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Week in Review 23 August 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories Famine has arrived in and around Gaza City, a much-anticipated report from global food security experts confirmed on Friday. Top UN officials led by the Secretary-General described it as a moral indictment on us all - and pointed out Israel's "unequivocal obligations" as occupying power to feed all civilians caught up in the hellish war which has now left 500,000 Gazans suffering starvation and destitution - in the rubble of their own homes. It was all preventable, if Israel had allowed humanitarians to just do their job, the UN relief chief underscored. Those selfless UN field workers are part of a wider aid community that we began the week celebrating during World Humanitarian Day. Each day, we carried insightful profiles and first-person testimonies from different parts of the world where their efforts save lives every hour, as brutal wars and dysfunction mounts, leaving the weakest among us horribly vulnerable. In the Security Council, we reported on the latest from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Libya, while ambassadors heard that the terrorist scourge of ISIL and afiliates is far from over. On the flipside, we also marked some of the extraordinary trials faced by victims' families and survivors of terror attacks, whose came to HQ in New York to tell their valuable stories of resilience and recovery. In the fight against deadly climate change, UN agencies this week provided some smart, scalable solutions for workers worldwide battling heat stress - so they can protect their health and livelihoods. Aside from the horrors of Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and elsewhere, there were stories that point to a better future. Nepal officially eliminated rubella as a public health problem: "Nepal's success reflects the unwavering commitment of its leadership, persistent efforts of the healthcare workers and volunteers - and unstinting support of engaged and informed communities," said the World Health Organization's lead officer for Southeast Asia. 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.

Famine in Gaza: 'A failure of humanity itself', says UN chief More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday. 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 UN agencies warn of rising heat stress risks for workers worldwide Extreme heat is fast becoming one of the biggest threats to workers' health and livelihoods, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Friday. Read more Climate and Environment Terror threat posed by ISIL 'remains volatile and complex,' Security Council hears The threat posed by the terrorist group ISIL – known more widely in the Middle East as Da'esh – remains dynamic and diverse, with Africa currently experiencing the highest level of activity worldwide. Read more Peace and Security Libya: Security Council urged to back popular 'yearning' for national elections Recent elections in Libya are a sure sign of the people's desire to choose their own representatives, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for the country said in the Security Council on Thursday.  Read more Peace and Security 'Africa is poised for progress' Guterres tells development conference in Japan The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday repeated his call for Africa to have a greater say in decisions that affect its future, in remarks to a conference in Japan focused on the continent's development.  Read more SDGs 'Our work is largely invisible': Journey from outer space to frontline aid worker Before Pedro Matos joined the World Food Programme (WFP) for 17 years, he said his job in space engineering just "wasn't enough". Read more Humanitarian Aid First Person: 'Tomorrow is too late' to scale up humanitarian aid in Haiti As gang violence across Haiti escalates, and the United States and other donors reduce their humanitarian funding, 1.3 million people who have fled their homes are facing the direst of consequences. Read more Humanitarian Aid It's time to end physical punishment of kids once and for all, WHO says Over half of all children under-18 worldwide continue to experience corporal punishment on an annual basis, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).   Read more Health Rubella eliminated as a public health problem in Nepal: WHO Nepal has eliminated rubella as a public health problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday, hailing the breakthrough as a "remarkable achievement". Read more Health

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