Eritrea bids to end scrutiny of Human Rights Council
24/6/2025: The government of Eritrea is trying to end the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the country's human rights record. At the same time, Eritrea has proved unwilling to improve its dismal rights record and blocked the special rapporteur’s access to the country.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Why Spain is holding firm on aid spending
24/6/2025: At a time when much of Europe is caving in to populist anti-aid narratives, Spain is increasing its financial support for the global south and put ambitious goals for 2030 into law. By promoting multilateralism and international cooperation Spain has become an outlier in the new world disorder.
Source: The Guardian
US again blocks appointments to resolve global trade disputes
24/6/2025: For the 88th time, the US has blocked a proposal for expeditiously filling all seven vacancies in the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization. As the system for settling trade disputes remains broken, multilateral rules and the rule of law appear to be the major casualty.
Source: Third World Network
Campaigners call for reforms to rescue UN climate process
23/6/2025: More than 200 climate campaign groups have issued a joint call for UN climate decisions to be adopted by majority voting rather than requiring consensus. At COP29 last year, developed countries watered down ambition on a new climate finance goal.
Source: Climate Home News
States across the Americas must uphold the right to seek asylum
20/6/2025: Amnesty International calls on states in the Americas to immediately restore access to asylum, reverse discriminatory policies and uphold their obligations under international law. In particular, the US has escalated mass immigration raids, detaining and separating families, with no due process guarantees.
Source: Amnesty International
UN warns of spiralling Iran-Israel war
20/6/2025: The UN Secretary-General has made an urgent plea for de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. There are warnings that Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities are degrading critical safety systems and placing millions at potential radiological risk.
Source: UN News
Development is the first line of defence against conflict
19/6/2025: The UN Security Council has discussed the correlation between global conflicts and poor progress towards targets under the Sustainable Development Goals, as aid budgets are being slashed and military spending soars. Of the 700 million people worldwide living in extreme poverty, 40 per cent live in conflict-affected or fragile settings.
Source: UN News
US abandons Financing for Development conference
18/6/2025: The Trump administration has withdrawn from the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. The US no longer recognizes the Sustainable Development Goals and rejects the idea of UN negotiations on a new sovereign debt process to improve terms for indebted nations.
Source: Devex
How the Aid Transparency Index rose from the dead
17/6/2025: Suspension of the Aid Transparency Index due to lack of funding has been resolved by a new financial model. A 2026 index will be published, including only those donors that provide financial support.
Source: Devex
UN food agencies warn of extreme hunger in five countries
16/6/2025: A new joint UN report warns that people in Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali face extreme hunger and risk of starvation and death in the coming months unless there is urgent humanitarian action.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization