August 2025
China supports UN's global role, Xi tells Guterres before SCO summit (LINK) 30 August 2025
Yemen's Houthi rebels raid UN premises in Sanaa and detain at least 11 employees (LINK) — ground.news: 257 media reports (LINK) 31 August 2025
United Nations says children make up 50 percent of gang members in Haiti: US and Panama have proposed a security force meant to counter gangs, despite setbacks with an existing Kenya-led policing operation (LINK) 28 August 2025
Scientist warns that new synthetic "mirror" lifeforms could spell doom for humankind: most scientists agree that the technology is at least a decade away, perhaps three (LINK) 27 August 2025
Return of UN nuclear inspectors to Iran met with protests by MPs: some Iranian officials say readmission breaches law passed after Israel and the US attacked the country in June (LINK) 27 August 2025
UPU, the United Nations agency that coordinates international mail deliveries, says it's working to get small parcels dispatched to the United States again by resolving confusion over the pending elimination of U.S. tariff exemption from Friday (LINK) 26 August 2025
— The postal service operators of more than 30 countries, including almost all of the ones in Europe, have limited or stopped shipping all or most U.S.-bound parcels valued at $800 or less, which has been the cutoff for imported goods to escape customs charges.
UN nuclear watchdog chief said to receive 24/7 security detail due to Iranian threat (LINK) 27 August 2025
The United Nations At 80: Hostage To The Veto: 3 essays (LINK) 27 August 2025
Martin Griffiths: I've seen the UN at its best. As it turns 80, with a world in crisis, it must recover its courage (LINK) 26 August 2025
The Heat: United Nations at 80 Years (LINK audio) 26 August 2025
The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. — (LINK)
One in four still lacks access to safe drinking water and sanitation (LINK) 26 August 2025
1 in 4 people globally still lack access to safe drinking water — WHO, UNICEF (LINK) 25 August 2025
Towards the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6), Geneva, 3-7 November 2025 (LINK) 25 August 2025
— As part of the preparation for the meeting, online events will take place from 13 to 17 October 2025.
Gaza City suffering a 'human-made' famine that's likely to spread, UN-backed initiative Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says (LINK) 22 August 2025
— CNN: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that the UN should declare itself "corrupt" and "incompetent" after the IPC declaration of famine. "The (international) media is missing the real story of 'famine' in Gaza. Hostages ARE starving, Hamas is getting fat, & the UN declares famine while 92% of THEIR food is stolen to be sold by Hamas," Huckabee posted on X. "Meanwhile UN food sits rotting in sun. The UN should declare itself corrupt & incompetent." US President Donald Trump last month said there is "real starvation" in Gaza, contradicting statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said that no one is starving in the territory. Amnesty International called the IPC's findings "a scathing indictment of the failure of states to press Israel into ending its genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip" and said the report confirmed what human rights and aid groups have long been warning of.
— Two more deaths due to starvation were recorded Thursday by the Palestinian health ministry, bringing the total number of those who died of malnutrition to 271, including 112 children. Friday's IPC report added that "malnutrition threatens the lives of 132,000 children under five through June 2026, including 41,000 severe cases, doubling May"s numbers." Formal famine determinations are rare. The IPC has previously determined famines in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and parts of Sudan's western Darfur region last year. This is the first time the IPC has confirmed famine in the Middle East. [Under IPC rules since 2019 for declaring a famine] at least 20% of all households must face an extreme food shortage, 30% or more of children must be acutely malnourished or 15% of children suffering from acute malnutrition based on body measurements, and at least 2 in every 10,000 people die every day because of outright starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.
ICC 'deplores' new US sanctions on its judges and prosecutors (LINK) 20 August 2025
— On Wednesday the US State Department announced new sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors in the ICC for engaging in efforts to prosecute US and Israeli citizens. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the ICC of being a "national security threat" and "an instrument of lawfare" against the US and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US move. The ICC has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity over Israel's war in Gaza. France joined the ICC in denouncing the US move, expressing "dismay" as one of its judges, Nicolas Guillou, was among those sanctioned. The three other ICC officials named by the US were judge Kimberly Prost of Canada as well as deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. The penalties mean the four officials cannot access or benefit from any property or interests they hold in the US. This latest round of sanctions comes after the US imposed similar restrictions on the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan KC, along with four other judges earlier this year. In July, the US also sanctioned UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who has been a prominent critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza.
Saudi Aramco employee named lead author of IPCC global climate report (LINK) 18 August 2025
UNCTAD Policy Brief 119: Global collaboration for inclusive and equitable artificial intelligence (LINK) 17 August 2025
— "Establishing an artificial intelligence public disclosure mechanism could help enhance accountability and ensure that global commitments lead to tangible outcomes. [...] Combined with international collaboration in developing shared digital public infrastructures, open innovation and capacity-building initiatives, [this] can help foster inclusive and equitable artificial intelligence development.
Plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva end without an agreement (LINK) 15 August 2025
— They remain deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The Youth Plastic Action Network was the only organization to speak at the closing meeting Friday. Comments from observers were cut off at the request of the U.S. and Kuwait after 24 hours of meetings and negotiating. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said it's too soon to say how long it will take to get a treaty now.
UNEP: Talks on global plastic pollution treaty adjourn without consensus — (LINK)
As deadline looms, advocates call plastics treaty draft 'nothing short of a betrayal': "The process has been completely captured by swarms of fossil fuel lobbyists and shamefully weaponized by low-ambition countries," said the CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation (LINK) 13 August 2025
Catchup: July's global wetlands conference: resolutions for protection & restoration (LINK) 12 August 2025
— Conserving and restoring 550 million hectares of wetlands is essential to meeting global biodiversity and climate targets, according to the latest Global Wetlands Report, but funding for wetland conservation remains low, accounting for only 0.25% of global GDP. "COP15 delivered what we needed," Musonda Mumba, secretary-general of the Convention on Wetlands, said an email to Mongabay. "Parties adopted resolutions to strengthen restoration, support wetland-dependent species, improve governance, and scale up nature-based solutions."
— The meeting adopted the Victoria Falls Declaration, 25 resolutions and three consolidated resolutions. These documents urged participating countries to commit to protecting wetlands, which are threatened by urbanization, infrastructure development, invasive species, pollution from agrochemicals and mining. Additionally, countries pledged to create national legislation and policies for the restoration and management of degraded wetlands, aligning with the goals and targets set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Among the key resolutions was one focused on the protection of migratory birds and wetland-dependent species, such as river dolphins and waterbirds. The parties also drafted a resolution to establish the Global Waterbird Estimates Partnership, a collaborative initiative aimed at monitoring waterbird populations and providing updated status reports by 2027.
Greenpeace air sampling in Geneva finds microplastics in urban air(LINK PDF)11 August 2025
— Key findings include: 12 confirmed microplastic particles. Microplastics in the form of both fibres and fragments are present in urban air in Geneva, at quantities that are consistent with other studies, with six fragments (plus two tentative) and six fibres (plus one tentative) found in the f iltered air (1.7m3). The microplastics made up a small proportion of more than 150 particles in total, which were mainly of unidentified origin for the fragments, or cellulose based for the fibres (either of natural origin or modified through an industrial process). The types of polymers found in the microplastics were mainly polyester for the fibres, as well as nylon and another polyamide, all of which could have come from clothing or furnishings, while the fragments were made from a variety of polymers. Microplastic contamination is widespread in urban environments. This suggests that people are breathing in plastics every day, as a result of the huge scale of plastic being made and thrown away, which is creating an ecological and health crisis. It shows that once released into the environment microplastics can't be controlled and we can all be exposed to these invisible contaminants.
UNCTAD: Mobilizing trade to curb plastic pollution: Global Trade Update (August 2025) (LINK) 8 August 2025
— A successful treaty should include:
- Tariff and NTM reforms to support sustainable substitutes
- Investment in waste management and circular infrastructure
- Digital tools for traceability and customs compliance
- Policy coherence across the WTO, UNFCCC, Basel Convention, and regional frameworks
— In 2023, global plastic production reached 436 million metric tons, while trade in plastics surpassed $1.1 trillion, accounting for 5% of global merchandise trade. However, 75% of all plastic ever produced has become waste, much of which leaks into oceans and ecosystems. The traded volume of plastics increased by 48% during 2005-2023. 98% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels. The average Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariffs on plastic and rubber products have decreased from 34% to 7.2% over the past three decades, making fossil fuel-based plastics artificially inexpensive. In contrast, natural alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibers, and seaweed face average MFN tariffs of 14.4%. Many countries are employing non-tariff measures (NTMs) to restrict the flow of harmful plastics. However, the lack of alignment among these regulations increases compliance costs and slows trade in safer and more sustainable goods. Small businesses and low-income exporters often struggle to navigate overlapping or inconsistent requirements, which limit their ability to engage in sustainable trade. In 2023, global trade in non-plastic substitutes reached $485 billion, with developing countries experiencing annual growth of 5.6%.
Deep dive: The UN — from big ideas to big cuts: the United Nations' "Summit of the Future now feels like it was the Summit of a Bygone Era" (LINK) 8 August 2025
— The two largest contributors to the U.N.'s peacekeeping and regular budgets — China and the United States — either pay late or pay only a portion of what they owe (i.e. the U.S.). The increase in budget gridlock in recent years has resulted in delays in U.S. dues not being paid well over a year, forcing the U.N. to turn down the lights and air conditioning and ban marathon meetings into the wee hours.
— Guterres's budget-busting reform initiative, dubbed the UN80 Initiative in recognition of the U.N.'s 80th birthday, coincides with proposals to cut 15% to 20% of spending in the U.N. Secretariat in 2026 and eliminate 20% of U.N. posts. A survey by the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations System, or CCISUA, exposed "deep dissatisfaction with process, fairness, and leadership trust", according to a summary of the survey. It found that 72% of respondents do not believe the proposed cuts are based on a "sound rationale", while 60% don't believe it will make the U.N. more relevant in the lives of its beneficiaries.
ITC: For Ukrainians fleeing war, online businesses offer fresh start: almost all of Ukraine's businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES). Supporting them is crucial for economic recovery (LINK) 8 August 2025
— ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton told the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome that Ukraine has $30 billion in untapped export potential, according to the ITC Export Potential Map.
Catchup: ITC: Empowering Indigenous Peoples Through Trade: A comprehensive roadmap ahead of Indigenous Peoples Day 13 October 2025 (LINK) 8 August 2025
Grist: the global plastics crisis explained in 6 charts (LINK) 8 August 2025
Turning geography into opportunity: New priorities for landlocked economies: regional cooperation, digital readiness and targeted reforms (LINK) 7 August 2025
— Awaza, Turkmenistan, hosted a United Nations summit this week focused on the future of landlocked developing countries. Representing 32 nations and more than 570 million people, the conference addressed the persistent barriers these economies face in trade, logistics and investment. Landlocked economies today face transport costs 50% above the global average and wait twice as long for imports. Though home to over 7% of the world's population, these countries still account for just 1.2% of global trade — a figure unchanged for over a decade. Internet use in landlocked developing countries has more than doubled since 2014, with mobile broadband now reaching 86% of the population. The ASYCUDA customs modernization programme, used in 66% of landlocked developing countries, has transformed customs systems by digitizing procedures, reducing clearance times by up to 90% and significantly boosting revenues. In Malawi alone, customs income rose by 42% and over 600 logistics workers — 40% of them women — were trained in the system, creating long-term national capacity.
Call for applications for young entrepreneurs: UN green business accelerator, seed funding opportunity (LINK) 6 August 2025
UN: Around 88% of aid trucks collected in Gaza since mid-May did not reach destinations due to looting or theft (LINK) 5 August 2025
Grist: Delegates are meeting in Geneva for a sixth — and potentially final — round of negotiations on a plastics pollution treaty (LINK) 5 August 2025
The Trump Administration is promoting its anti-trans agenda globally at the United Nations (LINK) 5 August 2025
— U.S. delegates have objected to use of the word "gender" in U.N. documents during forums on topics as varied as women’s rights, science and technology, global health, toxic pollution and chemical waste.
ICC appeals judges order prosecutor to recuse himself from Venezuela investigation due to a conflict of interest involving his sister-in-law representing the Maduro government (LINK) — ground.news: 25 media reports (LINK) 1 August 2025
— In written filings, Karim Khan told the court he could not "recall" any discussion with his sister-in-law about the facts of the case and did not attend any meetings where she was present. The British barrister, who is currently on leave from the court, stepped down temporarily pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
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