News from the United Nations
- Lebanon: Another peacekeeper dies in new attack June 4, 2026A Serbian peacekeeper serving in Lebanon died early Thursday after mortar fire on his position near Marjayoun in the country’s southeast, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has announced.
- From the Field: In crisis-hit Middle East, renewables power daily life June 4, 2026Across the Middle East, countries facing severe energy access challenges are turning to renewables to power essential infrastructure, from hospitals to schools and street lighting.
- World Ocean Assessment highlights urgent need for science and global action June 4, 2026In the wood-panelled rooms of New York’s storied Explorers Club, where portraits of pioneering adventurers line the walls, diplomats, scientists and ocean advocates gathered on Tuesday evening with a shared sense of urgency – and anticipation.
- Killed for speaking up: UN sounds alarm over attacks on environmental defenders June 4, 2026UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Thursday for greater protection for environmental and land defenders, noting that hundreds worldwide have been killed or detained in recent years.
- Undeclared chemical weapons found in Syria, including type used in notorious Ghouta massacre June 4, 2026Chemical weapons inspectors have uncovered a significant cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons in Syria – including rockets of the same type used in the notorious 2013 Ghouta attack – in what the UN’s top disarmament official called a “momentous discovery” for international security.
- ‘We are catching up’ – WHO chief on DR Congo’s Ebola fight June 3, 2026The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is showing signs of progress – but significant challenges remain in testing, surveillance, vaccine development and building community trust.
- World News in Brief: UN urges restraint as Gulf tensions rise, fear and uncertainty in Lebanon, hunger grows in the Sahel June 3, 2026UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm on Tuesday over reported overnight exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran, as well as reports that Iran targeted Kuwait and Bahrain.
- Growing up with sirens: UN child rights envoy on the toll of the Ukraine-Russia war June 3, 2026Children in Ukraine have been profoundly impacted by years of war, sheltering in underground schools – or forced to study online – and living with the psychological strain of constant air raid sirens that could spell death for them and their families.
- Regional health agency issues measles alert for World Cup June 3, 2026As World Cup fever rises in the Americas, countries are urged to strengthen measles surveillance and vaccination amid ongoing outbreaks across the region.
- Yemen: Hunger crisis deepens as funding cuts leave millions without support June 3, 2026Nearly half of the population in Government-controlled areas of Yemen are facing high levels of acute food insecurity with the crisis set to deepen further if international aid cuts continue, according to the latest analysis by the leading UN-backed global food security platform.