More than 100 armed conflicts, most lasting for more than 30 years
A Swiss-led U.N. Security Council session called on all countries and armed groups to fulfill their obligations for protecting civilians under international humanitarian law.
Palestine
Syrian government's isolation eases with Arab bloc summit appearance
Syrian President Bashar Assad, formerly ostracized by most Arab nations, was warmly readmitted to the Arab League.
New evidence of Syrian war crimes found
U.N. experts unveiled fresh evidence of Syrian war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in opposition-held Idlib province since November.
Elders rally resistance to Israeli annexation
An independent group of global leaders appealed to European leaders to "stand firm" against Israel’s threat to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
U.N. chief sees 'wind of madness' in world
The U.N. chief warned “a wind of madness is sweeping the globe” from a dangerous surge of instability and unpredictable geopolitical "hair-trigger" tensions.
U.N. reports on war agonies for Syrian kids
Syria's civil war has stolen the childhoods of 5 million boys and girls including many killed or suffering grave abuses of their rights, U.N. experts said.
Norwegian diplomat to lead U.N.'s top economic and social forum
Mona Juul, Norway U.N. ambassador, won election as president of the 54-nation U.N. Economic and Social Council.
U.N. relief agency says 1 million people in Gaza may go hungry
The Trump administration's withdrawal of U.S. funding for Palestinian refugees could create a huge humanitarian crisis.
U.N. and Israel in clash over human rights in Gaza border protests
A panel found Israeli soldiers used live ammunition against thousands of unarmed protesters, killing 189 Palestinians.
Palestinians take over U.N. bloc of developing nations and China
In a ceremonial handover, the Palestinian president assumed the chairmanship of the Group of 77 major bloc of U.N. votes.
Climate change and inequality rise to the top of WEF's Davos agenda
Despite the exclusivity of Davos, WEF will focus on climate, inequality and international cooperation and inclusiveness.
UNESCO is latest U.N. agency to lose the Trump administration's support
Despite co-founding the U.N. agency as a peace-promoting organization, the U.S. has now withdrawn from it two times.
Anti-corruption movement is betting on 'the power of people's pressure'
Corruption has wide-ranging impacts. Transparency International says ordinary people can fight back.
The United Nations has led 76 investigations in the past 55 years
With demands growing for the U.N. chief to appoint an investigation into Jamal Khashoggi's murder, a review by Arete News found just eight previous instances of such an order.
U.S. ordered by U.N. tribunal to lift some economic sanctions on Iran
Judges ruled that sanctions reinstated by the Trump administration breached a 1955 treaty between Iran and the United States that predates Iran's Islamic Revolution.
Fear of retaliation or job loss discourages U.N. whistleblowing
A new review of U.N. whistleblowing policies and practices by the U.N.'s Joint Inspection Unit showed little improvement from retaliation cases reported more than a decade earlier.