WHO shortlists potential treatments and vaccines for Bundibugyo virus
28/5/2026: There are currently no licensed therapeutics or vaccines for the prevention and treatment of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The World Health Organization has convened experts who have prioritised candidate products for evaluation in clinical trials.
Source: World Health Organization
Lebanon joins Mine Ban Treaty
27/5/2026: Lebanon’s recent accession to the Mine Ban Treaty amid an ongoing armed conflict could motivate other countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, to support the global norm against antipersonnel mines. The Mine Ban Treaty, which entered into force in 1999, comprehensively requires countries to destroy their stockpiles, clear mined areas, and help victims.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Strait of Hormuz: time running out to avert global food security crisis
26/5/2026: The Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that actions taken now to end disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will be critical in determining whether the world faces a serious food security crisis. He described the crisis as a systemic shock to the global agrifood system.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Guterres warns that warmongers undermine UN Charter
26/5/2026: The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned the Security Council that fundamental principles of the UN Charter such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and the prohibition on the use of force are being “challenged or ignored.” Increasing tensions over the interpretation and application of international law have resulted in the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the UN.
Source: UN News
Review of landmark nuclear treaty breaks up without consensus
23/5/2026: After four weeks of negotiations at UN Headquarters in New York, the 11th Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has ended without consensus. As concerns about a nuclear arms race continue to grow, the next review is not due until 2031.
Source: UN News
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