UN - Top Stories

1. Arab region pushed to limits by climate extremes as 2024 smashes heat records

   The Arab region is heating at nearly twice the global average, UN weather experts warned on Thursday, after 2024 saw unprecedented heat, destructive storms and worsening water scarcity impact some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

2. Malaria: Drug resistance and underfunding threaten progress towards eliminating killer disease

   The authoritative World Health Organization (WHO) World Malaria Report, published on Thursday, shows that resistance to antimalarial drugs now poses one of the most acute risks to control efforts across Africa and beyond.

3. General Assembly demands return of Ukrainian children by Russia

   The UN General Assembly on Wednesday demanded by a wide margin that Russia immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported since the start of the war.

4. Air strikes and shelling continue in Gaza

   The UN has called for an investigation into the recent “horrific” killing by Israeli forces of two young brothers in Gaza who were reportedly targeted by a drone while collecting firewood. 

5. Sudan’s crisis deepens with communities trapped in ‘siege conditions’

   Civilians across Sudan’s Kordofan region are facing extreme hardship as conflict intensifies, warned the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Wednesday.