News Links - Tuesday 20 January 2025

 

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

SYRIA CRISIS

Syrian ceasefire with Kurds collapses, IS detention crisis – A 14-point ceasefire between Syria and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces collapsed after one day following failed talks in Damascus on Tuesday. Kurdish forces withdrew guards from al-Hol camp housing tens of thousands of Islamic State family members and dependents, including foreign women and children suspected of IS membership, raising international alarm about the facility described as a "hotbed of extremism." Syria's government said 120 IS prisoners escaped from Shaddadi Prison in Raqqa after Kurdish forces left it unguarded, though the SDF denied the claim. 

UN LEADERSHIP

Guterres warns of US impunity – Guterres said the US is acting with impunity and believes its power matters more than international law, with Washington holding a "clear conviction that multilateral solutions are not relevant." He warned that "there are those that believe the power of law should be replaced by the law of power" and called the UN Security Council "ineffective," urging reforms to its composition and limits on veto powers.Secretary-General António Guterres cancelled his planned special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos due to a bad cold. In a BBC interview, 

SG's priorities for final year – UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered his final annual address outlining priorities on 15 January, warning the world is "brimming with conflict, impunity, inequality and unpredictability" while international cooperation frays. He identified three guiding principles: uphold the UN Charter and international law, pursue peace between nations and with nature, and build unity in an age of division. Guterres pledged to make "every day of 2026 count" in his remaining term.

UNRWA

Israeli forces demolish UNRWA headquarters in E. Jerusalem – Israeli bulldozers demolished UNRWA's east Jerusalem headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah on Tuesday. Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called it "a historic day." UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned this "must be a wake-up call" about threats to any international organization, calling it part of efforts to "erase the Palestine Refugee identity." The demolition enforces Israel's new law banning UNRWA from operating in areas Israel defines as its territory, including east Jerusalem.

UNDP RESTRUCTURING

UNDP relocates 400 posts from New York – The UN Development Programme announced relocation of nearly 400 headquarters positions from New York, with approximately 300 moving to Bonn, Germany and 100 to Madrid, Spain. UNDP's Bonn footprint will exceed 400 positions as it already hosts the UN Volunteers programme. The move adapts to evolving financial landscapes while New York remains UNDP's global headquarters. UNDP also relocated 30 positions to regional offices in Africa, Latin America, Arab States, Central Europe, and Asia-Pacific at the start of 2026.