Collated by Peter Hulm
December 2025
UN: International Volunteer Day — "Every Contribution Matters": marks the official global launch of the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (LINK) 5 December 2025
IAEA says Chornobyl nuclear plant’s protective shield damaged (LINK) 5 December 2025
IAEA launches expert mission to Ukraine as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure: mission is in Ukraine to "assess the status of electrical substations critical for nuclear safety and security", including at the Chornobyl site (LINK) 5 December 2025
To counter climate denial, UN scientists must be 'clear' about human role in change: IPCC chief (LINK) 4 December 2025
WMO: Arab region pushed to limits by climate extremes as 2024 smashes heat records (LINK) 4 December 2025
Namibia loses bid to overturn ban on rhino horn trade at CITES conference in Samarkand (LINK) 4 December 2025
Major win at CITES CoP20: protections for iconic elephants, giraffes & rhinos upheld (LINK) 3 December 2025
WHO launches new, unified plan for countries to manage coronaviruses: COVID-19 and beyond (LINK) 3 December 2025
— To strengthen global coronavirus monitoring, WHO has also expanded its Coronavirus Network (CoViNet), a network of disease surveillance programmes and reference laboratories for SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and emerging coronaviruses of public health significance.
Libya war crimes suspect makes first appearance at ICC (LINK) — ground.news: 31 media reports (LINK) 3 December 2025
— Judges believe a significant number of detainees experienced torture, sexual violence, and other abuses during Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri's command from February 2015 to early 2020.
CITES: countries take steps at Uzbekistan conference to protect wildlife in legal trade (LINK) 2 December 2025
— There have already been some conservation wins, including stronger protections for fish, snakes and mammals.
UNDP: AI may widen inequality between countries (LINK) 2 December 2025
— Artificial Intelligence has reached 1.2 billion users in only 3 years, with nearly 70% of them in developing countries. In some high-income economies 2 in 3 people already use AI tools, while in many low-income countries usage remains close to 5%.
UN will cut 2026 budget by $577m by slashing workforce: plans to cut nearly a fifth of its staff positions as unpaid member dues climb to $1.59 trillion (LINK) 1 December 2025
— The UN chief announced next year's budget on Monday, which he set at $3.24bn — a reduction of $577m from 2025.
WHO unveils guidelines for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs: calls for a worldwide obesity treatment “ecosystem” to ensure that drugs are used fairly (LINK) 1 December 2025
For the first time since 1988, the U.S. is not officially commemorating World AIDS Day (LINK) 1 December 2025
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