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Week in Review 1 March 2025

Catch up on this week's must-read stories UN chief António Guterres raised the alarm on Friday over US aid cuts to UN humanitarian programmes which he said will make the world "less healthy, less safe and less prosperous." At the same time, he praised the generosity and compassion of US taxpayers over decades, saying their support for the needy had helped provide stability and prosperity everywhere – including at home. Our exclusive story on Thursday confirming the depth of cuts at UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, presaged the UN Secretary-General's call for the Trump administration to reconsider. Another exclusive interview from our friends on the Arabic UN News team with the top UN envoy for Sudan, was a fascinating, in-depth read, throwing light on the complex path to peace he is trying to navigate between the bitter rivals vying for control of the country. On Monday we were at the centre of the biggest news story of the day with extensive live coverage as the tectonic plates of diplomacy shifted: the US voted alongside Russia, Belarus and North Korea against a resolution put forward by Ukraine and the European Union, marking the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. We had more outstanding reportage from the ground in Haiti, and we covered the opening of the new Human Rights Council session in detail. On a more positive note, we had coverage of a breakthrough in funding for biodiversity - $200 billion worth to be exact – and even in the most brutal of conflicts, there are glimmers of hope. In Gaza, nearly 100 per cent of children were reached with a new round of polio shots, and in Sudan, we featured the story of young Wisam, who has finally been able to return to class, with the support of UNICEF.

US aid cuts will make world 'less healthy, less safe and less prosperous': Guterres UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday that severe cuts to humanitarian and development funding by the United States will have devastating consequences for millions of vulnerable people worldwide. Read more Humanitarian Aid Packed with promise: Wisam's journey back to school in Sudan Wisam sits in her classroom, absorbed in her work, her fingers gripping a blue-coloured pencil, carefully sketching a flower in her notebook, one of more than 100,000 displaced students in war-torn Sudan who have returned to classes, with the support of Education Cannot Wait for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) efforts to distribute urgently needed school supplies to help them get back to learning. Read more Culture and Education Ukraine war: Amid shifting alliances, General Assembly passes resolution condemning Russia's aggression Three years to the day since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly adopted two competing resolutions on resolving the conflict on Monday, one initiated by the United States and the other by Ukraine – a sign of strategic differences within the transatlantic alliance over the way forward for peace. Read more Peace and Security Sudan war: Any peace deal must respect national sovereignty, UN envoy says As the war in Sudan approaches a third year, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for the country has emphasized the need to re-double and coordinate efforts towards a peace agreement that respects national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity – and ending the world's largest humanitarian crisis.  Read more Peace and Security US funding cuts confirmed, ending lifesaving support for women and girls The United States has cut $377 million worth of funding to the UN reproductive and sexual health agency, UNFPA, it was confirmed on Thursday, leading to potentially "devasting impacts", on women and girls. Read more Humanitarian Aid Haiti: Massive surge in child armed group recruitment, warns UNICEF The ongoing emergency in Haiti is crushing children's chances of an education and a better future as scores of youngsters are recruited by heavily armed and violent gangs, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday. Read more Peace and Security Ukraine three years on: Pain, loss, solidarity and hope for a better future 24 February 2025 marks the third year of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the civilian population continues to face near daily-attacks. The UN staff living alongside them, enduring the same difficult conditions, have been a lifeline throughout the war. Read more Humanitarian Aid Explainer: 5 common myths about child marriage Every day, almost one in five young women are married off while still children, according to the UN reproductive and sexual health agency, UNFPA, which is urging countries to say "I don't" to child marriage, an illegal practice that is almost universally condemned and yet remains widespread globally. Read more Health 'We're afraid to return home': Uprooted again, Congolese civilians face hunger and more insecurity Around 700,000 people were forced to leave Goma, one of the biggest cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) when it fell in January to rebels, known as M23. With the conflict spreading, many of them are on the move again but a return home is no guarantee of safety. Read more Peace and Security Human Rights Council: Türk calls out 'dehumanizing' narratives on Gaza UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday called for an end to the "abhorrent, dehumanizing narratives" that continue to hamper a positive outcome to the Middle East crisis. Read more Human Rights DR Congo: WHO tracks deadly mysterious illness Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are carrying out further investigations to determine the cause of another cluster of illness and deaths in Équateur province, UN officials reported on Thursday. Read more Health New report flags severity of US funding cuts to global AIDS response Shuttered clinics and health workers laid off around the world reflect the widespread, negative toll the United States funding freeze is taking on the global AIDS response, according to a new situation report released on Wednesday by the UN agency charged with responding to the disease. Read more Health Global biodiversity agreement mobilises $200 billion boost for nature Governments on Friday reached agreement on a strategy to raise an additional $200 billion each year to better protect the world's flora and fauna by 2030. Read more Climate and Environment

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