Category: World

Thank you, Under-Secretary General Fletcher and Special Envoy Grundberg for your briefings.  Firstly, I would like to welcome the Special Envoy’s announcement of agreement to release detainees related to the conflict. We commend the efforts of the UN, the ICRC and Saudi Arabia to secure this, and express our thanks to Jordan and Oman for their […]

Global fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 188.2 million tonnes in 2024, cementing seafood’s role as a critical source of nutrition and income for billions of people, according to The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026, a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). For the first time, aquaculture now accounts for […]

Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, considerable progress has been made on testing capacities, Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) told reporters in Geneva.  Testing for the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is available in six locations in the country: in Bunia and Mongbwalu in Ituri Province, Bukavu and […]

Thank you Mr President. This statement is by the Sri Lanka Core Group comprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United Kingdom. High Commissioner, we thank your Office for its continued work on Sri Lanka. We acknowledge government efforts to enable communities to commemorate peacefully, and without disruption, the loss of life at the […]

Mr President, Thank you, High Commissioner, In Iran, the killing of thousands of Iran’s own people, including the continued execution of protesters, lays bare Iran’s longstanding violent suppression of peaceful dissent. This Council condemned that brutality in January, and we remain steadfast in supporting international accountability efforts. Four years on from your Office’s Xinjiang Assessment, […]

Along a small stream in Spain, groups of teenagers are at work. One hovers around a black tarpaulin covered in wet pieces of plastic. Another stands on a small bridge, fishing with a net. Others sort small pieces of plastic, cigarette butts and various other things they’ve recovered from the stream. What looks like a […]

Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer uses a visit to Islamabad to thank Pakistan for their leadership in brokering the US-Iran peace deal.   Visit underlines longstanding UK support for stability in the Middle East and for Pakistan’s mediation role.  Minister bolsters joint UK-Pakistan efforts to tackle illegal immigration into the UK with additional funding to target underlying drivers which entice people to […]

UK announces 70 new sanctions targeting Russia’s decrepit shadow fleet, military procurement supply chains and illicit finance networks used to circumvent sanctions.   UK ramps up pressure on Russia during G7 Summit following latest abhorrent attacks against Ukraine,  killing innocent civilians and destroying holy sites. The UK has now sanctioned almost 500 individuals, entities and ships under its Russia sanctions regime in 2026 alone, as allied support for Ukraine tops the G7 agenda.   The UK has unleashed a major new sanctions package choking […]

About 1.1 billion children now face at least three overlapping climate hazards, threatening their health, education and survival, according to the Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026. “The lives of children continue to be upended by the impact of heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Half of the world’s children are […]

Few concrete details have emerged about the deal to end the conflict that erupted at the end of February, with impacts across the Middle East, Gulf region and beyond. The UN Interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Monday that it observed a decrease in violence and exchanges of fire in the south, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been fighting […]