Launch of the 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report - Press Conference | United Nations

A new UN report warns that global financing for development is under growing pressure, threatening decades of progress. At the launch of the 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Implementing the Sevilla Commitment (FSDR 2026), Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said, “Development progress is imperiled by global fragmentation, geopolitical tensions and conflict. Developing countries are trapped in a catastrophic financing squeeze from compounding shocks.” Many developing countries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, are struggling with a severe financing squeeze. Debt payments are at their highest level in two decades, development aid is declining, and foreign investment has dropped for the second year in a row, making it harder for countries to invest in health, education and climate resilience. Li Junhua reported, “Development aid is falling sharply. In 2025, 25 countries decreased their Official Development Assistance (ODA), leading to a 23 percent overall drop from 2024 to 2025, the largest annual contraction on record. Only four countries met the 0.7 per cent target – Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Based on preliminary data, ODA is expected to further decline by another 5.8 percent in 2026. Developing countries, especially the poorest, face mounting debt, with debt service burdens hitting 20-year highs.” Geopolitical tensions and global fragmentation are also making cooperation and financial reforms harder to achieve. Li Junhua said, “Pressures have intensified, with a financing squeeze and increasing fragmentation exacerbated by conflicts. The recent conflict in the Middle East, for instance, has triggered a significant shock to an already fragile global economy. While the ultimate impact will depend on the conflict’s duration and severity, and the resulting arrangements for shipping and trade, we are already seeing clear repercussions for developing countries in relation to energy, food, trade and debt sustainability.” The report urges stronger international collaboration and investment to close the $4 trillion annual development financing gap. Despite challenges, progress in renewable energy, South-South cooperation, and early implementation efforts offers a path forward.


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Kosovo: 'Let us hope that differences can be bridged' - UNMIK's Chief Presser | United Nations

Briefing by Peter Due, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK, on the Secretary-General's latest report on UNMIK. ----- “Let us hope that differences can be bridged, a new President can be elected and that new legislative elections can be avoided,” the new chief of UNMIK said, briefing the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo. Peter Due, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) noted the return of Kosovo Serb mayors to local institutions in the north as a positive step but said “this process has not been without challenges,” citing “incomplete handovers, administrative gaps and language barriers” raised by mayors he had met with. He also said UNMIK had “implemented a contingency plan reducing encumbered positions by almost 30 per cent” in response to the UN's broader financial difficulties. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said UNMIK remained “indispensable,” noting that its mandate under resolution 1244 had “not been fully implemented.” He said Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were “increasingly marked as the other” and that their identity was being used “as a basis to limit the rights of Kosovo Serbs, restrict their movement and target their homes, property and religious sites.” Glauk Konjufca said “the obstacle to peace and normalization of relations remains Serbia, which is neither interested in normalizing relations with Kosovo nor joining the EU.” He called on Belgrade to “come to terms with reality and recognize Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state,” saying it was “holding its society and entire region hostage to aspirations of regaining regional hegemony.” Konjufca said Kosovo had “one of the most advanced minority protection frameworks in Europe” and said Serbia and “other malign actors continue to weaponize minority rights” to “promote division, disorder and undermine our democratic institutions.” US Deputy Representative Tammy Bruce said the Council “should not measure effectiveness by how long a mission survives,” pointing to the capabilities of local institutions and the EU presence on the ground. “The UN mission has reached the end of the road,” she said. Russia's Permanent Representative Vasiliy Nebenzya said it was “unacceptable to reduce the frequency or to change the format of Security Council meetings on Kosovo,” adding that any reduction in UNMIK’s budget or staffing was equally unacceptable. The mission, he said, continued “to perform the essential task of contributing to the maintenance of stability in the province.”


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We Need to Talk about Nuclear War HYSTERIA (and why it doesn't help)

The Kavernacle: We Need to Talk about Nuclear War HYSTERIA (and why it doesn't help)

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Attacks on UN Personnel - Security Council Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Gilles Michaud, Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and the protection of United Nations and associated personnel. Michaud noted, “Regrettably, all these perpetrators are rarely held accountable. They are rarely named and shamed, let alone prosecuted.” He highlighted, “This is not the right forum to describe the range of measures we have implemented to keep colleagues safe. But it is the right place and time to tell you: we have stretched the security system to its limit.” Michaud said, “We ask you to take real, consequential measures against anyone, any party, any group, any Member State that compromises the safety and security of women and men whose work saves lives.” He also said, “We ask you to invest, politically, financially, legally, in the safety and security of these women and men, the one noble cause that should unite us all.”


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Lebanon: Urgent Needs of Women and Girls - Press Conference | United Nations

Press conference by Laila Baker, Regional Director for Arab States at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on the situation in Lebanon and the urgent needs of women and girls in the country.


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Lebanon: Sound of ambulances dominating Beirut - Press Conference | United Nations

Press Conference by Imran Riza, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, on the humanitarian situation in the country.


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326 Humanitarians Killed in 2025 Across 21 Countries - Security Council Briefing | United Nations

Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and the protection of United Nations and associated personnel. Addressing the Security Council Fletcher reported that in 2025, at least 326 humanitarians were recorded as killed across 21 countries, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed in three years to over 1,010. According to the Emergency Relief Coordinator, of those over 1000 deaths, more than 560 were in Gaza and the West Bank, 130 in Sudan, 60 in South Sudan, 25 in Ukraine and 25 in DRC. “That number compares to 377 recorded as killed globally over the previous three years. Almost tripling the death count. This is not an accidental escalation - it is the collapse of protection”. Fletcher stressed, “These humanitarians were killed while distributing food, water, shelter and medicine. They died in clearly marked convoys and on missions coordinated directly with authorities. And too often, they were killed by member states of the United Nations.” He continued, “Humanitarians know we face risks. It is the nature of our work, the places we operate. These deaths are not because we are reckless with our lives. They are because parties to the conflict are reckless with our lives. So, on behalf of over a thousand dead humanitarians and their families, we ask why.” Fletcher said, “I normally conclude with three asks of this Council. But it seems insulting to over one thousand colleagues killed to echo back to you the commitments of SCR 2730: protection, integrity, accountability. We come here not to remind you of these commitments, but to challenge you to uphold them. Because if we cast these hard-won principles aside, the integrity of this Council, and the laws we are here to protect - die with our colleagues.”


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Why People LOVE ‘Intellectuals’ like Professor Jiang and Jordan Peterson

The Kavernacle: Why People LOVE ‘Intellectuals’ like Professor Jiang and Jordan Peterson

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United States, Iran, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (8 April 2026) | United Nations

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Middle East Iran Lebanon Lebanon/Humanitarian Occupied Palestinian Territory Security Council Ukraine South Sudan Democratic Republic of the Congo Central African Republic Mali Noon Briefing Guest MIDDLE EAST In a statement issued late last night, the Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of a two-week ceasefire by the United States and Iran. He calls on all the parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to comply with their obligations under international law and to abide by the terms of the ceasefire in order to pave the way toward a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.  The Secretary-General underscores that an end to hostilities is urgently needed to protect civilian lives and alleviate human suffering. He expresses sincere appreciation for the efforts of Pakistan and other countries involved in facilitating the ceasefire. And today, we can confirm that the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Middle East Conflict and its Consequences, Jean Arnault, has arrived in Iran. Acting on the Secretary-General’s instructions, he is visiting countries across the region to support all efforts aimed at achieving a comprehensive and durable resolution to the conflict. During his visit, Mr. Arnault will engage with Iranian interlocutors to hear their perspective on the way forward and will reiterate the Secretary-General’s commitment to making every effort to support a peaceful settlement. The Personal Envoy trusts that, in line with the Charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law, all leaders will choose the path of peaceful resolution and the protection of civilians over a continued conflict. IRAN The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that it hopes the ceasefire will bring some much-needed respite to people, including front-line responders, across the region, following six weeks of intense hostilities. The hostilities have claimed many lives and caused devastating damage to civilian infrastructure, including electricity, water, energy and transportation facilities. In Iran, the UN and our partners, in coordination with the authorities, continue to scale-up our response to help refugees and others in the areas of health, water and sanitation, food, and shelter. Priority needs include restoring basic services, protecting vulnerable groups, rehabilitating shelters and schools, and providing critical supplies. LEBANON The United Nations strongly condemns the strikes by Israel across Lebanon that resulted in significant civilian casualties. The UN strongly condemns the loss of civilian lives. The UN continues to call on all sides to avail themselves of diplomatic channels, cease hostilities and recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. The ceasefire between the US and Iran offers an opportunity to prevent further loss of lives between Lebanon and Israel. The UN urges all concerned to abide by the ceasefire. Now is the time to pursue talks to resolve outstanding differences and work towards a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict. There is no military solution to the conflict. Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers continue to be impacted by hostilities. Yesterday the impact from an exchange of rocket and artillery fire near At Tiri in Sector West resulted in injuries to six peacekeepers, including one shrapnel wound and five cases of acoustic trauma, as well as damage to UN vehicles. The UN again urges all actors to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times. Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detained a UNIFIL peacekeeper after blocking a logistics convoy. Following direct and immediate contacts by UNIFIL's Head of Mission and Force Commander and our Liaison Branch, the peacekeeper was released in less than an hour. Such detention of a United Nations peacekeeper is a violation of international law. The UN stressesagain that any intimidation or interference in the Mission’s Security Council-mandated tasks must stop immediately. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-04-08


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Security Council Challenged to Uphold Commitments to Humanitarian Workers | United Nations

In 2025, at least 326 humanitarians were recorded as killed across 21 countries, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed in three years to over 1,010. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher urged the UN Security Council today to 'act with much greater conviction, consistency and courage' in the protection of humanitarian workers.


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Youth are innovating, uniting & transforming: Shaping the road to 2030 | United Nations

From 14 to 16 April 2026, young people will take center stage at the United Nations Headquarters in New York during the ECOSOC Youth Forum, considered the UN's largest annual gathering of young people. Read more: https://desapublications.un.org/un-desa-voice/feature/april-2026/youth-are-innovating-uniting-and-transforming-shaping-road-2030


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