UN News Mar 2, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Strikes continue from US, Israel and Iran as UN urges restraint

Violent escalation in the Middle East has entered a third day as coordinated US and Israeli strikes against Iran aimed at regime change continue to cause loss of life and damage across the region, prompting Iranian missile and drone counter-strikes hitting targets in multiple countries. Explosions, airspace closures and military alerts have been reported from Tehran to the Gulf states and beyond. Follow our live coverage with updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow here.

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UN News Mar 2, 2026 • 12:00

Iran crisis: Nuclear watchdog urges restraint amid ongoing strikes

As the violent escalation in the Middle East entered a third day on Monday sparked by the bombing of Iran by Israel and the United States, the head of the UN atomic energy agency urged a return to diplomacy, given the “increasing risk to nuclear safety” in the region.

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UN News Mar 1, 2026 • 12:00

Deadly bombing of Iran primary school ‘a grave violation of humanitarian law’: UNESCO

The UN education agency, UNESCO, says that the bombing of a primary school during the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran on Saturday constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian law.

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UN News Mar 1, 2026 • 12:00

Justice on the move: Mobile courts offer hope for communities in South Sudan

Travelling more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Yambio, the capital of Western Equatoria State in southwestern South Sudan, a team of justice experts escorted by United Nations peacekeepers moved slowly along rough, dusty roads, determined to reach communities that have waited years for their day in court. 

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UN News Feb 28, 2026 • 12:00

Iran strikes ‘squandered a chance for diplomacy’: Guterres

“Everything must be done” to prevent wider escalation of war across the Middle East following joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, and retaliatory action from Tehran targeting multiple countries in the region, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Saturday.

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UN News Feb 28, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: UN Security Council meeting in emergency session over Iran

The UN Security Council met in emergency session in the aftermath of major airstrikes across Iran on Saturday by the United States and Israel. In retaliation, Tehran launched its own attacks throughout the Middle East. UN chief António Guterres told ambassadors the action risks “igniting a chain of events that nobody can control in the most volatile region of the world.” He added that “everything must be done to prevent further escalation.” Follow our live coverage from UN Web TV below. UN News app users can follow here and full meetings coverage can be found daily, here.

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UN News Feb 28, 2026 • 12:00

Attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes ‘undermine international peace and security’

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the heads of UN agencies have condemned Saturday’s joint Israeli and US attacks on Iran and the Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel and the Gulf Regions.

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UN News Feb 28, 2026 • 12:00

‘AI Kid of India’ urges young people to embrace technology

16-year-old Raul John Aju – dubbed the “AI Kid of India” at home – is a business prodigy who advises government and industry and has created several innovative AI tools. 

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

Eight years of captivity: Finding freedom and healing in Ukraine

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many people are trying to overcome deep-rooted trauma and rebuild what has been lost. 

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

Guterres slams international failure to manage safe migration

A 2018 agreement that aims to strengthen international cooperation on migration management must become reality, the UN Secretary-General said on Friday in New York. 

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

UN unveils bold overhaul of strained humanitarian system

On Friday the General Assembly was briefed on the latest developments of the UN80 Initiative – a system-wide reform effort to make the organisation more effective and fit for the future – including progress on the New Humanitarian Compact and on training and research reforms.

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

World News in Brief: Epstein scandal highlights ‘silencing’ of women, Danish breakthrough on HIV transmission, Belarus rights update

UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Friday that the Epstein and Gisèle Pellicot scandals are an illustration of intensifying threats to women and girls forced to suffer in silence.

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

Forgotten conflict in South Sudan at ‘a dangerous point’, Türk warns

South Sudan was the focus of debate in the UN Human Rights Council on Friday as escalating violence and political tensions – alongside a massive humanitarian emergency and war in neighbouring Sudan – threaten efforts to achieve lasting peace. 

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UN News Feb 27, 2026 • 12:00

Fears grow for ordinary Afghans after further clashes with Pakistan

Reports on Friday that major cities in Afghanistan have been bombed by the Pakistan military in a new escalation between the two countries have raised fears for civilians already struggling under the harsh rule of the de facto Taliban authorities.

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

‘The trauma will stay with me for life,’ says survivor of sexual violence in war-torn Ukraine

One evening in war-ravaged southern Ukraine, a group of armed men entered Maryna’s home. She had nowhere to hide.

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

World News in Brief: Russian strikes on Ukraine condemned, migrant deaths update, devastating floods in southern Brazil

The UN on Thursday condemned the latest attacks against civilians in Ukraine by Russian forces, reiterating that they always constitute a violation of international law “and must stop immediately.” 

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

Humanitarian pressures grow as Cuba continues to struggle with energy shortages

Cuba’s humanitarian situation is worsening as fuel shortages deepen nearly a month after Washington took measures to block oil supplies from entering the Caribbean nation, a senior UN official warned on Wednesday.

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

Human Rights Council hears of ongoing risk of further genocidal violence in Sudan

Nearly three years of war in Sudan have been marked by killings, rape and other violations, with risk of genocidal violence spreading, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Thursday. 

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

Palestine: UN rights chief highlights suffering, atrocity crimes ‘that remain unpunished’

The UN rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday highlighted the “human-made disaster” across the Occupied Palestinian Territory stemming from Israel’s disregard for human rights norms and serious violations also committed by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

UN’s Türk urges dialogue after deadly clashes on Afghan-Pakistan border

UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday appealed for dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid border clashes and deadly airstrikes, while condemning ever harsher “apartheid” edicts issued by the Afghan de facto authorities that continue to severely impact women and girls.

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UN News Feb 26, 2026 • 12:00

UN drug alert stops shipment that could have made 1.6 billion lethal fentanyl doses

An international early warning system blocked a shipment of chemicals used to make fentanyl that could have produced up to 1.6 billion potentially lethal doses, the UN narcotics control body said on Thursday.

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UN News Feb 25, 2026 • 12:00

South Sudan: Funding gaps threaten nearly 2 million displaced people

Funding shortfalls are putting the lives of more than 1.9 million displaced people in South Sudan at risk amid rising humanitarian needs, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday. 

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UN News Feb 25, 2026 • 12:00

Over a billion fear losing land and homes within five years

Despite global progress in strengthening land tenure and governance, more than a billion people worldwide – nearly one in four adults – fear they could lose the rights to some or all of their land and housing within the next five years. 

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UN News Feb 25, 2026 • 12:00

Central African Republic enters ‘decisive’ phase after landmark elections

Fresh from holding the most extensive elections in its history, the Central African Republic (CAR) is entering what the UN’s top envoy in the country describes as a “decisive period” in consolidating fragile peace gains, even as security challenges persist and disarmament efforts continue.

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UN News Feb 25, 2026 • 12:00

World News in Brief: Arab economies rise, rights experts call for police reform in India, Ukraine school closures, Myanmar airstrikes

A new UN report forecasts that the Arab region is seeing a gradual economic recovery despite continuing geopolitical uncertainties.

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UN News Feb 25, 2026 • 12:00

Organized crime and poor regulation to blame for toxic pollution threat

The lucrative, illegal trade and trafficking of waste products including many that are toxic could be set to surge across continents, thanks to patchy regulation, savvy criminal groups and corruption, UN experts said on Wednesday.

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UN News Feb 24, 2026 • 12:00

Ukraine: ‘Use every diplomatic tool to end this war’, top UN official tells Security Council

The international community must “use every diplomatic tool” to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday as Russia’s full-scale invasion entered a fifth year.

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UN News Feb 24, 2026 • 12:00

‘I dream of a safe life’: Gaza’s children share the future they want

Children in Gaza are voicing their demands for the future through a UN-run initiative that seeks to amplify their voices and restore the “fundamentals of childhood”.

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UN News Feb 24, 2026 • 12:00

Concerns raised by Burundian refugees about ‘coercive’ repatriation from Tanzania

Concerns have been raised about the “coercive” repatriation from Tanzania of Burundian refugees, many of whom do not want to return to their home country.

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UN News Feb 24, 2026 • 12:00

Somalia: Number of people going hungry nearly doubles in a year

The number of people in Somalia facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled to 6.5 million since last year as hunger levels rise due to worsening drought, conflict and soaring food prices. 

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