Trump’s Board of Peace convenes for first time
18/2/2026: President Trump’s Board of Peace has held its first meeting. The new entity was established by a UN Council resolution to implement the plan to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas. Phase 2 of the peace plan includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, disarming Hamas, and installing a transitional Palestinian administration. It is yet to be seen how useful the board will be in carrying out its Security Council-sanctioned responsibilities in Gaza.
Source: PassBlue
Africa should press for place on UN Security Council
12/2/2026: A report by Oxfam finds that conflicts across Africa have dominated UN Security Council resolutions over the last decade, despite no African country having a permanent seat on the Council. Decisions without proper African representation too often fail to deliver peace or address root causes.
Source: Oxfam International
Trump signs one-year extension of US-Africa trade program
5/2/2026: While the U.S. House of Representatives approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act — a 25-year-old program between the US and sub-Saharan African nations, the final bill passed by Congress and signed into law offers only a one-year reprieve. Established in 2000, AGOA has helped create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Source: Devex
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ puts rights abusers in charge of global order
27/1/2026: Originally, a Board of Peace was meant to oversee the administration of Gaza. Now US President Donald Trump wants to create a new “Board of Peace” with himself as lifetime chairman. The proposed charter mentions neither Gaza nor human rights.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Next steps for the Accra Reset announced at Davos
23/1/2026: Ghana’s President John Mahama, leader of an ambitious African-led drive to localize development leadership, has announced new steps to strengthen the movement. The Accra Reset aims to shift toward a system that reduces aid dependency; its initial phase is intended to focus on global health.
Source: Devex
UN Assembly president defends multilateralism and UN Charter
21/1/2026: Annalena Baerbock has warned that the three pillars of the UN Charter – peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights are under threat. She asserted that a rules-based economic order underpins global business and investment.
Source: UN News
UN bodies named in US withdrawal
9/1/2026: The US intention to withdraw from a host of UN bodies includes programmes tackling the climate crisis, trade, gender and development. Here is a list of the 31 UN entities targeted and how they are making a positive difference to people, communities and nations, worldwide.
Source: UN News
Trump abandons international climate, biodiversity and energy bodies
8/1/2026: President Donald Trump has cut ties with 66 international bodies, dismantling US involvement in global efforts to fight climate change and safeguard biodiversity, as well as wider multilateralism. They include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Ten humanitarian trends to keep an eye on in 2026
5/1/2026: After a 2025 dominated by the further erosion of international humanitarian law, rights, and norms around the globe – the coming year is likely to see even greater volatility in an increasingly anarchic world. Here are ten of the key trends that threaten lives for millions in crisis hotspots over the coming year.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Human rights concerns following US military action in Venezuela
3/1/2026: Amnesty International is alarmed that the attack against Venezuela and capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores by one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council further deepen the breakdown of international law and the rules-based order. These actions signal an international system run by military force, threats, and intimidation, and they increase the risks of copycat actions by others.
Source: Amnesty International