syria, UN teams pressed ahead with a lifesaving cholera vaccine campaign in Al Hol detention camp complex on Friday, despite rumours of attacks by ISIL extremists and uncertainty across the war-torn country, following the overthrow of the Assad regime.
The cholera outbreak was detected in the camp in early October and subsequently confirmed by laboratory tests. Because Al Hol does not have a specialist treatment centre for acute watery diarrhoea, it is crucial that as many people are vaccinated as quickly as possible, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, insists.
“For the first time we received the vaccine of cholera from northwest Syria to the northeast to vaccinate people in Al Hol camp, even [despite] the escalation and security situation in the country, but we managed to access to the people and get them with the vaccine,” UNICEF health and nutrition officer Khourchid Hasan toldUN News.
Mr. Hasan credited the caretaker authority in Damascus with making the shipment possible, along with the local authorities in Syria’s northeast, who facilitated delivery of the vaccines to the gates of Al Hol, which is controlled by the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Conditions ‘back to normal’
And despite threats published on social media last December “that there will be an attack on this camp and [that ISIL planned on] releasing their families” which closed access to Al Hol for three days, Mr. Hasan insisted that the vaccine rollout will not stop.
“Everything is back to normal,” he said, adding that at least 14,000 people have received a cholera vaccination so far: “The campaign is ongoing even during the season’s holidays and the vaccination teams are doing a great job there to give this lifesaving as treatment to children and their caregivers.”
Soundcloud
Teams of vaccinators work by making their way on foot through the camp’s tented shelters with a loudhailer urging families to bring themselves and their children to receive their dose. Once delivered, the vaccine protects against cholera, which can be deadly within hours if it is not treated correctly.
Mr. Hasan stressed that that the campaign was able to go ahead after the agency successfully transported 25,000 doses of vaccine from northwest Syria across former active battle lines. He also praised the awareness-raising work of UNICEF’s social behaviour change and risk communication colleagues and partners, who engaged with community networks in support of the oral cholera vaccine campaign and fostered trust among Al Hol’s population.
For years, Al Hol has housed the wives and children of ISIL fighters, displaced people and refugees caught up in the Syrian war, which erupted after deadly Government repression of peaceful protesters in 2011.
Conditions remain dire
The majority of those held there by the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are Syrian and Iraqi nationals. Conditions are dire and have been the subject of numerous alerts by top rights experts reporting to the Human Rights Council.
Foreign nationals who either went to or were coerced to travel to Syria to join ISIL fighters and their children are held in an annexe of the camp, which is divided into five zones. In December, the population of the tented settlement was almost 40,000 people.
Al Hol is in fact two different camps: Al Hol, which is close to the Iraqi border, and Roj camp, located on the border with Turkïye; they are both in Al-Hasakeh governorate. Male ISIL fighters are held in a prison in Al-Hasakeh city about 45 kilometres away.
Cholera was detected for the first time in Syria in 2022 but the camp escaped infection. “We vaccinated immediately (in 2022) as a precautionary measure, but this time it’s appeared and started in Al Hol camp,” UNICEF’s Mr. Hasan explained, citing funding shortfalls, poor nutrition, dirty water and bad sanitation as contributing factors in the current outbreak.
Agencies on site
Several UN agencies have a presence in Al Hol in addition to the UN Children’s Fund, including the UN sexual and reproductive agency, UNFPA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the NES NGO Forum network operating in northeast Syria.
“Those [NGOs] are supported by the local authority, but the need is still very high, especially for secondary health care,” Mr. Hasan stressed.
“There are three field hospitals in Al Hol camp and one field hospital in Roj camp, but still there is a huge need for medicines for non-communicable diseases, for secondary healthcare. And now, because of the security situation, it’s a big challenge to refer the people from those camps outside the camp to go to private hospitals, for example, in Al-Hasakeh, or Qamishli.”
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted on Tuesday that the risk to the wider population remains “low”.
WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva that the H5N1 virus causing the disease is “not circulating in humans but jumping into humans” who are exposed to poultry or dairy cattle. “We’re not seeing sustained circulation,” she insisted.
Underlying conditions
The man who died of the disease in Louisiana was over 65 and reportedly had underlying medical conditions, Dr. Harris said.
According to the health authorities, he had been exposed to chickens and wild birds. Several dozen people in the US have contracted avian influenza – commonly referred to as bird flu – during the current outbreak, mainly farmworkers in close contact with poultry flocks and cattle herds.
Dr. Harris stressed that WHO’s assessment of the risk to the general population “is still low and remains set”. The main concern is for people who work in animal industries because they need to be better protected from infection.
The WHO spokesperson added that the United States was continuing to carry out “a lot of surveillance” in the human and animal population, “in the methods we use for farming, for our food production…all those things need to be combined because indeed it always does pose a risk”.
China respiratory virus is not new
Meanwhile, a respiratory virus gaining ground in China, known as the human metapneumovirus, or hMPV, has been sparking media attention in recent weeks, but it does not represent a new or major threat, Dr. Harris insisted.
The UN health agency spokesperson said that such infections are on the rise in China “as expected during winter”, with seasonal influenza being “by far the most common among them”, as reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“China’s reported levels of respiratory infections are within the usual range for the winter season,” Dr. Harris explained. “Authorities report that hospital utilization is currently lower than this time last year, and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered,” she added.
As for hMPV, it was first identified in 2001 and “has been in the human population for a long time”, Dr. Harris clarified.
‘Very, very low’ risk
She added that it is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring and usually “causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold”.
Like any of the hundreds of common cold viruses known to exist, it can lead to more serious disease in patients with low immunity, particularly but not limited to newborns and the elderly.
Asked about hMPV’s mortality rate, Dr. Harris described it as “very, very low”. It is not a pathogen that normally leads to deaths in humans, save for the most vulnerable, she concluded, recommending “simple” prevention measures, such as wearing a mask, improving ventilation of closed spaces and handwashing.
The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday presented a $3.6 billion budget proposal for programmes in 2025, highlighting the Organization’s commitment to peace, sustainable development, and human rights initiatives, while advancing key reforms.
Outlining his proposal at the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, the forum for administrative and budgetary matters, António Guterres said the proposal for UN’s regular budget comes with a sense of urgency, amid multiplicity of challenges.
“In a context of major global shocks, the United Nations is more needed than ever,” he said.
“[These] represent a commitment towards updating and reforming international cooperation to make it more networked, effective, fair and inclusive,” he added.
The regular budget (RB) encompasses UN programmes spanning various domains, such as political affairs, international justice and law, regional cooperation for development, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and public information.
Organization maintains a separate budget for peacekeeping operations, which follows a fiscal cycle from July 1 to June 30, while the regular budget aligns with the calendar year.
Budget highlights
Excluding the Special Political Missions (SPMs), the proposed budget for 2025 includes a total of 10,494 posts, representing a net increase of 115 posts for new or strengthened mandates.
Secretary-General Guterres presenting 2025 proposed programme budget to the Fifth Committee.
The budget proposal also includes, among other programmes, $50 million for the Peacebuilding Fund to address ongoing funding gaps; an increase of $8 million for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, to support regional initiatives; and an additional $8.3 million to support the work of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.
The proposed budget further includes $3.5 million in additional humanitarian resources for the crisis Gaza, including an increase of $2.5 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a lifeline for Palestine refugees.
The 2025 budget proposal also includes measures to place the System-Wide Evaluation Office on firmer footing with RB funding, alongside a $2 million increase for the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the Ethics Office to bolster capacities.
Focus on development
Sustainable development remains a core priority, with an increase of about $4.5 million, marking the sixth consecutive annual increase.
The Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation (RPTC) will receive a $2 million boost, and an additional $500,000 is proposed for technical assistance and advice to nations on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The proposal also includes an increase of $1 million for the Development Account to enhance targeted, country-level support.
Mr. Guterres also highlighted the “chronic funding shortfall” facing the Resident Coordinator system and need for “a sustainable and predictable funding mechanism”, through partial RB financing.
Liquidity challenges
Mr. Guterres concluded by urging Member States to fulfil their financial obligations in full and on time, stressing that the UN’s ability to meet its mandates depends on the availability of funds.
He explained that the Organization started 2024 with only $67 million in cash, down from $700 million the previous year, “making it extremely vulnerable to adverse changes in payment patterns of assessed contributions”.
To stave off implementation constraints next year, Mr. Guterres proposed that the General Assembly temporarily suspend the return of credits for 2023 against the 2025 assessment. The credits would be held in a reserve and released as conditions improve.
“Ultimately, the effectiveness of programme delivery and use of financial resources in 2025 will depend on the availability of cash,” he said.
UN budget discussions
Over the next several weeks, the Fifth Committee will discuss the proposal, including with heads of UN Secretariat departments and senior programme managers.
The Committee will then present its report with recommendations to the General Assembly plenary, for approval of the UN budget by the end of December.
Terrorist fighters with ISIL/Da’esh invaded Iraq’s second city of Mosul in 2014, destroying centuries-old landmarks in a bid to erase its history and impose a bleak and repressive future on the nearly two million people who lived there.
Now, with UN support, Mosul has risen from the ashes of war and its historic monuments which had been reduced to rubble, dot the skyline once again.
The devastating nine-month-long battle to liberate the city from the terrorist group killed 10,000 civilians, leaving it in ruins.
In less than seven years, reconstruction has revitalised the city, with robust support from UN agencies and international partners, like Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Union.
UNESCO
The Al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul was severely damaged in 2017 during the occupation by ISIL.
International cooperation builds lasting legacy
The intensity of the fighting between the terrorists and Iraqi ground forces – supported by US-led coalition airstrikes – left many priceless buildings completely or partially destroyed, including the famous 12th century Al-Nouri Mosque.
UN agencies forged action plans with local authorities and international partners to rebuild the war-torn city.
Teams tackled the enormous challenges, from recycling rubble and removing unexploded bombs, to rebuilding classrooms and centuries-old landmarks while re-energising the Moslawi spirit.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) joined those efforts in 2018, with a budget of $115 million and 15 partners, including the UAE and the European Union.
The Revive the Spirit of Mosul project drafted plans to resurrect historic landmarks, classrooms and homes alongside the vibrant essence of a reborn city.
The Al-Nouri Mosque complex in Mosul is due to be rebuilt with support from UNESCO.
Blueprints amid the rubble
The rebuilding plans unfolded at a steady pace.
To document the dramatic transformation, young Iraqi filmmakers set out to track the recovery in a UNESCO-supported video series.
Its 48 episodes captured the human dimension of the city’s rejuvenation, telling the poignant stories of Moslawis alongside their hopes and dreams for their beloved city.
An UNMAS team in war-torn Mosul, Iraq, searches for and clears explosives in the rubble.
Safety comes first
When a conflict ends, unexploded remnants of war must be safely removed as they pose deadly threats long after the guns go silent.
First, safety was ensured for civilians returning to their neighbourhoods.
To address those dangers, a UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) team was deployed to search for and clear unexploded ordnance among the rubble.
Dealing with 8 million tonnes of debris
To deal with an estimated seven to eight million tonnes of debris created by the battle for Mosul, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) joined forces in 2021 with local authorities to establish the city’s first debris recycling centre.
“By processing the rubble to produce quality materials that can be used in reconstruction efforts, creating much needed job opportunities for returnees and cleaning-up the urban environment, this initiative practically illustrates how humanitarian needs and sustainable development goals can be addressed in a joint manner,” Dr. Jassim Humadi, Iraq’s Deputy Environment Minister, said at the time.
The local population welcomed the project.
“Young people in our village view debris recycling as a golden chance in terms of job creation, which additionally, by clearing the rubble, is allowing us to return and rebuild our homes,” added Mijbel Mar’i, a 24-year-old day labourer.
Workers repair part of the Al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul.
‘Watching my city come back to life’
“When I saw the minaret rise again, it was like watching my city come back to life,” said Omar, a young architect.
He was among several local experts that helped meticulously piece together its fragments.
Over 45,000 original bricks have been recovered from Al-Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret and cleaned and catalogued for the reconstruction of the latter.
UN agencies also led projects to rebuild education institutions and other civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed.
The newly rehabilitated Central Library at Mosul University, Iraq’s second-largest university that serves more than 50,000 students, was officially reopened in 2022 by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
But, reviving Mosul goes beyond bricks and mortar.
UNICEF/Jennifer Sparks
Girls at a primary school in west Mosul, Iraq. (file)
By 2021, damaged or levelled schools were being rebuilt, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported psychosocial training activities for teachers, including at Al Huda Primary School in west Mosul.
UNESCO trained over 5,000 educators and parents in preventing violent extremism, supporting more than 120,000 students.
Moslawis are now free to enjoy their culture and passions, from music to sports, like the Mosul Girls Football Club, founded in 2021 by the Sustainable Peace Foundation with UN migration agency (IOM) support.
In helping to revive the “spirit” of Mosul, UNESCO has demonstrated that culture can play an essential role in post-conflict reconstruction and the promotion of peace.
One of the most enduring mysteries in United Nations history – the 1961 plane crash that killed Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and all on board as he sought to broker peace in the Congo – will linger on, with a new assessment announced on Friday suggesting that “specific and crucial” information continues to be withheld by a handful of Member States.
Mr. Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death aged 56, when the chartered Douglas DC6 aircraft he was travelling in with others, registered as SE-BDY, crashed shortly after midnight on 17-18 September 1961, near Ndola, then in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).
He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire between UN peacekeepers and separatists from the breakaway Congolese region of Katanga, and possibly even a peace agreement encompassing the whole of newly independent Congo.
Fourteen of the 15 passengers died on impact, and the sole survivor succumbed to their injuries a few days later.
An initial inquiry by Rhodesian authorities reportedly attributed the crash to pilot error but the finding was disputed.
Eyewitness accounts suggested several scenarios, that “more than one aircraft” – possibly a jet – was observed in the air, “SE-BDY was on fire before it crashed”, and/or “SE-BDY was fired upon or otherwise actively engaged” by another aircraft.
General Assembly action
Over the years, the UN General Assembly has mandated a series of inquiries into the death of Mr. Hammarskjöld and those of his party. The most recent, in December 2022, was led by Mohamed Chande Othman, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, with the formal title of “Eminent Person”.
Mr. Othman also led several previous investigations into the fateful crash and the events surrounding it.
On the first day of his second term, Secretary-General Hammarskjöld (back of car, at right) leaves UN Headquarters on the way to the luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in his honour, hosted by New York City Mayor Robert Wagner.
Significant new information
According to the UN’s Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, “significant new information” has been submitted to the inquiry for this latest update.
This included probable intercepts by Member States of communications related to the crash, the capacity of Katanga’s armed forces, or others, to mount an attack on SE-BDY and the involvement of foreign paramilitary or intelligence personnel in the area at the time.
It also included additional new information relevant to the context and surrounding events of 1961.
“At this juncture, [Mr. Othman] assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash. [He] notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage or unintentional human error,” Mr. Haq said.
Documents almost certainly withheld
However, Mr. Othman assesses so far that it is “almost certain” specific, crucial and so far undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States, Mr. Haq said.
He noted that Mr. Othman has not received, to date, specific responses to his queries from some Member States believed to be holding useful information.
“The Secretary-General has personally followed up on [Mr. Othman’s] outstanding requests for information and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession,” Mr. Haq added.
“With significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.”
UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata
View of the field at Ndola, Zambia, where the plane carrying Mr. Hammarskjöld and his party crashed the night of 17-18 September, 1961; the site is marked by a cairn.
‘An extraordinary man’
Appointed at just 47 years old, Dag Hammarskjöld of Sweden remains the youngest UN Secretary-General.
Widely regarded as a visionary diplomat and reformer, Mr. Hammarskjöld is credited with strengthening the role of the newly established UN during a period of intense global tensions, including the drive to decolonise Africa and Asia.
“Hammarskjöld was not usually a companionable man, but he was certainly an extraordinary one, and we were all prepared – indeed anxious – to serve him without question to the limit of our powers and endurance,” Sir Brian Urquhart, a former senior UN official, remarked.
His leadership was pivotal during the tumultuous events of 1956. He led a ceasefire mission to the Middle East and continued through the Suez crisis, where he helped negotiate the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egypt and oversaw the deployment of the Organization’s first emergency peacekeeping mission, the UN Emergency Force.
Mr. Hammarskjöld was known for his integrity and dedication to public service, earning the Nobel Peace Prize “for developing the UN into an effective and constructive international organization capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter”.
He is the only Nobel Peace Prize Laureate to have been awarded the distinction posthumously.