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Week in Review 19 April 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories This week marked two years since war erupted between rival militaries in Sudan.  Civilians continue to pay the highest price and UN chief António Guterres urged the world not to forget about the population. The violence continues to spiral, with the recent massacre of hundreds of people, including humanitarian workers, linked to advancing opposition forces in the Darfurs. Meanwhile, the head of the UN Mission in neighbouring South Sudan, UNMISS, told the Security Council that the country is at a dangerous crossroads as rising political tensions threaten to derail the fragile peace deal. We interviewed the UNMISS Force Commander who said misinformation, disinformation and hate speech continue to fuel instability. Escalating hostilities and access constraints are worsening the already dire humanitarian crisis in war-torn Gaza, where no aid has entered for over six weeks. Israeli airstrikes on two hospitals – one in Khan Younis, the other in Gaza City – have further crippled the battered healthcare system. Russia also carried out a deadly missile attack on Sumy city in Ukraine on Palm Sunday, and we interviewed a senior UNICEF official in the aftermath.  We also kept focus on UN support to Myanmar, which is still reeling from the 28 March earthquake, and Haiti, where a record 5.7 million people – half the population - are now facing acute food insecurity.  The UN trade body UNCTAD warned that the world economy is entering a recessionary phase due to escalating trade tensions and uncertainty, and all countries will be affected. This week also saw a triumph for multilateralism as countries agreed a draft treaty to keep the world safe from future pandemics – a milestone after more than three years of hard-fought negotiations. The text will be submitted for consideration at the World Health Assembly in Geneva this May.

External flow of weapons into Sudan must end, insists UN's Guterres Two years to the day since Sudan's brutal war erupted between rival generals who rejected the peaceful transition to civilian rule after the overthrow of Omar Al-Bashir, UN chief António Guterres insisted that the world "must not forget" the suffering of the country's people.  Read more Peace and Security Sudan war: 'Darkest chapters' ahead as Darfur massacre claims over 100 lives As Sudan's devastating war enters its third year, UN rights investigators are warning that its "darkest chapters" may still lie ahead, following the massacre of more than 100 people at displacement camps in Darfur over the weekend. Read more Peace and Security Record hunger in Haiti amid rising needs Escalating armed violence, displacement, economic turmoil and disruptions to local food production are fueling hunger in Haiti and leaving millions at risk, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.  Read more Humanitarian Aid Global growth on recessionary path amid trade tensions and uncertainty The world economy is on a recessionary trajectory as global growth is expected to slow to 2.3 per cent this year due to escalating trade tensions and uncertainty, the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD, said in a new report published on Wednesday.  Read more Economic Development Flooding displaces thousands amid ongoing unrest in eastern DR Congo Recent severe flooding caused by torrential rains has displaced nearly 10,000 people in Tanganyika province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.  Read more Migrants and Refugees Myanmar: Thousands remain in crisis weeks after deadly earthquakes Thousands of families in Myanmar remain without shelter, water or medical care three weeks after deadly earthquakes struck the country, as frequent aftershocks compound the suffering of communities already battered by conflict and poverty. Read more Humanitarian Aid Security Council urged to support eastern DR Congo peace initiatives Despite numerous regional and international diplomatic initiatives, the security situation remains critical in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Security Council heard on Wednesday.  Read more Peace and Security Israeli strike on hospital 'further cripples' Gaza's fragile health system An Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday has further jeopardized already limited access to lifesaving medical care in the war-torn enclave. Read more Peace and Security South Sudan on the brink as peace deal falters, UN warns South Sudan stands at a dangerous crossroads as rising political tensions threaten to derail a fragile peace deal, amid growing fears of renewed conflict in the world's youngest nation, already buckling under a deepening humanitarian crisis. Read more Peace and Security Countries finalize historic pandemic agreement after three years of negotiations In the early hours of Wednesday morning in Geneva, countries finalized a draft global agreement aimed at improving how the world prepares for and responds to pandemics, marking a historic step that will be submitted to the World Health Assembly in May for adoption. Read more Health Gaza: Alongside conflict, an information war is still happening, warns UNRWA chief Amid reported Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip into Thursday that killed at least 23 people, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, issued an urgent call to "get international media into Gaza" to cover the conflict, in addition to those reporters trapped in the enclave.  Read more Peace and Security Israeli strikes in Lebanon continue to kill civilians, UN rights office warns Israeli military operations in Lebanon have continued to claim civilian lives and destroy vital infrastructure, the UN human rights office warned on Tuesday, raising alarm over mounting violations since a ceasefire agreement took effect last November. Read more Human Rights Haiti 'awash' with guns leaving population 'absolutely terrified' Hundreds of thousands of guns are being used by gangs to exert control and spread terror in Haiti, according to the UN's designated expert on the human rights situation in the Caribbean country. Read more Human Rights UN forum tackles slavery reparations for Africa, people of African descent The calls for reparatory justice can no longer be ignored, speakers at the fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on African Descent in New York said on Tuesday.  Read more Human Rights Partnerships, increased climate investment crucial for sustainable transition, says UN deputy chief Addressing the opening of an international forum in Hanoi on partnerships for green growth, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Wednesday emphasized the need for accelerated action to meet global climate and development goals. Read more SDGs Universal Declaration of Human Rights among new entries to UNESCO Memory of the World Register The archives of British naturalist Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution by natural selection revolutionized understanding of nature and humanity's place within it, are among 74 new additions to a UN list of documentary heritage of universal value.  Read more Culture and Education

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