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
3000 attacks on health care in Ukraine since Russian invasion
8/5/2026: During 1534 days of war, Ukraine’s health-care system has experienced more than 3000 attacks, of which approximately 20% have been on ambulances and other health vehicles. Every one of these attacks is a violation of international humanitarian law.
Source: World Health Organization
Stop the war before El Niño creates a crisis the world cannot absorb
7/5/2026: The chief economist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns that El Niño will not wait for the Strait of Hormuz to open. On its own, the strong El Niño expected from mid-2026 would pose serious risks to global food security. Combined with conflict in the Middle-East, it becomes a systemic risk multiplier.
Source: Devex
Calls for humanitarian corridor through strait of Hormuz
29/4/2026: The war on Iran is taking a toll on the world's most vulnerable people, by slowing or blocking food and medical aid from reaching them. Now aid organisations are calling for a “humanitarian corridor” to be opened through the strait of Hormuz.
Source: The Guardian
Mali’s armed groups fill a governance vacuum
29/4/2026: Coordinated attacks from separatists and jihadists have severely threatened what remains of central government in Mali. Research shows that non-state armed groups have capitalised on weak local institutions to provide essential services and gain legitimacy. Military solutions may not be the answer.
Source: The Conversation
Hungary should halt withdrawal from International Criminal Court
24/4/2026: At his first international press conference, Hungary’s prime minister-elect Péter Magyar pledged to reverse his country’s move to leave the International Criminal Court. His predecessor had announced Hungary’s intention to withdraw from the Court, while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted for war crimes in Gaza.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN conference faces challenge of nuclear non-proliferation review
24/4/2026: At a time of deepening global mistrust, governments from nearly every country are about to convene at the UN to review the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty’s last two review conferences, in 2015 and 2022, ended without agreement.
Source: UN News
US spending on ‘reckless’ Iran war could have saved 87 million lives
20/4/2026: The $2bn a day that the US has been spending on the war in Iran could have saved more than 87 million lives, according to the head of the UN’s humanitarian agency. He also warned that language threatening to bomb Iran back to the stone ages was very dangerous.
Source: The Guardian
Rising death toll of children in attacks on Ukraine
16/4/2026: According to the latest verified data from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 89 children were killed or injured in attacks in March alone. The UN children’s agency has confirmed that at least 3,452 children in Ukraine have been killed or injured since the full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine began in February 2022.
Source: UN News
More than £1bn pledged for Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens
15/4/2026: Financial commitments made at a Berlin conference will help offset a chronic humanitarian funding shortfall in a country devastated by three years of conflict, where two-thirds of its population – 34m people – require assistance. The prospect of peace remains as distant as ever, with scant progress reported on ceasefire talks.
Source: The Guardian