Geneva-focused UN News
Collated by Peter Hulm
Brazil's Lula blasts absence of world's top polluters at COP31 (LINK) 11 November 2026
Turkey's president calls the war in Gaza "not only a genocide, but [...] also an ecocide" at the UN climate summit (LINK) 11 November 2026
— "Centuries old olive trees have been cut down. The soil and water have been polluted in Gaza, and cities in Gaza have been turned into enormous piles of rubble," Erdogan said. "With Gaza's destroyed infrastructure, compounded by torrential rain and by flooding, tens of thousands of tents and shelters have been inundated."
12 free reports about climate change for COP31 (LINK) 11 November 2026
COP31: European countries, increasingly isolated, navigate difficult climate negotiations (LINK) 11 November 2026
Kenya discharges last Ebola patient, awaits disease-free status: will continue to exercise prevention measures until December 23 (LINK) 11 November 2026
Congo's Ebola outbreak tops 11,000 cases as disease keeps spreading, the country's deadliest such crisis in history (ground news LINK) 11 November 2026
— The virus has now reached Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, continuing the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo. Declared in mid-May, the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus, which has spread to eight of the country's 26 provinces.
US faces loss of measles-free status as experts meet for review: childhood vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% immunization threshold needed to prevent virus spread, according to an NBC News and Stanford University analysis. (ground news LINK) 11 November 2026
— Reuters: The determination is expected to be made public early next week. Losing elimination status would position the country alongside Canada as the only nations in the Americas to have lost control of the virus, reversing decades of progress against the world's most contagious disease. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the share of kindergarteners receiving the MMR vaccine in 2025-26 dropped to 87.6%, a significant decline from the 95.5% coverage level reported before the pandemic.
— PAHO asked all 35 member states in the Americas to submit measles status reports for review by a panel of outside experts. They will ?make their recommendations during closed-door deliberations in Washington, where their annual meeting convenes through November 13. Mexico and Bolivia are also ?on the watch list due to prolonged outbreaks, a PAHO spokesperson said by email on Tuesday.
COP31 summit leaders urge world to "move faster" on climate (LINK) 9 November 2026
WMO scientists warn Super El Niño is 'off the charts', with global temperatures reaching about 1.47°C above pre-industrial averages as countries gather in Turkey for climate talks from November 9 to 20 (ground news LINK) 9 November 2026
— The El Niño Heat Mortality Tracker reveals an extra 370,000 lives could be at risk over the next six months, with Nigeria, India, and Brazil forecast to bear the brunt of the crisis. Extreme weather has already caused more than 30,000 excess deaths in Europe, 1,300 deaths from Himalayan flash floods in Nepal, and exposed 146.5 million people in India to extreme heat.
Guardian: Ten years after the Paris treaty, are climate talks getting anywhere? It is clear that the Paris agreement, and climate action around the world, has reached an impasse (LINK) 7 November 2026
AP Exclusive: Departing UN chief calls this 'a moment of truth' in fight to curb global warming (LINK) 6 November 2026
WHO approves trials for two new Ebola vaccines (LINK) 2 November 2026
UN warns of security risks in Western Sahara as peacekeeping mission ends after 35 years (LINK) 1 November 2026
— The UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to renew its mandate on Friday. At the UNSC on Friday, the US proposed a resolution to support the principle of self-determination in the Western Sahara. Washington's draft would have extended the mission for a year, removed "referendum" from its name and made Morocco's autonomy proposal the only basis for further talks. Russia vetoed the resolution, despite support from 11 of the 15 UNSC members, including fellow permanent members France and the United Kingdom. The council then defeated a competing Russian resolution, leaving the mission to expire without a new mandate. Morocco's royal palace said the fact the mission was not renewed was a "significant development" in withdrawing the Western Sahara issue from the UNSC's consideration. On Saturday, Algeria's Foreign Ministry, however, expressed "deep regret" over the non-renewal, blaming the "excessive bias" of the US towards Morocco's position. The Polisario Front said in a statement that it was "concerned at the deadlock in the Security Council meeting".
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