Life-saving medicines blocked as killing in Gaza continues
22/5/2026: Since the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at least 880 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization reports that rodent infestations and the spread of infectious disease are being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies.
Source: UN News
Why Ebola shows we must finish the pandemic treaty now
21/5/2026: Ebola is a zoonotic disease, driven by human activity at the interface between people, animals, and the environment. We remain locked in a cycle of response rather than prevention. This is precisely the cycle the pandemic treaty was designed to break. Negotiations have stalled and a final agreement may not be reached until the World Health Assembly in 2027.
Source: Devex
UN climate accountability resolution advances climate justice
20/5/2026: The UN General Assembly has endorsed an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that protecting the global climate system is a legal obligation – not a political choice. Amnesty International observes that the resolution adds momentum towards ensuring accountability for climate-driven human rights harms and protecting present and future generations.
Source: Amnesty International
The world is on the edge of even greater pandemic damage
18/5/2026: A Board established in 2018 in response to global health crises has warned that efforts over the last decade are being offset by rising geopolitical fragmentation, ecological disruption, and the fall in development assistance to levels not seen since 2009. The report emphasizes that the real, near term risk of another pandemic would strike a world more divided, more indebted and less able to protect its people than it was a decade ago.
Source: Global Preparedness Monitoring Board
After Beijing: UN architecture is still adrift
18/5/2026: The future of the UN's global governance architecture was not discussed at the recent two-day Beijing summit between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping. Our global governance institutions are not simply under strain but drifting toward a rupture that historically has preceded systemic collapse.
Source: PassBlue
Global executions surge to highest recorded figure
18/5/2026: Over 2,000 people were executed across 17 countries in 2025, an annual increase of 78%, very largely the responsibility of Iran and Saudi Arabia. This data excludes China, believed to be the world’s lead executioner.
Source: Amnesty International
Ebola outbreak in Central Africa declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’
17/5/2026: Whilst the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is serious, it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. However, the World Health Organization has stressed that the outbreak poses a risk to neighbouring countries due to high population mobility, trade links and ongoing humanitarian challenges.
Source: UN News
UN agencies warn of famine risk in Somalia and Sudan
15/5/2026: UN humanitarian agencies have identified the risk of famine in a region of southwest Somalia and also in Sudan. Conditions have been exacerbated by closure of more than 500 health and nutrition facilities across Somalia due to lack of funding. The agencies call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan where violence, displacement and severe humanitarian access constraints are impacting children, families and communities across the country.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Cuts in US foreign aid harm human rights globally
14/5/2026: The US government had been the largest donor to human rights work around the world for decades, until the current Trump administration gutted US foreign aid. A new report finds that investigations into abuses have been halted, support for victims cut off, and organizations that helped deter violations have been forced to scale back or close.
Source: Human Rights Watch
100 million African children are not in school.
13/5/2026: Many countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data has revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school. The latest statistics suggest that after some years of progress, the situation is deteriorating
Source: The Conversation