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Week in Review 4 January 2025

Catch up with our top stories of the week As 2025 dawned, there was no respite in the violence across Gaza which continues to maim and kill civilians and there was little room for festivities elsewhere around the Middle East. Friday saw the Security Council meet to debate the "battlegrounds" that hospitals have now become as Israel continues its relentless campaign to root out Hamas. We had an exclusive interview from Syria – where hopes are still high for a brighter future – on the lifesaving cholera campaign underway in the notorious Al Hol camp complex that houses thousands of family members of alleged terrorist fighters.  We've the UN chief's New Year Message to the world, the latest on the corrosive and continuing impact of armed gangs in Haiti, a blog from our top humanitarian in Ukraine, five things to know about the climate crisis for 2025, and the inspiring story of a woman engineer who is breathing new life into Yemen's ancient capital.   Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year 2025!

The climate crisis: 5 things to watch out for in 2025 The Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, will be the global focus of efforts to tackle the climate crisis in November 2025, when it hosts one of the most significant UN climate conferences in recent years.  Read more Climate and Environment MIDDLE EAST CRISIS LIVE: Security Council holds emergency meeting on collapse of Gaza health system The UN Security Council met on Friday morning in New York to debate the collapse of health services in Gaza. The meeting was called by Algeria, the leading voice for the Arab world on the Council which has just taken the gavel as president for the month of January. Senior official from the World Health Organization (WHO) Rik Peeperkorn briefed ambassadors alongside High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. App users can follow here. Read more Peace and Security In New Year's Message, Guterres urges countries to drastically slash emissions and 'exit this road to ruin' UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for making 2025 "a new beginning" in his message for the New Year, issued on Monday. Read more UN Affairs Syria: UN teams support cholera vaccination in northeastern camps In northeast Syria, UN teams pressed ahead with a lifesaving cholera vaccine campaign in Al Hol detention camp complex on Friday, despite rumours of attacks by ISIL extremists and uncertainty across the war-torn country, following the overthrow of the Assad regime.  Read more Health Haiti gangs crisis: Top rights expert decries attacks on hospitals The UN's top expert on human rights in Haiti on Friday condemned "intentional" attacks on hospitals, clinics and healthcare workers by armed gangs there, warning that medical facilities were already "near collapse". Read more Peace and Security UN chief condemns New Orleans truck attack UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Wednesday's truck attack that killed at least 15 people in the city of New Orleans. Read more Peace and Security 'It will take years to help people deal with the invisible consequences of war': A UN Resident Coordinator blog Since he began his mandate as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale has seen for himself the devastating effects of the Russian invasion. In this account, written exclusively for UN News, Mr. Schmale shares his impressions of Ukraine, and the efforts of the UN System to support its citizens. Read more Humanitarian Aid WHO continues to urge China to share data five years after COVID-19 The World Health Organization (WHO) this week reflected on COVID-19, and ongoing efforts to understand the disease, five years after its emergence. Read more Health Major step forward for child protection in Colombia, as politicians ban underage marriage The decision by members of congress in Colombia to abolish a law allowing marriages from the age of 14 – with parental consent – has been applauded by UN agencies.  Read more Human Rights 2024 to become the hottest year on record The year 2024 is set to be the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activities, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  Read more Climate and Environment UN chief hails 'peacemaker, human rights champion', former President Jimmy Carter The UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday expressed his deep sadness at the passing of former United States President Jimmy Carter, who has died aged 100, at his home in Plains, Georgia. Read more Peace and Security Sudan conflict: 'There cannot be a military solution to this war' Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023, continues to inflict misery on the country's population, fuelling a massive humanitarian disaster and driving over 12 million people from their homes.  Read more Peace and Security Spirit of resilience braces desertification winds in Saudi Arabia A low tech and sustainable solution to holding back advancing desert sands in eastern Saudi Arabia could help farming communities to thrive and conserve vulnerable habitats. Read more Climate and Environment 'I saw the blood on the tarmac': top UN official in Yemen recounts aftermath of Israel airstrike on civilian airport Fresh details of the Israeli airstrike on Sana'a airport, which occurred as Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) was preparing to fly out of the country, have been provided by Julien Harneis, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen. Read more Peace and Security

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