Collated by Peter Hulm
May 2026
Vaccine to tackle Ebola outbreak will take six to nine months, says WHO, as the number of suspected cases rose to 600 (LINK) — 20 May 2026
WHO chief "deeply concerned about the scale and speed" of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda that has resulted in a spike in deaths — to at least 130 — and more than 500 suspected cases (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— The outbreak is complicated by the rare strain of the disease, known as Bundibugyo, that standard field tests often miss and for which there are no vaccines or therapeutics. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of emerging cases in urban areas, including reports of cases in Uganda's capital, Kampala, and Goma, a crossroads city in Congo that borders Rwanda. The Intercept: Experts say Trump administration policies — like dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development and withdrawing from WHO — have further undermined global health security and negatively impacted the response to the outbreak.
WHO honours four global health leaders for lifetime contributions to public health: Dr Tore Godal, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, Dr Mike Ryan, and Dr Heba Elsewedy (LINK) — 19 May 2026
UN Habitat: From favelas to informal settlements, new UN report points to housing solutions that work (LINK) — 19 May 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushes for 'leaner' UN in call with Guterres (LINK) — 19 May 2026
— Rubio advanced President Donald Trump's vision for a "back-to-basics" United Nations that is "leaner and more accountable," including supporting a candidate proposed by Washington to lead the UN World Food Programme. Rubio stated that new leadership would bring "greater transparency and results-oriented management" while preserving the United States' "historic commitment to global food security." Rubio also discussed halting Iran's "unlawful mining and tolling of the Strait of Hormuz", claiming a draft UN Security Council resolution has "overwhelming support". The two leaders additionally reviewed coordinated US responses to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
UN: Housing crisis takes centre stage at World Urban Forum in Baku (LINK) — 18 May 2026
World Health Assembly rejects Taiwan-related proposal (Taiwan's participation as an observer) for tenth consecutive year (LINK) — 18 May 2026
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DR Congo a global health emergency (LINK) — 17 May 2026
— However, it said the outbreak in DR Congo's eastern Ituri province, which has seen around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency. The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the health agency said, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines. The global health agency added the virus has spread beyond DR Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighbouring Uganda.
China throws major roadblock at US' Iran Resolution; Trump team left stunned at UN (LINK) — 16 May 2026
— Beijing openly opposed a U.S.-backed resolution demanding Iran halt attacks and mining operations in the waterway. Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong said the "timing and content" of the proposal were inappropriate and warned that passing it would not help ease tensions. Reports suggest both China and Russia could veto the resolution if it reaches a vote at the UN Security Council.
Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts on the independent pan-European commission on climate and health, which was convened by the WHO, tell the organization (LINK) — 16 May 2026
Politico: Geneva is paying the price of Trump's retreat from the UN (LINK) — 15 May 2026
Passblue: US pledges $1.8 billion to humanitarians (LINK) — US briefing — (LINK) 14 May 2026
Recycled food-contact materials such as plastics need regulatory harmonization, FAO report says: calls for updating existing regulatory frameworks to ensure safe production and application of recycled food-contact materials. More research also needed on contaminants, exposure scenarios and traceability (LINK) — 13 May 2026
Advancing universal health coverage through Traditional Medicine: 79th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland, 18–23 May 2026 (LINK) — 13 May 2026
The Hill: The World Health Assembly, the main decision making body of the World Health Organization, is meeting this year in Geneva starting next Monday. This meeting may represent the last chance for the U.S. to reverse course and remain a member of the WHO (LINK) — 13 May 2026
'Work not over,' says WHO after hantavirus evacuation: extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures are still needed to contain the outbreak (LINK) — 12 May 2026
Trump administration rejects UN migration declaration, says 'mass migration was never safe' (LINK) — 11 May 2026
Hantavirus crisis: WHO recommendations (LINK) — 11 May 2026
"Trump's cuts are pushing the UN out of Geneva. That may be a win" (LINK) — 11 May 2026
WHO head seeks to reassure residents of Spanish island where hantavirus-stricken ship is headed (LINK) — 9 May 2026
UNCTAD: non-tariff measures such as technical regulations, health and safety requirements, and administrative procedures, impose higher export costs than tariffs for 88% of countries. "Developing countries and least developed countries face the highest costs. Least developed countries lose about 10% of their exports to G20 markets because they cannot meet NTM requirements, Improving transparency can reduce NTM-related trade costs by around 19%" (LINK) — 7 May 2026
— Nevertheless, tariffs increased sharply in 2025. They rose by 10% for developed countries, 16% for developing countries and 18% for least developed countries.
WHO Director-General's opening remarks at media briefing on hantavirus situation: 8 cases, 3 deaths: "WHO assesses the public health risk as low" (LINK) — 7 May 2026
Reuters: Once the city of peace, Geneva sees the United Nations' presence fade: since 2025, over 3,000 Geneva-based jobs at the U.N. and international organisations have been cut or are transferring to cheaper locations, including about a fifth of U.N. posts (LINK) — 7 May 2026
UN mourns CNN founder Ted Turner, a 'tireless champion for our common humanity' (LINK) — 6 May 2026
CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87: founded the United Nations Foundation (LINK) — 6 May 2026
— On June 1, 1980, CNN — the first 24-hour news channel — went live and has been on the air ever since. Just over a month before his 80th birthday in 2018, Turner revealed that he had Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder. In early 2025, Turner was hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia before recovering at a rehabilitation facility. Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
World's top humanitarian groups sound alarm over 'worsening' attacks on medical care in war zones (LINK) — 4 May 2026
— The Red Cross, the WHO, and Médecins Sans Frontières denounce "failure of political will" to stop attacks on healthcare worldwide.
UN: 8000 bodies remain buried in Gaza as debris removal stalls — unnamed official (LINK) — ground.news: 17 media reports (LINK) — 3 May 2026
UN Human Rights Chief: Cambodia should quash sentences against Kem Sokha and other arbitrary detainees (LINK) — 1 May 2026
— "Volker Türk is deeply concerned by the upholding of the conviction of Cambodian former opposition leader Kem Sokha and the convictions of 33 other opposition activists, human rights defenders and social media users. The Phnom Penh appeals court yesterday upheld the conviction and 27-year sentence against Kem Sokha, the former leader of the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, for treason, espionage and conspiracy — in connection with a speech he gave over a decade ago in Australia, in 2013, and four years before his arrest on these charges. In a separate case, on Wednesday the Phnom Penh first instance court imposed on 33 others sentences ranging from 18 months suspended to two years in prison. They faced charges of 'incitement to cause social chaos' over public comments they made in 2024 about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area project, an issue of major public interest."
WHO Member States agree to extend negotiations on pathogen access and benefit sharing annex, a key part of the WHO (LINK) Pandemic Agreement — 1 May 2026
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