News Links June 23 - 28, 2025

 

June 28 – UN experts condemn U.S. strikes on Iran; IDF faces war crimes inquiry over Gaza aid shootings; Sudan accepts UN-proposed ceasefire

US–Iran: UN experts,including Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts, and Working Groups—condemned the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as violations of international law and the UN Charter. They demanded a permanent halt to hostilities and called for diplomatic solutions over force, as detailed in their official statement.

Gaza Aid System: According to Haaretz, Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot deliberately at unarmed Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza, resulting in over 400 deaths and prompting an internal IDF war crimes inquiry. Médecins Sans Frontières described the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation model as a “slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid” and called for its dismantlement in favor of a neutral, UN-led system. At the same time, Gaza authorities report finding oxycodone pills hidden in flour sacks distributed via U.S.-backed aid, raising suspicions of sabotage.

Sudan Ceasefire: Sudan’s army has agreed to a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher, proposed by the United Nations, to enable humanitarian aid delivery. There is no confirmation yet that RSF forces will honor the agreement.

June 27 – Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children, a UN peacekeeper killed near the Sudan–CAR border, debate over the UN Charter at 80, and calls to revive its founding principles.

Children An estimated 35,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred to Russia or occupied areas since 2022. Many are held in camps or placed with Russian families, with only 1,366 returned so far. Legal and political barriers are blocking efforts to bring them home, and experts call the practice a war crime. Click here for the article

CAR A Zambian UN peacekeeper was killed and another injured  near the Sudanese border, when armed men—suspected to be Sudanese—attacked a patrol. This marks the third deadly attack on MINUSCA forces in 2025. The incident heightens concerns that the war in Sudan and the growing conflict in South Sudan are spilling across borders—a fear echoed in Chad, Libya, and Egypt, where border instability is also increasing. Click here for the article

Charter UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the Charter “is not an à la carte menu” to be selectively applied. On its 80th anniversary, he decried member states’ disregard for foundational principles amid ongoing crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and beyond. Click here for the article

June 26 — Aid blockades, UN at 80, Gaza violence, and financing gaps dominate today’s headlines

Sudan Aid is being systematically blocked in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, plunging residents into “unimaginable suffering,” with children and pregnant women flooding overstretched clinics as the rainy season approaches according to The New Humanitarian.

Gaza Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 118 Palestinians (including 21 in multiple attacks) and prompted Israel to halt aid convoys to northern Gaza amid claims Hamas is seizing supplies reports Reuters; in an op-ed, UNICEF’s Palestine chief Jean Gough urges EU leaders to guarantee aid access and let the UN “do its job,” noting 15,600 children have already been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced The Parliament Magazine.

Vaccines At a Gavi pledging summit, RFK Jr. accused the alliance of sidelining vaccine-safety science and urged Washington to freeze funding until reforms are made, even questioning current Covid-19 protocols reports Politico Europe.

School connectivity The ITU-UNICEF Giga initiative has opened a Geneva headquarters to help governments map, finance, and procure internet service for every school by 2030 

UN Charter Marking the Charter’s 80th anniversary, UN chief António Guterres warned its founding principles are “under assault like never before,” stressing the document “is not an à-la-carte menu,” while analyst Tim Murithi argues the UN80 reform push risks empowering “global hegemons” and starving multilateral agencies of funds see TRT Global and the Mail & Guardian.

FFD4 Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed bills next week’s Sevilla summit on development finance as a test of multilateralism; the draft Seville Commitment promises to triple multilateral-bank lending and double ODA, despite the United States’ decision to stay away according to UN News.

June 25 – UNICEF chief on Gaza’s “hellscape,” a UN Special Rep on extreme poverty;  grave violations against children in war hit a record high, the U.S. funds a controversial Gaza aid group, and Yemen faces nutrition crisis amid collapsing support.

• Gaza – UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell told ITV News she is “running out of words” to describe the territory, calling it an “absolute hellscape” that is crippling aid deliveries.

• Poverty – Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, warned in a statement accompanying his report to the UN Human Rights Council that escalating aid cuts and attacks on multilateralism are undoing decades of poverty reduction. He urged global leaders to adopt wealth taxes and “solidarity levies” to finance social protection in the poorest countries.

• Children in Conflict – Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, presented the UN’s annual report to the Security Council documenting a record 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024. In a parallel UNICEF statement, Sheema Sen Gupta, UNICEF Director of Child Protection, called the findings a “devastating indictment” of global inaction, stating that wars are increasingly fought “on and around children.” UNICEF called for urgent Security Council action, protection of schools and hospitals, and increased funding for child reintegration and support programs.

• GHF – The Trump administration has authorized $30 million in funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.- and Israeli-backed private contractor distributing food in Gaza. The move was condemned by Oxfam and others as a dangerous alternative to U.N.-coordinated relief and has been linked to fatal incidents near distribution sites. Critics argue the program aligns with Israeli objectives and violates humanitarian neutrality.

• Yemen – A joint statement from FAO, WFP, and UNICEF warns that acute food insecurity is worsening in government-controlled areas of southern Yemen, with nearly 5 million people facing crisis-level hunger and 1.5 million in emergency conditions. Funding shortfalls, economic collapse, and climate shocks are driving the surge. UNICEF estimates 2.4 million children under five are acutely malnourished and warns of further deterioration unless urgent support is provided.

June 24, 2025 – Top UN Gaza envoy resigns, UN dysfunction, patronage charges, UNICEF chief in Chad, SDG collapse, lack of funding results in blocked rights investigations in DRC and closing of half of Sudan's health facilites. 

Gaza envoy quits: Disillusioned with collapsed political will, Sigrid Kaag has resigned as the UN’s senior coordinator for Gaza.

UN under fire: Ban Ki-moon and Helen Clark warn the UN is crippled by dysfunction; staff unions call UN80 reforms reckless and damaging.

Patronage scandal: Guterres is criticized for appointing a fellow Portuguese national to a top UN post amid widespread layoffs.

Congo probe stalls: A funding shortfall has suspended the UN’s war crimes investigation in Congo.

Iran exit: The UN has withdrawn non-essential staff from Iran due to ongoing security risks.

Gaza aid deaths: Over 400 Palestinians have died near private aid hubs, prompting UN warnings of “weaponized hunger” and possible war crimes.

Chad refugee crisis: On a visit to Chad, UNICEF head Catherine Russell met some of the 700,000 Sudanese refugee children fleeing Darfur. She called for urgent support as reports warn the crisis is deepening due to underfunding.

SDG failure: A new SDSN report finds that none of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals are on track to be met by 2030, with only 17% of targets progressing. Global inequalities, conflict, and limited financing are blamed, while the US ranks last in SDG multilateralism commitment.

Sudan aid cuts: Severe funding shortfalls have forced the UN to close over half of Sudan’s supported health facilities, risking services for women and girls as hunger deepens and displacement from El Fasher surges past 400,000.

June 23 – UNICEF Chief on Sahel; Yemen famine risk; SG condemns Iran escalation; Somalia and Philippines delisted from countries of concern for child soldiers; Gaza plea from Pope; 

Sahel
UNICEF chief Catherine Russell called for urgent global action as conflict, climate shocks, and displacement imperil over 2.9 million people in the Central Sahel, nearly half of them children. She warned that acute malnutrition has tripled since 2015 and only 7% of UNICEF’s regional appeal is funded. Click here for the article.

Yemen
UNICEF reported that acute food insecurity is worsening in government-controlled areas of Yemen, driven by a 70% funding gap. Without new contributions, critical nutrition services could be halted by August, threatening the lives of 23,000 severely malnourished children.

Iran–U.S.
In an opinion piece for PassBlue, public international lawyer Mona Ali Khalil—who previously served with the IAEA and the UN—denounces former President Trump’s call for peace as Orwellian, issued just hours after he ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Khalil outlines three legal pathways the UN could pursue to demand a ceasefire, including invoking the rarely used "Uniting for Peace" resolution in the General Assembly.

UN warning
UN Secretary-General Guterres condemned the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and any attacks on nuclear infrastructure, warning of the danger of further escalation. “We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation,” he said, urging all parties to step back from the brink and prioritize diplomacy.

Somalia
Somalia has been delisted from the UN’s annual child soldier report after 16 years. The decision follows Somalia’s adoption of a national action plan to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers—an important reform milestone, though implementation and protection challenges remain.

Philippines
According to the Philippine News Agency, the country reaffirmed its commitment to the UN Charter on its 79th anniversary, while also highlighting progress on child protection. The Philippines has been on the UN list of countries of concern for grave child rights violations since 2003, but stepped up cooperation in November 2024 by engaging with the UN and strengthening the Inter-Agency Committee on Children Involved in Armed Conflict (IAC-CIAC). The government also adopted the 4th National Plan of Action for Children to guide protection and prevention efforts.

Gaza – Papal appeal
Pope Leo XIV issued a global appeal not to forget Gaza’s immense humanitarian need. Speaking from the Vatican, he called on nations to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access and urged solidarity with innocent civilians caught in the conflict.

June 22 – UNICEF warns of deepening crisis in the Sahel; world leaders condemn US strikes on Iran and call for urgent diplomacy

Sahel
UNICEF warns that insecurity and mass displacement in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger continue to endanger nearly 1.6 million children. Executive Director Catherine Russell, after visiting the region, called for urgent action to restore humanitarian access and expand services for health, education, and protection.

SG reacts to US strikes on Iran
Following US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern, calling the escalation "dangerous" and urging all parties to de-escalate and return to diplomacy. The strikes, which reportedly targeted key Iranian nuclear infrastructure, risk igniting broader regional conflict.

International reactions
World leaders across Europe, Asia, and Africa condemned the US strikes. France, Germany, China, South Africa, and Indonesia called for restraint and dialogue, while Israel and the UK expressed support for Washington’s position. The international community warned that continued military actions could trigger a full-scale regional war.

UN reform
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a bold overhaul of the United Nations, saying the current structure is outdated and unable to handle today’s crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts. Speaking at the World Peace Forum in Beijing, he urged governments to pursue reforms with “realistic ambition” to preserve multilateralism.