UN news July 2026

Fast-growing Ebola outbreak in DRC surges to second-largest on record: 3,553 confirmed cases, at least 1,558 people have died (LINK) — 31 July 2026

— CNN: In just over two months, cases in this outbreak have surpassed the total number reported in another historic Ebola outbreak in the DRC that lasted nearly two years, from August 2018 to June 2020.

Pass Blue: Grynspan of Costa Rica leads 1st Security Council straw poll: with 10 "encourage", one "discourage" and four "no opinion" votes — followed by Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana (nine encourage, two discourage and four no opinions) (LINK) — 30 July 2026

Trump cuts WHO off from Gavi vaccine alliance funding: announced the release of $600m for Gavi, as it cut off the World Health Organization (WHO) from the global vaccine alliance (LINK) — 30 July 2026

UNAIDS: Failing to tackle inequality puts countries in pandemic danger, new research shows (LINK) — 30 July 2026

— "Countries like the United States or United Kingdom have topped official preparedness lists, but the research findings show no association between these traditional understandings of preparedness and success in the real world. Policies that only ensure technical capability are not enough. Many of the countries that score highest on standard measures of pandemic preparedness—based on technical abilities like laboratory, supply chain, or emergency response capabilities—have seen some of the highest rates of infection and death during both the COVID-19 and AIDS pandemics. Inequality, on the other hand, is the clearest predictor of how a country fares when a pandemic strikes."

— "Some of the countries rated most prepared before COVID-19, including the United States, went on to record death rates far above the global average, while lower-ranked countries such as Vietnam and Ethiopia fared far better." The researchers found that every one-point rise in a country's Gini-coefficient inequality was associated with around 12.5 additional COVID-19 deaths for every 100,000 people.

CITES Plants Committee takes action on protections for brazilwood, edible orchids, and aromatic plants (LINK) — 30 July 2026

Malaysia begins screening 5,000 refugees for their planned return to Myanmar (ground news LINK) — 30 July 2026

— Malaysia currently hosts more than 126,000 Rohingya refugees, yet remains a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognize refugee status.

Death toll tops 1,500 in fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, Congo says (ground news LINK) — 30 July 2026

— The outbreak, declared May 15, involves the Bundibugyo virus, which currently lacks approved vaccines or treatments. Most cases are concentrated in remote Ituri province, accounting for nearly 90% of infections, though the virus has reached Kisangani.

AI-generated US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global AIDS conference (ground news LINK) — 30 July 2026

UN Security Council holds first poll on Thursday in race to replace Guterres when he steps down this year: 7 candidates from Africa and Latin America face the first secret, non-binding Security Council ballot (LINK) — 29 July 2026

— The current candidates are Argentina's Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog; former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan; former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa; former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who entered the race last week.

Iran: UN experts alarmed by alleged torture, enforced disappearances and persecution of Bahá'í minority (LINK) — 29 July 2026

Bangladesh: UN experts urge action to end trafficking and deaths of Rohingyas on Andaman Sea (LINK) — 29 July 2026

AI-generated US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global AIDS conference (LINK) — 29 July 2026

Guardian: Wildfires are raging — and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder (LINK) — 29 July 2026

Guterres meets with both sides in push to re-unify Cyprus (LINK) — 28 July 2026

Criminal gangs increasingly lure people to work in online scam centers, UN migration agency warns (LINK) — 28 July 2026

Côte d'Ivoire: Trafigura's "Probo Koala" toxic waste victims still awaiting justice after 20 years, say UN experts (LINK) — 28 July 2026

US diplomats walk out of UN Security Council meet on Ukraine briefly after France criticizes Trump administration for human rights record (LINK) — 28 July 2026

— AP: The surprise move during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine followed US opposition to giving UN human rights chief Volker Türk another four-year term. The reappointment on Friday got overwhelming support, including from France. What sparked the walkout was a social media post Friday from France's UN Mission in Geneva criticizing US opposition to a second term for the UN rights chief. The General Assembly voted 144-10 with 13 abstentions in support of Türk, with the US among the "no" votes. "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it," the French Mission tweeted.

More workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo near 3,000, including over 1,300 deaths (LINK) — 25 July 2026

UN chief on a visit to Damascus urges the international community to support Syrian people: reaffirmed that the United Nations recognizes the Golan Heights as Syrian territory (LINK) — 25 July 2026

Al Jazeera: How Volker Türk won new UN rights chief term despite US, Israel, Russian opposition: General Assembly voted 144-10: the first person to serve two full terms as the UN rights chief since the position was created in 1993 (LINK) — 24 July 2026

ICC votes to dismiss Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan amid allegations of sexual misconduct (LINK) — 24 July 2026

Hackernoon critical: UN warns AI is eroding information integrity and undermining public trust: "Unelected globalists want the same power and influence over narratives and information that big tech has for themselves" (LINK) — 23 July 2026

Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people (LINK) — 22 July 2026

UNCTAD: Global trade continues to expand amid rising price pressures: up 12.5% on first 6 months of 2025. Services trade grew by 10.5%. "A significant share of the increase reflects higher prices rather than stronger trade volumes." East Asia was the main engine of global trade growth in the first quarter of 2026 (LINK) — 22 July 2026

AI falls short on context and cultural rhetoric in its versions of United Nations speech translations (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Dementia: New WHO guidelines show how to prevent up to 45% of cases: cognitive, social, and physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use, and nutrition (LINK) — 17 July 2026

U.S. going stronger after the International Criminal Court (LINK) — 17 July 2026

IOM appeals for $98 million to urgently support Venezuela earthquake response July-December (LINK) — 17 July 2026

India: UN experts urge release of five indigenous human rights defenders detained in Assam in connection with protests on 29 June 2026 concerning the planned construction of a luxury tourism project in Inglay Pathar, near Kaziranga National Park (LINK) — 17 July 2026

— The experts recalled that, under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, business enterprises have a responsibility to respect human rights, including by identifying, preventing and addressing adverse impacts on Indigenous Peoples and by ensuring that those who raise concerns are not subject to reprisals.

Kyrgyzstan: UN experts criticise advancement of law restricting gender identity and expression (LINK) — 17 July 2026

UN human rights expert to visit Cambodia from 20 to 31 July 2026 (LINK) — 17 July 2026

UN report offers roadmap for sustainable blue economies (LINK) — 16 July 2026

— The report warns that current approaches to managing the ocean are often fragmented, with sectors such as fisheries, shipping and tourism operating independently despite sharing many of the same natural resources. Combined with overfishing, pollution and climate change, this fragmented approach is accelerating the decline of ecosystems that regulate the climate, support biodiversity, provide food security and sustain livelihoods around the world.

— Rather than offering a "one-size-fits-all" solution, the framework helps countries develop sustainable blue economy pathways that reflect their own priorities, governance systems and stage of development. It outlines a three-phase approach that helps governments understand their existing systems, establish a shared vision for change and embed sustainability into everyday planning, decision-making and investment. Nature-based solutions are central to the framework.

UNDP launches Stellar-based digital aid payments in 17 countries: five live pilots in Haiti, Syria, Kenya, Guatemala, and Gambia use instant digital payments (LINK) — 12 July 2026

WHO estimates the true scale of the Ebola epidemic could be two to four times larger than official numbers suggest (LINK) — 11 July 2026

— Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO's emergencies director, told Reuters that roughly 80 percent of newly confirmed patients in the hardest-hit zones are completely missing from existing contact lists.

One million women lose aid access due to funding cuts, UN Women says (ground news LINK) — 10 July 2026

— Surveying 855 organizations, the report found 60% are reaching fewer women and girls than before January 2025, while 40% face temporary or permanent closure within the next year. Some 120 million women and girls require humanitarian assistance worldwide.

ITU: AI for Good and WSIS Forum 2026 close with global push for AI for everyone: over 12,000 participants from 177 countries (LINK) — 10 July 2026

— At the heart of the summit was the first meeting of the newly formed AI for Good Global Commission, co-chaired by Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff with ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin serving as Vice-Chair. Commissioners called for urgent action on trust, equitable access, and real-world AI solutions, highlighting AI's unparalleled potential to address global challenges.

ITU: International Advisory Body approves landmark report to strengthen resilience of submarine cables, "the critical infrastructure that carries more than 99 per cent of data traffic worldwide" (LINK) — 11 July 2026

— The International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience was established in 2024 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) — the United Nations agency for digital technologies — and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), the leading industry organisation promoting submarine cable protection. ITU Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas and ICPC Legal Advisor Kent Bressie served as the Advisory Body's executive secretaries. The adoption of the reports marks the completion of the Advisory Body's two-year work programme. "We now have a practical roadmap to keep undersea networks reliable," said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

— The Advisory Body's final meeting took place on 10 July during ITU's WSIS Forum 2026, part of Geneva Digital Week, alongside the AI for Good Global Summit (7-10 July), and the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance (6-7 July).

IOM airlifts core relief items to support the earthquake response in Venezuela (LINK) — 10 July 2026

— The humanitarian cargo was transported from IOM's global stock hub in Panama to Caracas through a humanitarian aid flight operated by DHL. The flight arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport on 7 July 2026, carrying essential relief items, including jerry cans, solar lamps, and indoor privacy partitions, to support emergency shelter operations.

World oil demand set for first annual decline since 2020, IEA says, citing lingering security disruptions (ground news LINK) — 10 July 2026

— Global oil production is projected to rebound by around 7.5 million barrels per day to 110.1 million barrels per day in 2027, potentially tipping the market into surplus if transit volumes through the Strait of Hormuz continue to recover.

UN probe says mass killings, rapes, abductions, starvation by Sudan force amount to genocide (ground news LINK) — 8 July 2026

Cancer cases expected to soar worldwide, WHO report finds: will touch 92% of people globally (LINK) — 8 July 2026

— One person in five will develop cancer, according to WHO estimates, and the disease will touch 92% of people, either through their own diagnosis or that of a close family member. There are an estimated 20.6m cases, and 10m deaths, from cancer every year. Figures are projected to rise to nearly 35m cases by 2050. In richer countries, 85% of those diagnosed with breast or childhood cancers will survive at least five years but the figure drops to less than 30% in poorer countries. In low- and lower-middle income countries, between 9% and 54% of the WHO's top-20 priority cancer drugs are available, compared with between 68% and 94% in high-income countries, the report found. In 23 countries there are no radiation facilities.

Afghanistan faces unprecedented refugee returnee influx: UNDP and UNHCR chiefs urge sustained investment (LINK) — 8 July 2026

UNIFIL: Update on the South of Lebanon: "The level of violence has been reduced, but we continue to record a number of violations of Resolution 1701 on a daily basis" (LINK) — 8 July 2026

— According to UNIFIL, Israeli forces continue to operate in areas north of the Blue Line, where peacekeepers monitor military activity and continue to urge all parties to preserve recent stability gains. On the issue of the Israeli military's "Yellow Line" buffer zone which is located some five to 10 kilometres north of the Blue Line, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel described it as a self-declared military boundary established by the Israel Defense Forces which is not recognized by the United Nations.

Israel must release ailing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and all Palestinian medical personnel arbitrarily detained and adhere to international law, UN Commission of Inquiry says (LINK) — 8 July 2026

UN experts condemn Pakistan life sentence against Baloch woman human rights defender in Pakistan as grave injustice (LINK) — 8 July 2026

— The Quetta Court inferred that defendants shared a common intent to murder due to their mere participation in a protest. It further classified their conduct as terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

U.N. Human Rights Council concludes sixty-second regular session after adopting 28 resolutions: roundup (LINK) — 8 July 2026

ITU's Partner2Connect surpasses USD 100 billion in commitments to connect the world (LINK) — 8 July 2026

Pressure eased on UN layoffs, Guy Ryder, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy, says in Geneva (LINK) — 7 July 2026

France: Proposed presumption of lawful police shootings could fuel impunity, Morris Tidball-Binz, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (LINK) — 7 July 2026

More than 300 children killed or injured in Sudan war in 6 months, UNICEF says (LINK) — 6 July 2026

UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on racist remarks against Kylian Mbappé: The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappé by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, regrettably, not isolated. Reports of racist incidents during the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflect a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly. (LINK) — 6 July 2026

Kylian Mbappe hits out at Paraguayan senator over racist insults: 'Gives the worst possible image of her country' — (LINK)

The UN Is Looking at AI from the wrong side: the "demand side" of the technology and not on the supply side, where the UN should be providing oversight and evaluation of AI's use in the multilateral arena (LINK) — 6 July 2026

UN PGA Annalena Baerbock: Statement for the Opening Ceremony of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance: "The UN was built for moments like this" (LINK) — 6 July 2026

— "Something with such power, with such profound implications for our economies, our social systems, our defence and therefore our peace and security — but especially, even in our homes, our food and our children's bedrooms-can only be meaningfully and safely managed together."

— "sinister uses of AI, such as deepfakes, [...] disproportionately target women and girls-with a reported 99% of deepfakes being sexual in nature, and 96% targeting women and girls."

— "Yet, there is good news as well… the potential of AI is a boon for the SDGs."

— "Imagine if we used this power together, imagine the UN leveraging these tools."

UN chief welcomes first global AI assessment: 'The science is here' (LINK) — 1 July 2026

— Globally, over one billion people now use conversational AI weekly. "Used well, AI could be the most powerful engine for development, speeding the world's progress on everything from health and hunger to learning and climate," the UN chief said, "but the panel is just as clear-eyed about the harm artificial intelligence can cause."

UNOCHA: Authorities in Venezuela report more than 6,400 people rescued as humanitarian response expands (LINK) — 1 July 2026

UNOCHA: Lebanon: 40% of displaced families return to home areas as delivery of aid continues (LINK) — 1 July 2026

— According to authorities, the Lebanese Red Crescent and IOM, approximately 40 per cent of the over one million people displaced by conflict have returned to their home areas.

UNOCHA: Ukraine: Civilians killed, essential services disrupted across the country (LINK) — 1 July 2026

— Authorities report that between 26 June and this morning, hostilities and strikes killed more than 40 civilians and injured over 460 others, including children. Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions were among the hardest hit. In Kherson city today, authorities report that two passengers were killed and eight others injured in a drone strike on a public bus. Similar attacks on or near public transport in the Zaporizhzhia region over recent days have also killed and injured civilian passengers. In the region of Sumy, repeated attacks on fuel stations have raised concerns over fuel availability for emergency services, humanitarian operations and civilian transportation. A social service centre supporting older people, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents was destroyed, and more strikes today caused further civilian casualties.

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