(Peace and Security – Gaza) Ongoing attacks and airstrikes attributed to Israeli forces in Gaza continue to kill and maim people of all ages in the shattered enclave despite an agreed ceasefire, UN agencies said on Friday. “Yesterday morning, a baby girl was reportedly killed in Khan Younis by an airstrike, while the day before, seven children were killed in Gaza City and the south,” said Ricardo Pires, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. – Gaza: Two children killed every day during fragile ceasefire, says UNICEF | UN News
(Economic Development) Do higher living standards in developing countries have to mean more polluting, fossil-fuel dependent industries? Or is a low-carbon alternative possible? As the world grapples with climate change, economic inequality, and rapid technological shifts, next week’s Global Industry Summit will tackle these questions, bringing together governments, business leaders, and innovators to shape solutions that balance prosperity with sustainability. – Can industrial growth and climate action go hand in hand? | UN News
(UN Affairs – G20) A South African flag-coloured King Protea flower – symbolising hope and regeneration – is the chosen logo for this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit, taking place on African soil for the first time. “Now is the time for leadership and vision,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists in Johannesburg on Friday, a day ahead of the official opening. The G20 bloc is made up of the world’s largest economies, although the United States has announced it will not officially participate. This year’s summit highlights the need for climate adaption and sustainable financing, under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.”. The UN chief is attending the summit to push for economic and climate action, as well as an end to spiralling conflicts around the world. – It’s time for leadership and vision, Guterres tells G20 in South Africa | UN News
(Peace and Security – DR Congo) Seventeen civilians, including women in labour and patients receiving care, were slaughtered inside a Catholic Church-run health centre in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week. The UN described it as one of the most appalling attacks in a new wave of violence by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed extremist rebel group. Four wards housing patients were set ablaze during the assault in Byambwe, a remote community about 60 kilometres west of Lubero in the restive North Kivu province, which has been plagued by fighting between a plethora of armed groups and national security forces for years. – UN decries ‘truly horrific’ massacres in DR Congo | UN News
(UN Affairs – UN80) The United Nations outlined how it intends to advance one of its most comprehensive system-wide reform efforts in decades, as Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder presented the UN80 Initiative Action Plan. The plan brings the Secretary-General’s major UN80 reform proposals into a single, coherent structure to streamline efforts that will make the UN system deliver better. The plan does not introduce new proposals but sets out how the UN system intends to advance the ones already on the table: 87 actions, grouped into 31 work packages across 3 workstreams, stretching from peace operations and humanitarian response to technology, shared services and institutional mergers. “Its purpose is to bring structure, transparency and coherence and an operational framework to move ahead with all aspects of the UN80 Initiative – and also to enable you to see how each element will move forward: who is responsible for what, and on what timeline” Mr Ryder told Member States during an Informal Meeting of the General Assembly. – UN presents UN80 Initiative Action Plan, setting coordinated path for system-wide reforms | UN News
