Geneva-filtered UN News
Collated by Peter Hulm
DR Congo Ebola outbreak 'far from being under control': WHO chief: moving faster than any previous epidemic of the disease and risks spreading to more countries (LINK) — 18 August 2026
WHO says Congo Ebola outbreak can still be brought under control within three months "if [we] have the necessary resources" (ground news LINK) — 18 August 2026
— The outbreak, Congo's worst yet of 17, has so far killed at least 2,325 people. Resources are currently lagging requirements, and the WHO has raised about 60% of the $115 million it is ?seeking for the Ebola response.
World off-track on nearly every food system goal, latest FSCI assessment reveals: for some indicators, such as greenhouse gas emissions from food systems, no country in the world is projected to meet the target (LINK) — 17 August 2026
— The study finds that, of 30 indicators, only one — mobile phone subscriptions, a proxy for connectedness and resilience — has been met by most countries. For 22 indicators, fewer than one-third of countries will meet their global target or benchmark by 2030. The indicator "greenhouse gas emissions from food systems" has one of the largest gaps, with the global average 75% away from the target. No country in the world will meet the target at its current pace.
— Most regions of the world would need dramatic annual changes to achieve 2030 targets. For example, Africa will require at least a 15% to 20% improvement across 23 indicators every single year, and Asia will have to cut food insecurity by more than 63% every year. High-income regions are not exempt. In Europe, 19 indicators remain unattainable by 2030.
— For the first time, the Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) study goes beyond tracking trends to assess progress and measure how food systems are actually performing and how much more they need to improve to meet globally set targets. FSCI is a global interdisciplinary research collaboration co-led by Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
New transmission from animals likely caused Congo-Uganda Ebola outbreak, study says: previously unseen variant of the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus (LINK) — 10 August 2026
DRC's Ebola outbreak began months before it was officially declared, says WHO: earlier cases were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid (LINK) — 10 August 2026
UN calls for urgent action to protect children from online information risks: more than eight in 10 young people aged 15 to 24 worldwide are now online (LINK) — 10 August 2026
UNCTAD head emerges as surprise, strong contender to be first female head of UN as continuity candidate: Rebeca Grynspan secured 10 "encourage" votes, four "no opinion" votes and one "discourage" vote from Security Council members (LINK) — 9 August 2026
— Guardian: the identity of the discourage vote is not known, but the fact that she had only one objection places her in a strong opening position.
Putin told he 'must stop' after Russian strike destroys WHO warehouse in Ukraine (LINK) — 9 August 2026
FAO: Food prices edged up in July 1% more than a year ago amid heatwaves and energy price hikes: sugar up 5.6% since June, cereals 3.4% (6.9% on year), maize 3.6%, vegetable oil 2% — highest price since June 2022 (LINK) — 7 August 2026
Peacocks return to UN Geneva (LINK) — 7 August 2026
Greece put Mount Olympus forward for UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014. Twelve years later, at the mythological home of Zeus and the twelve gods of the ancient world, the committee has finally said yes (LINK) — 6 August 2026
Ebola outbreak spreading faster than efforts to fight it: WHO (LINK) — 5 August 2026
Only 26 percent of Afghanistan humanitarian response plan funded as aid agencies warn of deepening crisis (LINK) — 5 August 2026
Politico: The UN is in crisis. Who wants to run it? (LINK) — 5 August 2026
New UN cybercrime treaty could be used to crack down on dissent (LINK) — 5 August 2026
Afghanistan's child deaths are rising as food distributions face cuts, WFP says (LINK) — 4 August 2026
Jewish Chronicle: United Nations study shatters the Gaza starvation narrative: UNICEF-led survey found child malnutrition in Gaza to be exceptionally low by regional and even Western standards (LINK) — 4 August 2026
— "Equally important, it also deals a final blow to the highly controversial 'famine' designation issued one year ago by the Famine Review Committee of the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system. Contrary to the prevailing narrative, the survey found that acute malnutrition measured by WHZ ranged from merely 0.2 to 0.8 per cent across Gaza's regions. For comparison, Gaza's pre-war rate was 0.8 per cent – an already relatively low rate comparable to those seen in developed countries and well below those reported in nearby countries such as Egypt (2.9 per cent) or Jordan (2.0 per cent)."
Denmark targets August 21 for second Security Council UN chief poll (LINK) — 3 August 2026
Newsweek: The UN is hiring a captain for a sinking ship (LINK limited) — 3 August 2026
— The candidates are "an impressive field, ranging from former ministers to the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. Yet, not one of them is qualified for the job. It's because the job description itself is simply impossible for one person to fulfill."
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