Call for EU to review Tunisia agreement on migrants
26/6/2026: Three years after the signing of the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding on migrant workers, a group of human rights organisations has written to the President of the European Union, questioning flaws in its implementation. They point to the authoritarian drift in Tunisia, while failing to ensure that refugee and migrants’ rights are fully respected.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Can South Africa survive loss of US funding for HIV?
26/6/2026: The Trump administration has confirmed its plans to end support for South Africa through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief completely by 2027, as it doubles down on accusations of discrimination against the white community. More than eight million people live with HIV in South Africa.
Source: Devex
UN envoy reports on peace process in eastern DR Congo
26/6/2026: The new head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has warned that the security situation in the east remains highly unstable and called for the swift deployment of the mechanism for monitoring and verifying ceasefire commitments under the Doha process. It is nearly a year since the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington, DC.
Source: UN News
US Democracy at risk on 250th anniversary
25/6/2026: Human Rights Watch has warned that current US policies threaten the exercise of human rights that are essential to democracy and consistent with national celebration. The administration has substantively undermined the rule of law, free speech and expression, and the right to vote.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Concern for target to deliver universal access to electricity
24/6/2026: Progress in providing access to electricity across the world has stalled. Rural populations in Sub-Saharan Africa without access to electricity are increasing in number. Achieving universal access by 2030 will now require the annual rate of progress to triple.
Source: World Health Organization
New political declaration launches final push to end AIDS by 2030
24/6/2026: The recent UN High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS has reaffirmed the international commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The Declaration underscores the determination of countries to maintain momentum despite a rapidly evolving financing landscape for global health.
Source: World Health Organization
Why is the World Bank wavering on climate finance?
24/6/2026: The World Bank's target for climate finance for developing countries is under review. Civil society leaders are concerned that the US administration is applying pressure on the Bank to abandon the target altogether.
Source: Devex
El Niño puts agriculture on alert around the world.
22/6/2026: The World Meteorological Organization forecasts a stronger-than-usual El Niño Southern Oscillation event, due to commence within coming weeks. The risks of severe drought are sharpest in the Sahel, across Southern Africa, in South and Southeast Asia, and in Central America’s Dry Corridor and the Caribbean.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Challenges for the Human Rights Council as it turns 20
19/6/2026: It is 20 years since the UN Human Rights Council began its work as the world’s principal forum tasked with promoting and defending fundamental rights everywhere. The current UN-wide funding crisis represents an existential challenge to the Council's human rights investigators who are mandated to monitor situations of concern and encourage action.
Source: UN News
Ebola outbreak accelerates beyond borders of DRC
19/6/2026: The spread of Ebola is accelerating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area where trade, family ties and refugee movements link Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan. The UN refugee agency has warned that the risk has become regional.
Source: UN News