(SDGs – Second World Summit for Social Development) As the Second World Summit for Social Development continued in Doha on Wednesday, governments warned that global progress risks stalling unless social protection, equality and peace are prioritised – and backed with political and financial commitment. Delegates from all regions reaffirmed that social justice and peace are inseparable, calling for stronger safety nets, poverty reduction and human-rights-based policymaking. Thirty years after the landmark 1995 Copenhagen Summit, many noted significant gains in education, life expectancy and poverty reduction – yet persistent inequalities still limit opportunities for young people, women and marginalised communities. – Doha: World Summit’s second day highlights urgency of investing in people and peace | UN News
(SDGs – Second World Summit for Social Development) Civil society networks and private sector leaders crossed paths in the buzzing corridors of the Qatar National Convention Centre, a reminder that social development is not just debated in meetings rooms – it touches jobs, families and futures. With nearly 14,000 attendees registered for the Second World Summit for Social Development, currently underway in Doha, the gathering has become a meeting place for governments, global organizations and community voices working to shape what a fairer future might look like. UN News is on the ground in Doha, following two major events held alongside the Summit on Wednesday: one led by business, the other by civil society. – Doha Social Summit: Businesses, civil society walk side by side for fairer futures | UN News
(SDGs – Second World Summit for Social Development) The push to put social justice at the heart of global policymaking took centre stage at the Second World Summit for Social Development on Wednesday, as leaders gathered for a high-level forum to drive coordinated action in delivering the newly adopted Doha Political Declaration. The Global Coalition for Social Justice Forum brought together ministers, workers’ and employers’ organizations, UN agencies and civil society to accelerate action on poverty eradication, decent work and social inclusion. The gathering came at a moment described as both hopeful and urgent. Since the coalition’s launch in 2023, governments and partners have expanded efforts to close inequalities and strengthen social protections. Progress has been made in education, life expectancy and gender equality. Yet discrimination, exclusion and gaps in rights at work remain deeply entrenched in many countries. Against this backdrop, the Forum served as a space to share achievements, examine where commitments are falling short, and discuss how to accelerate coordinated efforts to bridge these divides. – Not just dreams, but rights: Social justice in focus at Doha summit | UN News
(Health – Gaza) – A campaign for routine immunisation, nutrition, and growth monitoring will be launched in the Gaza Strip this week with the goal of reaching 44,000 children cut off from essential life-saving services due to the devastating conflict. Estimates indicate one in five children under three are either zero-dose or have missed vaccinations because of the war, putting them at risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. The catch-up campaign aims to inoculate these children against measles, mumps, and rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus and pneumonia. It will be carried out by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, in collaboration with the Gaza Ministry of Health. – Catch-up immunisation campaign ‘a lifeline’ for Gaza’s children | UN News
(Peace and Security – Sudan/South Sudan) The UN is ready to support Sudan and South Sudan in resuming talks on the disputed Abyei border region, the Security Council heard on Wednesday. Relations between the neighbouring countries remain deeply affected by the war in Sudan, where the national army and former allies, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been battling for power since April 2023. Two senior UN officials briefed the Council on developments concerning the fertile strip of territory and the peacekeeping mission there, UNISFA, whose mandate includes monitoring and verifying the redeployment of forces from the oil-rich region, in line with a 2011 agreement. – Sudan war and political uncertainty block progress on Abyei peace talks | UN News
(Human Rights – Sudan) UN agencies are stepping up relief operations to help civilians fleeing the escalating violence in Sudan’s North Darfur state, where fighting has triggered widespread abuses and mass displacement, Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York on Wednesday. “We are deeply alarmed by mounting reports of grave violations against civilians,” M. Haq said, citing accounts of “executions, sexual violence, humiliation, extortion and attacks” following the capture of El Fasher, the state capital, by the Rapid Support Forces militia last week. – Sudan crisis: UN agencies race to aid civilians as violence engulfs El Fasher | UN News
(Humanitarian Aid – Cuba) Around 2.2 million Cubans remain in dire need of assistance across the eastern provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, and Guantanamo as the after effects of Hurricane Mellisa continue, UN aid workers said on Wednesday. A formal Plan of Action was announced by the UN system in Cuba in support of the Government driven national response to get the country back on its feet. Focusing on health, water and sanitation; shelter, education, and early recovery; the plan also pays special attention to the needs of women, children, and other vulnerable groups, underscored UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. The UN is appealing for $74 million to counter the devastation caused by Melissa. The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) released $4 million in emergency funding ahead of the category 5 storm while UN agencies have unlocked an additional $7 million, leaving a funding gap of about $64 million to meet urgent needs. – Hurricane Melissa: UN launches $74 million response for 2.2 million in Cuba | UN News
(Human Rights) – As wearable devices begin to tap into our mental states, UN experts warn that without ethical safeguards, the right to freedom of thought could be the latest casualty of unchecked innovation. It seems like science fiction, or even magic: the ability to communicate, control a computer or move a robotic limb via the power of thought. However, it’s not only possible, it’s already transforming the lives of patients with severe disabilities. In 2024, an audience at a UN conference in Geneva sat astounded as a young man in Portugal with “locked in syndrome” – a neurological disorder that left him unable to move any part of his body – was able to “speak” to them, using a brain-computer interface (BCI) that translated his thoughts into words, spoken in his voice, and answer their questions. This is a striking example of the growing field of neurotechnology, which holds out great hope for those living with disabilities and mental disorder such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression. – Mind over machine: UN urges ethical guardrails for brain tech revolution | UN News
(Climate and Environment) – Decades of progress in protecting the planet’s carbon dioxide-busting forests are at risk as the climate crisis continues to accelerate, UN forestry experts said on Wednesday. In a call to world leaders to boost protection of forests as they prepare for the COP-30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) noted that carbon storage in forests has risen by 11 per cent since 1990. “The message is clear: what we have achieved over the last three decades is now at serious risk from the climate emergency. We cannot afford to lose the planet’s most powerful natural defence,” said UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean. – World’s forests at serious risk from warming planet, fires and pests | UN News
