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Armed Conflict
Vanuatu is suing countries at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine their financial liability for climate change and the actions they must take. This landmark case was initiated by a group of law students in Fiji five years ago. (The Guardian “Handful of States Responsible…”, Forbes “Court Releases Written Arguments”) and (PassBlue, “Vanuatu’s Youth-led Movement Heads to the ICJ”
Plastics Treaty Talks Collapse - “It is a human health issue. Plastic and its 16,000 chemicals are toxic for humans, especially children.Already found in placenta, blood, breast milk, testicles and brains, the irrefutable impact on human health from endocrine disrupting chemicals can already be seen with the sharp decline in fertility, increases in cancer in the young, Alzheimer’s, autism and heart disease. (EuroNews, "We Should be Outraged") (Health Policy Watch, "Treaty Derailed as Fossil Fuel Nations Block...")
The Abu Dhabi Declaration was adopted at the end of the three-day Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Sixth Forum that took place from November 19–21, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. (IDN “Global Inter-Faith Leaders Appeal….”)
Gaza
Global Health - ““I think that we’re likely to see a wholesale pullback and restructuring of America’s global health presence around the world. “ (DEVEX, “Will RFK go wild on global health?”)
OCHA
Appeal - OCHA seeks $47 billion for 2025. “The world is on fire, and this is how we put it out, says OCHA's new chief, Tom Fletcher. We will be 'ruthless in prioritizing.." with emphasis on Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine." (AP News "New UN Aid Chief vows 'ruthlessness' as funding shrinks"
Ukraine
"At least At least 2,406 boys and girls have been killed or injured since the war began in February 2022. We again call for the support of the members of the Security Council.."
UN News, "UNICEF chief urges greater protection for children caught in this nightmare")
UN
The ICRC is piloting a program to address sexual violence in conflict zones by engaging armed groups in discussions about prevention. This approach goes beyond legal frameworks to address cultural beliefs and attitudes. (NYTimes, “We Need to Talk Directly to Armed Groups about Sexual Violence”)
Antimicrobial resistance is growing on battlefields due to heavy metals from weapons and the destruction of healthcare systems and sanitation. This is raising serious concerns, with some predicting AMR will kill more people than cancer by 2050. (The New Yorker, “Modern Warfare Is Breeding Deadly Superbugs. Why?”)
Climate Change
Climate Change
Vanuatu is suing countries at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine their financial liability for climate change and the actions they must take. This landmark case was initiated by a group of law students in Fiji five years ago. (The Guardian “Handful of States Responsible…”, Forbes “Court Releases Written Arguments”) and (PassBlue, “Vanuatu’s Youth-led Movement Heads to the ICJ”
Elders
Deputy Chair of the Elders reflects on a year of global challenges in an increasingly divided world. Link shared by Niloufar Pourzand (The Elders, "A Year of Challenges....")
Faith
The Abu Dhabi Declaration was adopted at the end of the three-day Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Sixth Forum that took place from November 19–21, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. (IDN “Global Inter-Faith Leaders Appeal….”)
Gaza
Starving N. Gaza - “Politicising aid is not new, but planning to use aid in the way the Israelis used it in Gaza, and eventually eliminating people – killing them – for organising a successful operation of receiving and distributing aid is something new.” (TNH, “Targeted aid killings: How Israel starved a population…”)
Medical Evacuation - UNICEF says at least 2,500 children need medevac for treatment (Middle East Monitor, “UNICEF says…”)
A Week in a N. Gaza hospital. A pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza documents one week inside one of the area's last functioning hospitals amid Israeli military operations. "We watch the wounded die one after another because of the lack of adequately trained medical staff" "Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I walked into the operating room to perform surgery... because we no longer have a qualified surgical team" (NYTimes, “Inside One of N. Gaza’s Last Hospitals”
Global Health
Medical Evacuation - UNICEF says at least 2,500 children need medevac for treatment (Middle East Monitor, “UNICEF says…”)
A Week in a N. Gaza hospital. A pediatrician and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza documents one week inside one of the area's last functioning hospitals amid Israeli military operations. "We watch the wounded die one after another because of the lack of adequately trained medical staff" "Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I walked into the operating room to perform surgery... because we no longer have a qualified surgical team" (NYTimes, “Inside One of N. Gaza’s Last Hospitals”
Global Health
Global Health - ““I think that we’re likely to see a wholesale pullback and restructuring of America’s global health presence around the world. “ (DEVEX, “Will RFK go wild on global health?”)
New groundbreaking TB test approved - test provides accurate results within hours. (UN News, "UN health agency approves groundbreaking TB test.)
Appeal - OCHA seeks $47 billion for 2025. “The world is on fire, and this is how we put it out, says OCHA's new chief, Tom Fletcher. We will be 'ruthless in prioritizing.." with emphasis on Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine." (AP News "New UN Aid Chief vows 'ruthlessness' as funding shrinks"
See also:
Global Humanitarian Overview - OCHA's report
Remarks of UNICEF ED, Catherine Russell at the launch of the appeal
Ukraine
"At least At least 2,406 boys and girls have been killed or injured since the war began in February 2022. We again call for the support of the members of the Security Council.."
UN News, "UNICEF chief urges greater protection for children caught in this nightmare")
The UN's structure, with a democratic General Assembly and a veto-wielding Security Council, is seen by some as fundamentally flawed. The upcoming 80th anniversary of the UN presents an opportunity for reform. (The Guardian “Let’s summon the courage for UN reform)
Trump and the UN - Trump’s election poses particular threats to Geneva based organizations which are heavily dependent on US contributions,. e.g. US funds 40.7% of UNHCR, 44.6% of UNAids (Geneva Solutions, “Trump’s expected retreat from the UN stokes financial jitters in Geneva”)
Trump and the UN - Trump’s election poses particular threats to Geneva based organizations which are heavily dependent on US contributions,. e.g. US funds 40.7% of UNHCR, 44.6% of UNAids (Geneva Solutions, “Trump’s expected retreat from the UN stokes financial jitters in Geneva”)
DOGE at the UN? - Excited by Trump Musk plans to streamline US government efficiency under the title ‘DOGE’, Hugh Dugan, a former member of the US delegation to the UN claims to be working with a group of former GA presidents to move UN thinking from ‘output’ to ‘outcomes’. (Fox News,” Former high-level United Nations officials to launch 'DOGE-UN' to highlight agency inefficiencies”)
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