News Links June 15 - 21

 

June 21 – Risk Israel Iran war may spin out of control; Is USAID being forced to fund the GHF?, blockade and destruction creating man-made drought in Gaza, dismantling of  humanitarian aid, the manosphere

A fire no one can control: The UN is calling for urgent de-escalation as conflict spirals between Iran and Israel, with the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, UN News reports. "

Gaza Foundation: Elizabeth Warren has confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio over reports that the State Department is considering redirecting $500 million from USAID to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Andrew Roth at The Guardian. Warren argued the GHF "marks an alarming departure from the professional humanitarian organizations".

Gaza's Man-made Drought: UNICEF warns that Israel's blockade of fuel and destruction of key infrastructure entering is causing a "man-made drought," with only 40% of drinking water-production facilities remaining functional, according to Common Dreams. 

Violence against children: A record 22,495 children were subjected to violence in conflict zones in 2024, representing a 25% increase, with 44% more attacks on schools and 35% more sexual violence cases, according to Kaamil Ahmed at The Guardian. The UN verified 4,856 violations in Gaza by Israeli security forces and 22 cases of Palestinian boys used as human shields, while sexual violence surged globally with over a quarter of cases in Haiti involving gang rape.

Aid Dismantling: Lawrence S. Wittner details in CounterCurrents how the Trump administration has systematically destroyed U.S. overseas humanitarian aid programs, with Elon Musk calling USAID "a criminal organization" and Secretary of State Marco Rubio cutting 83% of international humanitarian programs. The House Republicans voted to claw back billions more in already-appropriated aid funding.

Humanitarian Crisis: As the UN marks its 80th anniversary, its humanitarian agencies face their greatest crisis with the U.S. slashing international aid spending, The Journal Gazette reports. Former UN humanitarian aid chief Jan Egeland called it "the most abrupt upheaval of humanitarian work in the U.N. in my 40 years," with the World Food Program planning to cut a quarter of its 22,000 staff as global food insecurity affects 343 million people.

Manosphere: A UN Women report warns of the growing influence of the online “manosphere” — a network of misogynistic influencers and forums promoting hatred of women and girls. The report highlights how predators are exploiting dating apps, social media, and AI-generated deepfake pornography to target children and reinforce gender discrimination in the digital space.

June 20 – UN blacklists IDF for child rights violations, while Gaza faces collapsing services and rising malnutrition; UN reform and moral authority come under scrutiny, Yemen nears famine, and legal scholars question Israel’s Iran strike.

Israel’s Attack on Iran
Adil Haque and Oona Hathaway, writing for Just Security, argue that Israel’s April 2025 strike on Iran was unlawful under international law. They challenge claims of self-defense, stating the attack lacked justification under Article 51 of the UN Charter and sets a dangerous precedent.

Gaza – Malnutrition
Olivia Rosane reports for Truthout that over 5,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition in Gaza in May, a 67 % rise since February. UNICEF warns that the number of cases continues to increase rapidly, and healthcare systems are overwhelmed.

Gaza – Water Crisis and Infrastructure Collapse
The Cradle reports that Gaza is suffering a man-made drought, as Israel’s control over water and fuel supplies has halted most desalination and wastewater operations. Fuel shipments are being restricted or denied, leading to dangerous disruptions in water access. UNICEF warns that only 40 % of Gaza’s drinking water infrastructure remains functional, and over one million people now rely on just three water lines. UNICEF says the collapse of these systems is worsening malnutrition and disease, especially among children.

UN Blacklist
Israeli forces have again been added to the UN’s list of parties committing grave violations against children. The listing follows data from the annual “Children and Armed Conflict” report.

Yemen – Famine Warning
Siasat.com, citing UN officials, reports that parts of Yemen may soon face famine. Rising food insecurity and aid shortfalls threaten millions, particularly displaced populations and children.

UN Reform – Governance Debate
Barbara Crossette, writing in PassBlue, critiques the UN’s current reform agenda as overly focused on internal management rather than governance and legitimacy. She warns against pushing structural changes without addressing power imbalances and political dysfunction, especially in the Security Council.

UN Role – Moral Authority in Crisis
Euronews questions whether the UN is losing its moral leadership. The article cites failures to protect civilians in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, arguing that inaction risks irrelevance in the face of mass atrocities and shifting global power.

June 19 - UN SG reiterates call for ceasefire Israel Iran; fallout from UNOPS scandal, UN envoy in Sudan criticized; WHO calls for more midwives; US backs ITU chief, Pillai calls GHF outrageous; Compriso de Sevilla outcome from Development Financing conference

Call for ceasefire– UN chief António Guterres reiterated his demand for Israel and Iran to immediately begin a ceasefire in Gaza and halt hostilities, stating that the region cannot afford further bloodshed in an increasingly volatile Middle East, according to a UN statement.

Kenya – The failed UNOPS-led Habitat Heights housing development outside Nairobi was to be the flagship of a 100,000-home initiative under the agency’s Social Impact Investment Initiative. As reported by PassBlue, the project collapsed without building a single house after UNOPS deputy Vitaly Vanshelboim was dismissed over corruption tied to UK businessman David Kendrick.

UN envoy – As detailed by the Sudan Tribune, UN Special Envoy Ramtane Lamamra is under fire from over 100 Sudanese civil and political figures who accuse him of failing to challenge the warring parties and ignoring misuse of humanitarian aid, exposing deep rifts over his mandate.

Midwives – The WHO urged countries to expand access to midwifery care, saying this could save millions of lives and reduce maternal and newborn mortality. In its report, the agency emphasized investment in culturally sensitive, community-based services to address a global shortfall of one million midwives.

ITU – In a move breaking with its broader pullback from UN agencies, the Trump team endorsed Doreen Bogdan-Martin, a Biden nominee, to remain head of the International Telecommunication Union. The bipartisan support reflects Washington’s strategic interest in steering global tech governance.

Probe – Navi Pillay, chair of the UN’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the Palestinian Territories, condemned the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as “outrageous,” warning that its IDF-protected food sites have resulted in Palestinian deaths. She pledged that the UN would expose the motives behind such attacks.

Sevilla – UN Member States have finalized the Compromiso de Sevilla, the outcome document for the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. As reported by UN News, the US withdrew from the talks and will not attend the summit, objecting to proposals on tax governance and multilateral bank reform, while other nations praised the agreement as a major step toward closing the $4 trillion annual funding gap for development.

June 18 – As UN budget woes threaten historic landmarks and humanitarian needs mount in Gaza, the U.S. retreats from key global forums on development, education, and climate, deepening multilateral strain.

Geneva
The UN is considering vacating the historic Palais Wilson in Geneva by mid-2026 due to severe budget cuts. The building is currently the Hq of UN Human Rights.   Once the headquarters of the League of Nations, the UN’s predecessor, the building has become a symbol of multilateralism under threat. A $1.5 billion funding gap—much of it from U.S. arrears—is driving proposals for deep retrenchment.

Gaza
For the first time in months, UN World Food Programme aid reached northern Gaza, drawing thousands of desperate civilians to the ruins of Gaza City. Many families had gone days without food, and scenes of people hoisting boxes through rubble underscored the acute humanitarian crisis. Over 70 Palestinians were reported killed near aid distribution sites in recent days, with Israeli forces blamed for the violence.

US Withdrawal
The U.S. pulled out of the UN Financing for Development conference and also skipped the opening of annual UN climate talks in Bonn for the first time in 30 years. These moves reflect a broader U.S. disengagement from international cooperation on sustainable development and climate action.

Learning Crisis
A UNICEF official raised alarm over a deepening education crisis in the Philippines, saying poor learning outcomes risk the future of a generation without urgent reforms.

June 17 – IDF kills more people awaiting food, nutrition in Afghanistan, 2-state conference postponed or cancelled, Russia proposes trade children for POWs, new UN needed for fragmented world, privatized aid in S. Sudan, will new humanitarian structures just repeat past mistakes

Gaza: Reuters reports that Israeli tank shelling killed at least 59 Palestinians waiting for food aid in Khan Younis. Witnesses said civilians were allowed to approach a truck before being shelled; Israel acknowledged the incident and said it is under review. The WHO called the mass casualty event part of a disturbing pattern of fatal incidents during food distribution, as famine risk intensifies in Gaza. In total 338 people have been  killed and 2,831 injured at GHF Rafah distribution points from May 27 onward.

Afghanistan: UNICEF launches a new initiative to tackle child food poverty by transforming food and nutrition systems aimed at children under two—after finding 90% of young Afghan children live in food poverty, with 3.5 million suffering wasting and 1.4 million at risk of death.

UN Conference: PassBlue reports that the high-level UN conference on the two-state solution, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, was suspended just before its June 17 launch. The author questions whether the event is truly “postponed” or effectively “canceled,” noting vague explanations from the UN and attributing the decision to a combination of Middle East instability, Iran-Israel tensions, and logistical issues such as visa delays and scheduling conflicts.

Ukraine: The UN criticized Russia for proposing the exchange of deported Ukrainian children for Russian prisoners of war. UN leaders insisted civilians “should not be used as bargaining chips,” calling the idea unacceptable.

UN 80: In a commentary for The Economist, Thant Myint-U argues that as the UN turns 80, it must be retooled to meet today’s more fragmented, nationalist world, with less emphasis on liberal internationalist ideals and more focus on war prevention.

Private Aid Scrutiny: The New Humanitarian investigates the expanding role of the U.S.-backed logistics firm Fogbow in South Sudan, raising concerns about transparency, security, and oversight. Although the company has delivered substantial volumes of food and supplies, aid workers report intimidation, mishandling of shipments, and unclear accountability structures under Fogbow’s military-style operations. 

Humanitarian Reboot: The New Humanitarian explores whether global humanitarianism is on the brink of reform or simply recycling old failures. In a related op-ed, the authors argue that humanitarian protection has become dangerously hollow, weakened by shrinking funding, broken accountability, and the normalization of attacks on civilians.

June 16 – UN slashes aid appeal, children pay global refugee price

UN The UN has cut its humanitarian appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, citing the “deepest funding cuts ever,” with just 13% received so far. The new “hyper‑prioritised” plan will assist 114 million people in crisis zones like Sudan, Gaza, the DRC, and Myanmar under a "triage of human survival" strategy.

Children In a World Refugee Day column, Carey Mulligan warns that refugee children—from Uganda and Gaza to Sudan and Ukraine—are losing their childhoods amid rising indifference. Families fleeing violence face razor wire, closed borders, and criminalisation as empathy and protection for displaced children rapidly decline.

June 15 – Changing gender preferences, UN envoy crisis in Sudan, AGI warning from UN, Russian aid strike in Ukraine, and Colombia child recruitment surge

Gender Preferences A Vox analysis builds on findings reported in the Economist showing that in some societies, girls are now preferred over boys—a reversal of longstanding global norms. Factors include policies that reward having daughters, societal shifts toward gender equality, and even IVF trends favoring girls. While male preference remains widespread in parts of Asia, this emerging “girl bias” complicates the usual narrative of systemic anti-female discrimination and signals nuanced cultural changes in reproductive decision-making.

Sudan Leading Sudanese politicians and civil society groups are calling for the removal of UN envoy Lakhdar Lamamra, accusing him of bias toward the Sudanese military and of hindering peace efforts. According to the Sudan Tribune, critics say he’s failed to consult broadly and is too closely aligned with the IGAD process. They urge the UN Secretary‑General to appoint a more impartial envoy to re-energize stalled negotiations.

AI Governance A newly released UN-backed report warns that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could soon reach human-level capabilities and behave beyond human control. The UN Council of Presidents of the General Assembly recommends a UN General Assembly special session, creation of a global AGI observatory, a certification framework, and possibly a dedicated agency. As highlighted by NDTV, experts caution that while AGI offers breakthroughs in areas like healthcare, it also poses existential risks.

Zaporizhzhia A Russian drone strike hit a humanitarian aid warehouse in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, destroying around 100 tonnes of aid and injuring at least three people. Ukrainian officials condemned the attack as a direct assault on civilian support efforts, and the EU decried Russia’s blatant disregard for humanitarian law.

Colombia A BBC report reveals a sharp rise in child recruitment by armed groups, with at least 409 minors enlisted in 2024. The alarming trend was thrust into the spotlight when a 15‑year‑old is alleged to have shot presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay on 7 June, reportedly for money to support his family. Experts attribute the surge to poverty, weak state presence, and aggressive recruitment tactics—like exploiting TikTok—to exploit vulnerable youth.

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