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Week in Review 16 August 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories The UN's best efforts to facilitate a long-awaited treaty on curbing plastic pollution ground to a halt as countries failed to agree on a text Friday morning in Geneva, despite many extra hours of negotiation. The distances between different positions proved too great – but they vowed to fight another day with UN chief António Guterres welcoming the "determination" to continue talking. Gaza continued to dominate our daily news agenda, and thanks to our colleagues at UNICEF we brought you the extraordinary story of Dr. Younis Awadallah, 70, who came out of retirement spurred on by the urgent need to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of young Gazans – putting his own life on the line in the process. We also reported extensively on the growing international outrage at Israel's killing of Al Jazeera's journalists in Gaza City this week, as Tel Aviv continues to refuse access to international reporters.  From Haiti, we published an in-depth and deeply insightful interview with veteran UN human rights expert William O'Neill who told us the "Wild West" reality of life in Haiti can be turned around with the right levels of support and intervention. Haiti is not a lost cause, he insists. This cautious optimism was amplified in one of our feature reports from the field this week where the UN is helping Haitian farmers to build resilience to boost the fragile food supply.  From other battlefields and humanitarian hotspots, we featured more original reporting by UN staffers and beneficiaries, including aid for Syria's Sweida as sectarian clashes continue there, and efforts by UNFPA in Bangladesh to help families prepare against deadly floods. Sudan continues to descend further into the abyss with chilling details emerging of fresh attacks around El Fasher in Darfur. Eyewitnesses told WFP they face "only hunger and bombs" while an new UN report on sexual violence in conflict laid out the horrific extent to which rape is now a weapon of war worldwide. This editor will end another depressing summary of the week with a note of celebration, as young people took to social media and even some real platforms around the world to mark International Youth Day. We featured ingenious ways young minds are problem-solving, with a little help from the UN, bringing cheer to classrooms in Yemen, hope to refugees in Somalia, and emotional solace through theatre in Myanmar.  Stay informed – follow UN News online, on our App, and on social media for the latest updates from the United Nations in New York, Geneva, Nairobi and around the world.

'The Wild West': Desperation is rampant in Haiti as gangs, vigilantes spread With armed gangs expanding their influence, self-defence groups morphing into gang-like entities and public officials acting with impunity, Haiti is slowly becoming something like the Wild West, according to William O'Neill, the UN's designated expert on human rights for the Caribbean island nation.   Read more Human Rights Gaza: UNESCO condemns 'unacceptable' killing of journalists The UN organization which champions culture and education, UNESCO, has strongly condemned the targeted killing of six journalists in Palestine by an Israeli drone on 10 August. Read more Peace and Security 'Humanitarian work, a moral obligation': Retired doctor returns to face the 'silent threat' in Gaza Dr. Younis Awadallah, a paediatrician who is almost 70 years old, does not hesitate to say that "humanitarian work cannot be retired." Read more Humanitarian Aid Trapped in Gaza: Palestinians with disabilities cannot reach aid When Israeli forces in Gaza issue a new displacement order ahead of an incursion into a neighbourhood or city, Palestinian civilians are expected to pack their bags and flee – perhaps for the third, fourth, or tenth time.  Read more Peace and Security Plastic pollution treaty talks adjourn, but countries want to 'remain at the table': UNEP chief The international push for consensus on a legally binding deal to end plastic pollution proved beyond the grasp of weary UN Member States meeting in Geneva on Friday, as they agreed to resume discussions at a future date. Read more Climate and Environment First Person: Echoes of war as aid arrives in Syria's historical city The transformation over two decades of the once thriving Syrian city of Sweida from tourist destination to a landscape marked by violence and loss has been detailed by the chief of a UN migration mission who recently visited the area. Read more Peace and Security Preparing for the next flood: Protecting women's health in Bangladesh Climate change has worsened monsoon flooding in Bangladesh, putting women of child-bearing age at risk – but the UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) is helping them prepare.  Read more Climate and Environment Celebrating youth: 'When young people take the lead, everyone gains' Colourful blocks for stacking or perhaps an abacus for counting – these are the sorts of tactile objects one might expect to see in a kindergarten classroom.  Read more Economic Development UN warns of steep rise in sexual violence during conflict Sexual violence in conflict zones rose sharply in 2024, increasing by a quarter compared to the previous year, the UN reported on Thursday. More than 4,600 survivors endured abuses used as weapons of war, torture, terrorism and political repression. Read more Women UN says Sri Lanka has 'historic opportunity' to end impunity, deliver justice Sri Lanka's Government has a "historic opportunity" to end decades of impunity and deliver justice for victims of past violations, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said, urging sweeping reforms to address crimes committed during and after the country's civil war. Read more Human Rights 'Only hunger and bombs' for besieged civilians in Sudan's El Fasher UN human rights chief Volker Türk has expressed outrage over Monday's deadly large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces militia on El Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, which has been besieged by the RSF since April last year. Read more Peace and Security Malnutrition deaths mark 'latest in the war on children' in Gaza: UNRWA chief At least 100 children in Gaza have died from malnutrition and hunger, prompting humanitarians to underscore the need to speed up medical evacuations from the enclave while also allowing more food to enter.   Read more Humanitarian Aid Safety on and off the pitch: Closing down child trafficking in sport Saido, a Somali refugee, started playing basketball when she entered the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Basketball was, for her, a way to access community and confidence.   Read more Law and Crime Prevention The world has the tools to end Haiti's crisis – it's time to use them During her final briefing as resident and humanitarian coordinator for Haiti, Ulrika Richardson struggled to describe the realities of life in Haiti.  Read more Peace and Security Four years on, here's what total exclusion of women in Afghanistan looks like In 2021, an Afghan woman could have run for president – although none did. Spool forward to 2025, they can't even speak in public. There is an edict from the Taliban which labels public speaking by women a moral violation.   Read more Women First Person: Echoes of war as aid arrives in Syria's historical city The transformation over two decades of the once thriving Syrian city of Sweida from tourist destination to a landscape marked by violence and loss has been detailed by the chief of a UN migration mission who recently visited the area. Read more Peace and Security Myanmar: Rights investigators reveal 'systematic torture', sexual violence UN-mandated independent investigators have uncovered "systematic torture" in Myanmar's military-run detention facilities – including beatings, electric shocks, strangulations and gang rape – a pattern of atrocities which is intensifying across the country. Read more Human Rights Safe seas key to global prosperity, Security Council told Shipping is crucial to the global economy, with more than 100,000 vessels a day transporting some 80 per cent of world commerce, but it remains vulnerable to disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions and transnational crime.   Read more Peace and Security 'There is no military solution' to end Israel-Palestine conflict, Security Council hears, as starvation stalks the Gaza Strip It is essential to work towards a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict as the international community addresses the reality of starvation on the ground in Gaza, the Security Council heard on Sunday. Read more Peace and Security From crisis to cultivation: Haiti's farmers build resilience one seed at a time For years, low-quality seeds have been a concern in Haiti, with continual climate shocks and political insecurity adding to the existing challenges that farmers face in their attempts to grow food.  Read more Economic Development

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