Can the next UN chief fix a broken Security Council and an empty bank account?
24/7/2026: Six candidates vying to become the next UN Secretary-General have faced questions in a public dialogue. Highlights of their answers reflect public expectations of the successor to António Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister who has led the UN for nearly 10 years.
Source: PassBlue
More evidence that poorest countries miss out on climate finance
24/7/2026: 14 countries, led by China and South Korea, have stepped up their contributions to global climate finance, despite no formal obligation under the Paris Agreement. However, new analysis by the World Resources Institute reveals that very little of this voluntary finance is reaching countries classified as least developed.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Nicaragua continues to weaken political freedoms, UN warns
22/7/2026: The UN human rights chief has condemned new threats from Nicaragua’s co-president Daniel Ortega to hinder civil rights. The government has recently revoked lawyers’ credentials with no explanation and detained 46 individuals arbitrarily for political reasons. Elections scheduled for next year may be cancelled.
Source: UN News
Three consecutive years of reduction in global hunger
21/7/2026: The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report reveals that an estimated 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, nearly 14 million fewer than in 2024. However, the report projects that around 520 million people could still face hunger in 2030, putting the world off track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Trump’s HIV funding cuts have severe impact around the world
21/7/2026: A survey by the Aids research foundation, Amfar, finds that cuts to the funding of the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief have caused “severe and devastating” disruption globally, with thousands of staff laid off and many clinics closed. Combined with imposition of Trump's refusal to accept diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the changes risk reversing progress in the fight against HIV/Aids.
Source: The Guardian
Sudan’s peace process should account for interests of multiple parties
21/7/2026: Most peace initiatives approach Sudan as a two-sided conflict between a national army and a paramilitary rebellion. This approach overlooks that both camps contain armed movements, tribal formations and local commanders with their own expectations of the postwar order.
Source: African Arguments
Africa’s struggle to add depth to climate journalism
21/7/2026: In African media, climate change reporting is often limited to disaster stories, at the expense of related global political and justice issues. Newsrooms need more time, money and independence.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Support the ICC as a vital Court of last resort
17/7/2026: Marking International Justice Day dozens of US civil society organisations have expressed their alarm at the US administration’s campaign to “dismantle” and “systematically disable” the International Criminal Court - which prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The US played a defining role in the early development of international criminal justice.
Source: Human Rights Watch
ICC greenlights first Libyan case to move to trial
16/7/2026: The International Criminal Court has confirmed its intention to take forward war crimes and crimes against humanity charges against the Libyan suspect Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri. Applauding this milestone for justice in Libya, Human Rights Watch calls on Libyan authorities to surrender remaining suspects to the Court.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Ugandan military seizing government critics
16/7/2026: Since mid-June 2026, Ugandan security forces have unlawfully seized at least five critics of President Yoweri Museveni and his son. The army has also forced the country’s largest independent media company to cease operations because of negative coverage of the president
Source: Human Rights Watch