(Peace and Security – UN) General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock warned on Thursday that repeated deadlock in the Security Council has become the “poster child” for wider global gridlock, undermining trust in multilateral institutions. The UN was founded to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” Ms. Baerbock said, but the world body is struggling to meet that mandate when the Council is blocked by a veto from one of its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US). “Real people, watching in real time, may question the credibility and legitimacy of not only the Security Council, but of the UN in its entirety,” she told Member States. – Security Council’s veto power is ‘poster child’ of global gridlock, says Baerbock | UN News
(Climate and Environment – COP30) With the clock ticking on climate negotiations in Belém, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, speaking separately, delivered a united message: the world is watching, and compromise cannot wait. Amid reports of deadlocks on fossil fuels, climate finance and other key issues, both leaders urged negotiators to act decisively on phasing out fossil fuels and boosting adaptation finance, insisting that fairness and ambition must guide the final hours of COP30. – ‘The world is watching’: Guterres and Lula urge unity as COP30 talks near deadline | UN News
(Climate and Environment – COP30) Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, were suspended on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering evacuations that halted negotiations between more than 190 delegations. With the summit set to conclude Friday, the disruption came at a critical moment as countries were locked in tense debates over fossil fuels and climate finance. The outcome of these talks is widely seen as a litmus test for turning decades of climate pledges into concrete action. – What’s at stake in the COP30 negotiations? | UN News
(SDGs – Children – Extreme Poverty) More than 19 per cent of children worldwide live in extreme poverty, surviving on under $3 a day, according to a new UNICEF report. Nearly 90 per cent of those children are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but even in high-income countries, 23 per cent live with far less income than their peers. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said. “When governments commit to ending child poverty by implementing effective policies, they can unlock a world of possibilities for children.”. The report draws on data from more than 130 low and middle-income countries, assessing deprivation across six areas: education, health, nutrition, housing, sanitation and water. – UNICEF: 20% of world’s children still trapped in extreme poverty | UN News
(Women – Artificial Intelligence) What was once hailed as a vehicle for empowerment has, for millions of women and girls, become a source of fear. Fuelled by artificial intelligence, anonymity, and weak accountability, online abuse is rapidly escalating. Yet, 1.8 billion women and girls still lack legal protection from online harassment and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The alarm is being sounded this week by the UN agency for women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment (UN Women) as the 16 Days of Activism campaign begins, calling for urgent action against soaring digital violence. The space has become a frontline in the fight for gender equality, with less than 40 per cent of countries having laws addressing cyber harassment or cyberstalking, leaving perpetrators largely unchallenged and victims without justice. – AI and anonymity fuel surge in digital violence against women | UN News
(Peace and Security – Ukraine) Millions in Ukraine have been left without heating, water or basic public services as winter temperatures plunge – and civilian deaths this year have already surpassed the total for 2024, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday. “Ukrainian civilians have continued to bear the brunt of the Russian Federation’s escalating aerial campaign,” said Kayoto Gotoh, Europe Director with the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA). She briefed the Council against the backdrop of sustained missile and drone strikes, including a barrage on Wednesday night that killed at least 25 people. – Civilian deaths in Ukraine surge past last year’s toll as winter deepens crisis, Security Council warned | UN News
(Peace and Security – Ukraine) The lives of people living in Ukraine on the frontline of the war with Russia are becoming more tenuous and support is being provided for those who want to leave as well as those who want to stay in their homes. In the past year alone, more than 250,000 residents have left the Donetsk region, a focus of Russian attacks in southeastern Ukraine, close to their shared border. Evacuations are also ongoing in neighboring Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is supporting both evacuees and those who remain behind. Federico Sersale, head of UNHCR’s office in Dnipro, told UN News that the majority of people who want to stay are elderly or those with disabilities. Some are unwilling to leave their homes, fearing they may never return. Others are simply unable to evacuate on their own and require assistance. – Fleeing the frontline in Ukraine | UN News
