Security Council renews DR Congo peacekeeping mission amid renewed M23 offensives
19/12/2025: The UN Security Council has unanimously extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for another year. Members expressed concern about renewed offensives by M23 rebels, urging the group to comply with its commitments under the recently agreed Doha framework.
Source: UN News
New EU rules undermine the foundation of refugee protection
18/12/2025: The European Parliament and Council have agreed rules which will make it easier for member states to reject asylum applications, on grounds that the country of origin is "safe". The new EU list of safe countries of origin includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
Source: Amnesty International
Forced returns to Afghanistan must end
16/12/2025: Latest UN figures reveal that Iran and Pakistan have unlawfully forced more than 2.6 million migrants to return to Afghanistan this year. The figures come as the Taliban intensify their attacks on human rights, particularly on women and girls. International law prohibits the forcible return of anyone to a place where they face a real risk of human rights violations.
Source: Amnesty International
ICC sentences former Sudanese militia leader to 20 Years
15/12/2025: The International Criminal Court has sentenced a former leader of Sudan’s “Janjaweed” militias to 20 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region between 2003-2004. Further fugitives to the court, including former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, remain protected inside Sudan.
Source: Human Rights Watch
This jubilee year must herald a new era of global debt relief
15/12/2025: Every 25 years the Catholic Church celebrates a jubilee, a time marked by forgiveness of debt. The most recent jubilee, in 2000, led to the largest debt forgiveness in modern history, as 36 countries benefited from $76 billion in relief. As the 2025 jubilee year comes to an end, the debt burden of the poorest countries remains stubbornly unsustainable.
Source: Devex
CIVICUS 2025 Report reveals widespread attacks on civic freedoms
11/12/2025: According to the People Power Under Attack report published by Civicus, most countries are experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold, civilians face limitations to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Source: Inter Press Service
Can the US-Africa trade program AGOA be resurrected?
11/12/2025:The African Growth and Opportunity Act, the 25-year-old trade program between the US and sub-Saharan African nations, expired on September 30, but the House Ways and Means Committee has now approved a three-year extension. The bill still faces some hurdles, but the trade program that has garnered bipartisan support.
Source: Devex
Historic return of displaced Syrians presents opportunity and urgent challenges
8/12/2025: According to the UN Refugee Agency, more than 1.2 million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighbouring countries in the year since the fall of the Assad regime. Approximately 4.5 million Syrian refugees remain in neighbouring countries, most living below the poverty line.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
The Hong Kong fire and the human cost of China’s repression
6/12/2025: Could the fire that claimed at least 159 lives in seven high-rise residential buildings have been prevented if Hong Kong still had a free media and a democratic legislature? Since 2020, when the Chinese government imposed a draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong, these safeguards have been gutted.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Most countries make progress towards universal health coverage
6/12/2025: The UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025 reveals that an estimated 4.6 billion people worldwide still lack access to essential health services and 2.1 billion people experience financial hardship to access health care. This annual report monitors the Sustainable Development Goal that everyone, everywhere can access the care they need without financial hardship by 2030. Despite positive direction, the global progress rate has slowed since 2015 and persistent gaps and inequalities are on the rise.
Source: World Health Organization