Ebola Outbreak Shows Signs of Containment in Northeastern DRC – Still Expanding Elsewhere 16/09/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak is showing early signs of containment in the Ituri province in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it first surfaced in April. But in North Kivu province, to the south, cases are still rising fast, with weekly cases nearly doubling over the past two weeks, […] Continue reading -> Controversy Over Merger Between UN Women and UNFPA Continues 04/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading -> US and Russia Vote Against UN Political Declaration on HIV/ AIDS 24/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States and Russia were part of a group of eight countries that voted against the United Nations (UN) Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, which was adopted by 149 votes at the High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Tuesday afternoon. Israel, Burkina Faso, Burundi, North Korea, Niger and Senegal also voted against the declaration, while there were […] Continue reading -> The Overlooked Decisions of the 79th World Health Assembly 25/05/2026 Stefan Anderson GENEVA — Hundreds of hours of formal negotiations and corridor-side bargaining in the halls of the United Nations (UN) Palais des Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters this week ended on Saturday afternoon – more or less on schedule, an outcome rare enough at the UN to be cause for celebration. The sunshine, Mont […] Continue reading -> UN Rapporteur Signals Legal Shift to Hold Air Polluters Accountable 10/03/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading -> Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Controversy Over Merger Between UN Women and UNFPA Continues 04/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading -> US and Russia Vote Against UN Political Declaration on HIV/ AIDS 24/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States and Russia were part of a group of eight countries that voted against the United Nations (UN) Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, which was adopted by 149 votes at the High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Tuesday afternoon. Israel, Burkina Faso, Burundi, North Korea, Niger and Senegal also voted against the declaration, while there were […] Continue reading -> The Overlooked Decisions of the 79th World Health Assembly 25/05/2026 Stefan Anderson GENEVA — Hundreds of hours of formal negotiations and corridor-side bargaining in the halls of the United Nations (UN) Palais des Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters this week ended on Saturday afternoon – more or less on schedule, an outcome rare enough at the UN to be cause for celebration. The sunshine, Mont […] Continue reading -> UN Rapporteur Signals Legal Shift to Hold Air Polluters Accountable 10/03/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading -> Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
US and Russia Vote Against UN Political Declaration on HIV/ AIDS 24/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States and Russia were part of a group of eight countries that voted against the United Nations (UN) Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, which was adopted by 149 votes at the High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Tuesday afternoon. Israel, Burkina Faso, Burundi, North Korea, Niger and Senegal also voted against the declaration, while there were […] Continue reading -> The Overlooked Decisions of the 79th World Health Assembly 25/05/2026 Stefan Anderson GENEVA — Hundreds of hours of formal negotiations and corridor-side bargaining in the halls of the United Nations (UN) Palais des Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters this week ended on Saturday afternoon – more or less on schedule, an outcome rare enough at the UN to be cause for celebration. The sunshine, Mont […] Continue reading -> UN Rapporteur Signals Legal Shift to Hold Air Polluters Accountable 10/03/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading -> Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
The Overlooked Decisions of the 79th World Health Assembly 25/05/2026 Stefan Anderson GENEVA — Hundreds of hours of formal negotiations and corridor-side bargaining in the halls of the United Nations (UN) Palais des Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters this week ended on Saturday afternoon – more or less on schedule, an outcome rare enough at the UN to be cause for celebration. The sunshine, Mont […] Continue reading -> UN Rapporteur Signals Legal Shift to Hold Air Polluters Accountable 10/03/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading -> Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
UN Rapporteur Signals Legal Shift to Hold Air Polluters Accountable 10/03/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading -> Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document at UN Commission 10/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United States was isolated in its opposition to the adoption of “agreed conclusions” at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Tuesday, recording the only “no” vote at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday. There were 37 votes in favour and six abstentions from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading -> As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
As Women’s Rights Falter Globally, US Moves to Weaken UN Support for Gender Equality 09/03/2026 Kerry Cullinan The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document. The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
US Pulls out of 66 Multilateral Bodies Including Key Climate Convention 08/01/2026 Kerry Cullinan The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from 66 multilateral organisations that it describes as “wasteful, ineffective, and harmful” – including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which coordinates the world’s response to climate change and has the buy-in of every other country in the world. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN […] Continue reading -> UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
UN Agencies, Aid Groups Protest Israel’s Move to Bar Many NGOs from Gaza as Winter Exacerbates Dire Conditions 06/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Senior United Nations officials and humanitarian leaders have urged Israel to reverse plans to withhold registration from more three-dozen international NGOs providing humanitarian relief in war-torn Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank – warning that the move would severely undermine life-saving aid in a moment of acute humanitarian need. Israel said last Thursday that some […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts