News

The UN warns that a deliberate political retreat from gender equality is reversing decades of progress, and calls for equal power for women everywhere

New York, 17 September 2026 – The Gender Snapshot 2026 report, released today by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), shows that where women hold real power, outcomes improve across every dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – from peace to education, and from poverty to climate action.

Yet the very institutions built over decades to advance gender equality are being systematically weakened, stalling or reversing progress at precisely the moment when the world cannot afford to go backwards.

The findings of the Gender Snapshot 2026 report reveal a political retreat from gender equality that is crosscutting, measurable, and compounding. One in three institutional mechanisms for gender equality has had its institutional power eroded over the past two years. Around one in four have seen their operating budgets cut over the same period, and nearly one in ten have lost control of their budget altogether. Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, with funding for women’s rights organizations most impacted. Meanwhile, amid funding cuts, 42 per cent of UN entities report a weakening of their gender equality efforts.

The concentration of political power remains stark: six in seven countries are led by men. Women continue to face systemic barriers at every stage. The cost of running for office can exceed 100 times a country’s average per-capita income, excluding many women before the race even begins. In some countries, as many as eight in 10 women running for office face violence in public life. And when women do reach cabinet, they are still disproportionately steered away from the portfolios that command the highest security and economic power.

Close to nine in 10 defense ministers and more than eight in 10 finance ministers are men. As women continue to face barriers to equal participation and influence, decades of political and legal gains on gender equality are increasingly being contested and, in some cases, dismantled. Not one single indicator on the Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality (SDG 5) is on track to be met by 2030.“The evidence is clear: when women lead, societies are stronger, economies are more resilient and outcomes are better for everyone. Yet as long as power remains concentrated in institutions that systematically exclude women, societies will continue to fall short of their full potential. Equality cannot be achieved without equal access to power—because equality without power is not equality at all,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

“The data leave no room for ambiguity: at current rates gender equality remains 171 years away. What the Gender Snapshot 2026 shows is that this is not inevitable — it is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all,” said Li Junhua, United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

The pattern extends beyond government. Women hold only six per cent of corporate Chief Executive Officer positions globally and lead fewer than 20 per cent of the highest courts, leaving the decisions shaping business, law, employment, and the global economy overwhelmingly in the hands of men.

The findings of the report come at a consequential moment for the multilateral system.

World leaders are gathering for the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA81) as the United Nations moves towards selecting its tenth Secretary-General – a position that no woman has held in the UN’s 80-year history. As governments debate the future of multilateralism, the report argues that no vision for the future of the world is credible without women and girls having an equal share of power in shaping it.

UN Women and UN DESA are calling for a reversal of the political retreat on gender equality – and for power to be shared more equally. That means ensuring women have an equal voice in political and economic decisions, properly funding gender equality institutions, protecting women’s rights organizations and civic space, and ensuring women have equal power to shape the decisions that affect economies, peace and security, technology and public life.

****

The Gender Snapshot report is the world’s leading source of data on gender equality and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Drawing from more than 100 data sources, it tracks progress for women and girls across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs
 

*Data refer to all gender equality mechanisms. Institutional Mechanisms for Gender Equality or gender equality mechanisms refer to state-based structures mandated to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (e.g., ‘ministry of women and child development’ ’directorate of gender equality’). These mechanisms are responsible for promoting the rights, status, and well-being of women and girls, and for addressing discriminatory gender norms.

Media contacts:

UN Women Media Team: media.team@unwomen.org

Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications, birchs@un.org

Helen Rosengren, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, rosengrenh@un.org

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

Note: The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) argues in a press release below that five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has been utterly abandoned by the international community with terrible consequences for women and girls. This week NRC’s Secretary General Jan Egeland is visiting Afghanistan and meeting with families and Taliban officials to discuss the depth of the crisis hitting the country.

Oslo, Norway, 9 September 2026 – Families in Afghanistan face a crisis that is worsening month-on-month, driven by displacement, conflict, climate shocks, and gender discrimination. The country has been utterly abandoned with terrible consequences for women and girls, warns Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Secretary General Jan Egeland during a visit to the country this week.  

While Afghanistan was at the centre of the international community’s attention before August 2021, it has since faded from the global agenda. NATO countries have withdrawn leaving millions of vulnerable Afghans to face deepening humanitarian needs with scarce international attention and support. 

“This is my fifth visit to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. Each time I have seen a deepening humanitarian crisis that is hardest for women and girls, that has received only lip service from the Western countries who pledged to ‘never forget them.’ Where is the aid to families who suffer alone and abandoned? Where are the diplomats and envoys who could mobilise desperately needed international support for Afghan families in need, and bring relief to women and girls here?” said Egeland.  

“This week I have met with mothers who have nothing to give their children, and who fear the coming winter. Infant malnutrition is soaring, and communities are at rock bottom, with nowhere to turn. Humanitarians have less than a third of the funding needed, forcing organisations to make impossible decisions about who can be helped.”

Afghanistan is experiencing one of the largest return movements in the world. In 2025 alone, 2.9 million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran, while more than one million people have returned to Afghanistan so far this year.  

The scale and speed of these returns places enormous pressure on communities, housing, livelihoods and already overstretched public services. Months of sporadic fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has added to the uncertainty facing civilians already unable to support themselves.  

“When I visited the Iran-Afghanistan border last year, and again this week during my visit to our Community Resource Centre in Kandahar, I met many families who had returned to Afghanistan. They arrive here with almost nothing, and will be met with little or no support,” said Egeland. 

“This week I have listened to families forced to live in the most basic of shelters, sometimes lacking roofs and with nothing but sticks and discarded packaging for walls. They must get the opportunity to rebuild their lives and once again support themselves with dignity.”  

Women and girls across Afghanistan continue to face severe restrictions imposed since 2021, including restrictions on education, work, movement, and access to basic services. These challenges are often even greater for women and girls who return to the country, whose families have little or no income and are often forced by their lack of resources to find shelter in areas with no access to healthcare or education.   

It is vital that donors invest not only in the emergency response, but also in longer-term initiatives that can help returnees reduce their dependence on humanitarian assistance. 

“Today in Afghanistan, returnee families are trapped in a terrible position,” said Egeland. “Political limitations to engagement with Afghan authorities further restrict opportunities to identify long term solutions, leaving humanitarian organisations struggling to meet ever-growing, urgent needs. The international community must engage meaningfully with the Afghan authorities to ensure that people here do not pay the price for shifting geopolitical priorities.”  

Mohammad Ali, a father of six, who returned from Iran and now lives on the outskirts of Herat province, explained, “For the past year that I am back here from Iran, I seldomly got any emergency assistance. I appreciate that [support] but this kind of assistance does not sustain life. I am willing to work but there is no job or [lasting] assistance that can secure mine and my children’s future.” 

“Donors are indeed facing competing global priorities, but being here and seeing the way that Afghan civilians are being abandoned is truly shocking,” said Egeland. 

“After years of high-cost military interventions, the testimonies I have heard come from communities who have been consigned to oblivion. Where are the diplomats? Where are the international institutions? Those with the experience in providing support in complex settings should be doing far more here. 

“These past five years have been a desperate downward spiral: it is vitally important that civilians in Afghanistan do not become invisible.” 

Notes to editors: 

• Photos and b-roll from Egeland’s visit to Afghanistan is available for free use here. 
• Infant malnutrition rates in Afghanistan are rising rapidly. 3.7 million children are acutely malnourished, including 1 million who have life-threatening severe acute malnutrition (UNICEF). 
• Over six million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran since late 2023 (IOM DTM). 
• Around 2.9 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran only in 2025 (UNHCR). 
• One million Afghans have returned so far in 2026 (UNHCR). 
• 73 per cent of Afghan returnees are unemployed (IOM). 
• 3.2 million people were internally displaced people as of December 2025 (UNHCR). 
• A summary of Afghanistan’s annual Humanitarian Needs and Response Plans can be found here.   
• The stark conditions facing Afghan civilians are being compounded by increasingly frequent natural disasters. Last August a devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing and injuring thousands. More than 8,000 families, including 28,000 women, were directly affected across Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces, and many were left without any shelter at all.   
• The funding available for the humanitarian response has been cut by almost 70 per cent, from 3.3 billion dollars in 2022 to 1 billion dollars in 2025. So far this year, only 500 million US dollars have been provided for the humanitarian response, about 30 per cent of the 1.7 billion dollars needed (OCHA). 
• NRC supports displaced people across nine provinces in Afghanistan including providing water and sanitation support, protection from violence, information and legal assistance, and education. Our community resource centers function as a central hub for the response, ensuring families can receive the services they need. In 2025 we provided assistance to more than 340,000 people, including 49 per cent women. 

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: 

• NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329 

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

New York, 8 September 2026 – The United Nations has opened its 81st annual session trusting that world leaders who will take part in the discussions will work out solutions for the current geo-political divisions, on-going conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, climate disasters and starvation in many parts of the world.

The high-level political session to be held in the UN General Assembly will last a whole week starting from 22 September with the presence of more than 80 heads of state and dozens of prime ministers and ministers representing the 193 UN member states.

The session was launched under the theme of “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.” Ambassador Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh is the new president of the assembly for the next 12 months, taking over from Annalena Baerbock, a former foreign minister of Germany.

“We must make the United Nations fit for the future,” Rahman said in first address to the assembly. “We have a situation where trust is in deficit. This is not 1945. This is the 81st session. The world has moved on. The Organization must move on, and I’ll help that process.”

Political debate 22-28 September – On the first day of the political debate, a total of 32 presidents have registered to deliver speeches, including presidents of Brazil, the United States, Jordan, Turkeye, Peru, Egypt, France, South Korea, Mongolia and Japan. Scores of other heads of state and high-ranking ministers will also speak.

UN Secretary-General Antonion Guterres urged UN member states to rebuild  trust in the multilateral system.

“The institutions of the multilateral system, from the UN Security Council to the international financial architecture, are straining to meet the moment,” he said. “International law and human rights — the core of our organization — are too often flouted with impunity. And geopolitical mistrust and suspicion continue to block the effective solutions we need — and erode people’s faith in the possibilities of global cooperation.”

“But as I join you in this opening of a General Assembly session for the last time as Secretary-General, I have enormous hope thanks to the work that happens here.”

In her final address as president of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock said she was moved by the determination of many inspiring colleagues who are convinced more than ever of the importance and necessity of the United Nations.

“And to those out there who argue that the UN is irrelevant or failing – especially in these new geopolitical realities, I would simply say consider, for just one minute, the alternative – a world without the UN: Consider the millions of children who would not be in school without UNICEF. Consider the women who only dare to walk out of their homes without fear of being raped because UN peacekeepers are deployed. Consider the thousands of families around the world receiving humanitarian assistance, including right now in Nepal and China.”

UN Secretary general selection – Member states are called to make a difficult decision during the session, which is to select a new UN Secretary General to replace the current leader Antonio Guterres of Portugal who is completing his two five-year terms by the end of 2026. Some UN member states and organizations have demanded that the next UN secretary general should be a woman after only men have been leading the UN since it was established in 1945.

So far candidates included: Michelle Bachelet (from Chile); María Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador); Rafael Grossi (Argentina); Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica); Olara Otunnu (Uganda); Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett (Guyana); Macky Sall (Senegal); Virginia Gambia (Argentina) and Ivonne A-Baki (Ecuador).

While world leaders are addressing the UN General Assembly session, the UN also holds discussions on various important topics. They include:

23 September – Climate Action and the Just Transition. The UN said climate summit, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, will bring together leaders from major economies, developed and developing countries, vulnerable nations, and major energy producers and consumers to strengthen cooperation at a pivotal moment. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the climate crisis has entered a new phase in which overshoot is now inevitable, while the energy transition accelerates.

24 September – High-level Plenary Meeting to Address the Existential Threats Posed by Sea Level Rise. This meeting will focus on building common understanding, mobilizing political leadership, and promoting multisectoral and multi-stakeholder collaboration and international cooperation towards the objective of “addressing the threats posed by sea-level rise”. Participants will work towards developing comprehensive solutions and actionable commitments to combat sea level rise, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future including for small island developing states and low-lying coastal areas.

25 September – High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. The meeting aimsat mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Guided by the theme, “Fostering a multilateral and intergenerational approach to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies, through the principles of equity and solidarity,” the meeting will culminate in the approval of a concise, action-oriented political declaration agreed upon by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations.

29 September – High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations. This annual high-level plenary meeting commemorates and promotes the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

The plan aims to reach over 84,000 people with aid, supporting the Government-led response

Kathmandu, Nepal, 4 September 2026 — The United Nations and humanitarian partners today launched a US$49.6 million flash appeal to deliver life-saving relief to over 84,000 people affected by catastrophic flash floods and landslides across northern Nepal.

Operating under the overall leadership of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the four-month response plan addresses critical operational gaps identified by the Government to prevent further hardship and disease outbreaks as winter approaches in high-altitude Himalayan communities. The United Nations and humanitarian responders are working in partnership with ongoing Nepalese emergency operations. 

The catastrophe, triggered on 26 August, has claimed over 1,250 lives, leaving thousands missing and displacing entire villages across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading regions. Survivors face tragic losses of family members, homes, and rural livelihoods. Widespread destruction of critical infrastructure has severed transport routes, disrupted power grids, and washed-out local water supply and sanitation systems, leaving isolated populations without basic necessities.

To mitigate immediate suffering and safeguard vulnerable populations, the joint response targets essential humanitarian needs across multiple sectors. Direct cash transfers will be deployed where local markets remain functional to give families the dignity to buy essential goods while stimulating local economies. To protect displaced communities before winter sets in, aid teams will distribute cold-weather shelter materials and supply portable solar units to households to restore essential power and light in off-grid zones.

Humanitarian operations will also restore damaged water networks, deploy rapid purification systems, and deliver hygiene supplies to halt the spread of waterborne illnesses. Emergency mobile clinics will provide immediate medical treatment and nutrition support, while protection teams work to reunify children separated from their families. In addition, aid teams will distribute emergency food aid and manage surviving livestock to protect rural livelihoods.

“Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal. “Working under the Government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, health care, clean water and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in.”

• Video: https://bit.ly/4gATyNx 
• Photos: https://bit.ly/4A2wvD5 
• Flash Appeal: https://reliefweb.int/report/nepal/nepal-rasuwa-flood-flash-appeal-4-september-2026

For More Information:

Simrika Sharma

National Information Officer

Email: Simrika.sharma@un.org

Mob: +977 9841592692

UN Information Center, Kathmandu 

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

Note: El Niño is firmly established and is expected to strengthen further. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Forecasts show near 100% likelihood that it will persist through February 2027. Exceptionally warm tropical Pacific Ocean conditions support further intensification. A very strong El Niño can significantly shift rainfall and temperature patterns worldwide and fuel extreme weather. WMO and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services step up preparedness and early-warning efforts for an exceptional event. WMO Update:

Geneva, Switzerland, 3 September 2026 _ El Niño is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months, with big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns and associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat, according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Forecasts from WMO’s Global Producing Centres indicate an “exceptionally high likelihood of nearly 100%” that El Niño will persist through to February 2027. This is the first time that a WMO El Niño/La Niña Update has been so unequivocal, reflecting the strong agreement within WMO’s extensive network.

Fueled by exceptionally warm ocean conditions across the tropical Pacific, El Niño is expected to strengthen further during the coming months to a very strong intensity before peaking towards the end of this year, with climate impacts continuing well into 2027.

“El Niño is being supersized before our eyes. The science leaves no room for doubt: the planet is in uncharted waters, and those waters are heating up. Sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing, and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather. The race now is between rising risks and our commitment to take climate action and protect people. We must win that race,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“El Niño in Spanish means boy child – but it has the potential to deliver a massive blow to communities and economies across the world. We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods and we expect these impacts to increase as El Niño intensifies,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

“This exceptional El Niño demands exceptional preparation and response. Never before in the 50-year history of the World Meteorological Organization have we launched such a major mobilization with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services who are on the frontline of delivering the forecasts and services to save lives and livelihoods,” she said.

“WMO is committed to working closely with partners across the United Nations and humanitarian system to provide the climate intelligence and insights needed to support disaster management and climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, health, energy and water resources,” she said.  “We have no time to lose.”

WMO El Niño/La Niña Updates are the world’s most authoritative source of information for governments and decision-makers. These seasonal forecasts are based on a consensus of models from WMO Global Producing Centres, experts from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and climate prediction centres around the world.

Exceptional ocean heat in the tropical Pacific  – Sea surface temperatures across the central-eastern equatorial Pacific, the region at the heart of El Niño, are already well above average – one of the tell-tale signs of El Niño – and are continuing to rise.

The widely used Niño 3.4 index, which measures sea surface temperature anomalies in central-eastern equatorial Pacific has strengthened markedly from an average +1.5 °C above normal during May-July 2026 and +2.0 °C above normal in July. Weekly values subsequently increased further between late July and mid-August, ranging from approximately +2.2 °C to +2.6 °C above average, indicating continued intensification.

Even more exceptional warmth is present below the ocean surface. In some areas, subsurface ocean temperatures were more than 8°C above average during July and early August.

Together, the surface and subsurface ocean conditions provide strong support for continued El Niño conditions and the potential for further strengthening during the coming months, the Update says.

Confidence in the outlook is high. Strong and mutually reinforcing oceanic and atmospheric signals, together with close agreement among seasonal prediction systems indicate that El Niño will persist at least into early 2027.

 Very Strong El Niño does not mean the same impacts everywhere – El Niño and La Niña are among the most powerful naturally occurring influences on the global climate system. A very strong event increases the likelihood of major changes in rainfall, temperatures and atmospheric circulation across many regions of the world.

However, the strength of an El Niño event alone does not determine how severe its impacts will be in any individual country or region.

Its effects vary according to location and season and can be modified by other climate drivers, including conditions in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

WMO has therefore issued a complementary Global Seasonal Climate Update, which  brings together information about El Niño and other major climate drivers, enabling a more refined picture of expected conditions.

For September–November 2026, WMO multi-model forecasts indicate an increased likelihood of above-normal temperatures across almost all land areas, alongside rainfall patterns showing a pronounced and classic atmospheric response to the strong Pacific El Niño.

A positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is also expected to develop, reaching a September-October-November 2026 seasonal mean value of 0.9°C. Meanwhile, the equatorial Atlantic basin is forecast to remain generally warm, with SSTs in both the North and South Tropical Atlantic staying above normal.  These conditions may reinforce, weaken or alter typical El Niño impacts in different regions.

Probabilistic forecasts of surface air temperature and rainfall for the season September-November 2026. The tercile category with the highest forecast probability is indicated by shaded areas. The most likely category for below-normal, above-normal, and near-normal is depicted in blue, red, and grey shadings respectively for temperature, and yellow, green and grey shadings respectively for rainfall. White areas indicate equal chances for all categories in both cases. The baseline period is 1993–2009. (Source: The WMO Lead Centre for Seasonal Prediction Multi-Model Ensemble)

More detailed and locally applicable information is provided through WMO Regional Climate Centres, WMO Regional Climate Centres, WMO Regional Climate Outlook Forums and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.

Turning forecasts into early action – El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO); one of the most powerful naturally occurring climate patterns on Earth.

El Niño is characterized by a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific. It typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts around nine to twelve months.

El Niño generally begins developing between March and June and reaches its peak intensity between November and February.  Its impact on global temperatures can extend beyond the period of peak ocean warming and be most pronounced in the year after development.

Because El Niño can reshape weather and climate patterns thousands of kilometres away from the tropical Pacific, reliable forecasts provide governments, humanitarian agencies, businesses and communities with valuable time to prepare.

WMO Members and partners will therefore continue to closely monitor the evolution of the event and regularly update forecasts of its likely regional impacts.

National Meteorological and Hydrological Services remain the authoritative source of official warnings and locally relevant climate information.

El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon and is not caused by climate change.

Notes to Editors – The WMO El Niño/La Niña Update is prepared through a collaborative effort between the WMO and Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR) / International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) Columbia Climate School, USA, and is based on contributions from experts worldwide, inter alia, of the following institutions: Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Centro Internacional para la Investigación del Fenómeno El Niño (CIIFEN), China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) and Pacific ENSO Applications Climate (PEAC) Services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States of America (USA), European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Météo-France, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), International Monsoons Project Office (IMPO), Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Met Office of the United Kingdom, Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), WMO Global Producing Centres of Seasonal Prediction (GPCs-SP) including the Lead Centre for Seasonal Prediction Multi-Model Ensemble (LC-SPMME).

 Since the 1980s, the dominant approach to measuring or identifying El Niño has been the use of the Oceanic Niño Index wherein scientists calculate the Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly in a specific region of the Pacific called the Niño 3.4 region.

 When computed over a three-month average, this becomes the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). In recent years and with global warming, a newer metric of measurement called the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) has gained ground. This approach measures relative warming, not just absolute warming, helping scientists assess whether a warming event is ENSO-driven or mostly due to global ocean warming. 

The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water

Website

For further information contact:

Clare Nullis, Press and Media Officer, Email: cnullis@wmo.int and media@wmo.int, Cell: +41 79 709 13 97

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

 Note: The World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on 19 August to mark the anniversary of the bombing in 2003 of the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 UN staffers. In 2008, the UN General Assembly designated 19 August as the international day to remember UN humanitarian workers killed in the line of duty. The United Nations Staff demand accountability for the killing of colleagues in Gaza.

Geneva/New York, 19 August 2026 – 2025 set another grim record for violence against aid workers, with 907 colleagues killed, injured or kidnapped, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today on World Humanitarian Day. 

While the death toll decreased slightly to 350 last year, the overall level of violence did not ease: 322 aid workers survived attacks that left them injured while 235 were kidnapped, according to Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database. 

With 186 humanitarians killed, Gaza remained the deadliest context for the third year running, followed by Sudan with 71 killed.

So far in 2026, 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured and 39 kidnapped across the world. 

“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues. And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences.”

Of particular concern is the proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones that are putting lethal power into ever more hands and sending more explosive weapons into towns and cities.

In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 per cent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, hitting markets and health facilities. 

In Ukraine, drones killed 80 civilians in April this year alone, while in the Russian Federation, civilians have been killed and civilian infrastructure damaged because of drone attacks. 

In Colombia, attacks using weaponized drones quadrupled between 2024 and 2025. 

Humanitarians are increasingly in the crosshairs of armed drones. In March this year, an aid worker was killed in a drone strike on a residential building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In just one week in May, four humanitarian convoys were hit in Ukraine. 

“Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The technology may change, but the laws of war do not.”

This year’s global campaign, Act for Humanity, spotlights aid workers who have been killed, through interviews with their families. Behind every statistic is a family whose world has been torn apart.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said humanitarians now “face escalating dangers – attacked, detained, injured or killed. Yet despite these challenges, humanitarians continue to show up.”

“They cross frontlines. They reach communities others cannot reach. They bring food, medicine and shelter. And they carry hope,” he said, and demanded that humanitarians everywhere are protected, supported and never forgotten.

Statement by Jamie McGoldrick, former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine, on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day

“At least 400 UN and associated personnel have been killed in Gaza since October 2023 – the largest loss of UN personnel in a single conflict in the Organization’s history. The overwhelming majority were Palestinians, serving their own communities while themselves displaced, bereaved and exposed to danger. 

More widely, over the last three years, more than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed worldwide – more than half of them in Palestine owing to Israeli military operations. The international community must therefore confront an uncomfortable truth: over the past three years, Israeli forces have killed more humanitarian workers than all other armies, insurgent groups and terrorist organizations around the world combined. 

On this World Humanitarian Day, our requests are simple: cease strikes in Gaza and settler terror in the West Bank; protect civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel; enable unhindered humanitarian access at scale; and conduct credible, independent investigations into the killing of UN personnel and other humanitarians, and ensure accountability.”

Resources

• OCHA World Humanitarian Day 2026 website
• Aid Worker Security Database

Media contact

• In Geneva: Jens Laerke, laerke@un.org, +41 79 472 9750
• In New York: Eri Kaneko, kaneko@un.org, +1 917 208 8910
•  

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

Note: A new report finds that the number of women living in conflict zones has nearly tripled since 1990, with the sharpest rise in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number has increased fivefold since 2010. The report highlights how today’s conflicts are reaching more women, lasting longer, and placing growing pressure on healthcare, education, livelihoods and security.

Oslo, Norway, 18 August 2026 – Almost one in five women globally were living within 50 kilometres of a deadly conflict event in 2025, according to a new report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

The number of women living in conflict zones has nearly tripled since 1990, as violence spreads and becomes increasingly protracted.

The epicenter of this crisis is in sub-Saharan Africa where one-third now live, and where the number has increased fivefold since 2010. At the same time, millions of women are trapped in conflicts that have lasted for years – with 8.8% of women in sub-Saharan Africa living in areas affected by conflict for more than a decade.

Published as global conflict reaches its highest level in decades, the report finds that the burden of today’s wars is increasingly borne by women – not only through direct exposure to violence, but through deteriorating access to healthcare, education, livelihoods and security. While conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza dominate international attention, violence is escalating across parts of Africa with far less global visibility.

“Conflict today is reaching more women than at any point since the end of the Cold War,” said Siri Aas Rustad, Research Director at PRIO and author of the report. “These figures are more than a measure of violence – they reflect millions of lives shaped by insecurity, disrupted healthcare, lost education and fewer opportunities.”

The analysis shows that conflict is not only becoming more widespread but also more entrenched. Countries with the highest levels of conflict exposure also score substantially lower on the global Women, Peace and Security Index, underlining the close relationship between insecurity and women’s wellbeing.

The report also points to a troubling international backdrop. As conflict has spread, new United Nations peacekeeping missions have become increasingly rare, development assistance has fallen sharply, and arms transfers to some conflict-affected regions have increased. Together, these trends risk deepening instability at a time when women’s needs are growing most acute.

“Reversing these trends will require renewed international commitment to conflict prevention, peacekeeping and multilateral cooperation. Without stronger action, the number of women living in the shadow of war is likely to continue rising,” warned Rustad.

///

About PRIO
The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) is a world-leading institute for the study of peace and conflict. Through cutting-edge research, PRIO examines the drivers of violence and the conditions that enable peaceful relations between states, groups and individuals.

For more information or to arrange an interview

1. Contact Michelle Delaney, Communication Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) | michelle@prio.org | mobile 0047 941 65 579.
2. Click to download the full report, ‘Women exposed to Armed Conflict, 1990-2025’
3. Please get in touch if you’d like to speak with the report’s author, Siri Aas Rustad.
4. The estimates in this report are based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program’s (UCDP) Georeferenced Events Dataset, combined with population data from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and the UN World Population Prospects 2025.

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

Juba, South Sudan, 14 August 2026 – More than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan risk losing further access to lifesaving food, nutrition and other assistance due to critical funding shortfalls, leaving families who fled war and hunger with nowhere else to turn, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned today in a joint press release.

Without immediate and urgent funding, the final food and nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees across the country will be provided in September, cutting off a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people already living on the edge. These are the last remaining refugee families of the 650,000 who had been receiving food support across the country.

For hundreds of thousands of refugee families, the consequences of an interruption in critical aid would be immediate and long-lasting, including with heightened risks of malnutrition, and exploitation and abuse of women and children. Of particular concern to UNHCR is the risk of yet more cross-border movement as people search for food and assistance.

The warning comes as conflict across the region continues to force people to flee across borders into neighbouring countries in search of food, shelter and safety. In South Sudan, up to 3,000 refugees and returnees continue to arrive from Sudan each week, placing further pressure on already overstretched humanitarian resources.

“We are seeing the devastating impact of conflicts that force people from their homes collide with a severe shortage of resources that is now making the crisis worse,” said Adham Effendi, Deputy Country Director for WFP in South Sudan. “For refugees and host communities, food assistance is often the difference between coping and crisis. Urgent support to save lives and livelihoods is vital – to meet essential needs and reduce long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance.”

WFP faces an immediate USD 37 million funding gap for its refugee response and an overall funding shortfall of USD 258 million for the remainder of 2026 – threatening lifesaving support for 4.2 million food-insecure people across the country. Meanwhile, UNHCR has secured only 28 percent of the USD 286 million needed this year to sustain core protection and assistance for nearly four million refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and vulnerable host communities.

This funding crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of one of the world’s deepest hunger emergencies. More than 7.8 million people across South Sudan – more than half the population – are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, while 2.2 million children are acutely malnourished. WFP has already been forced to prioritize assistance for only the most vulnerable refugee families, who are receiving just 50 percent of a full food ration.

The anticipated cut in critical support comes at the height of the rainy season when food becomes scarcer, market prices rise and flooded or degraded roads make humanitarian access increasingly difficult. Many refugee families are already eating fewer and smaller meals, borrowing money to buy food, selling what little they own, and cutting spending on health, education and shelter.

“Every week, thousands more refugees and returnees continue to arrive from Sudan with almost nothing, many exhausted, hungry and in urgent need of protection and assistance,” said Mesfin Degefu, UNHCR Deputy Representative in South Sudan. “At the same time, we see refugees who have been in South Sudan for many years, working to rebuild their lives and move towards greater self-reliance. Cutting assistance now undermines hard-won progress in education, livelihoods and resilience and may force refugee families to make desperate choices, including moving onward along dangerous routes to survive.”

South Sudan has continued to uphold its open-door policy for refugees despite facing significant humanitarian and development challenges of its own. More than 1.4 million refugees and returnees have crossed into South Sudan since war erupted in Sudan in 2023. UNHCR and WFP jointly appeal to the international community for immediate, flexible funding to prevent a suspension of lifesaving assistance and protect families on the frontlines of this regional crisis.

# # #

Note to Editors

Broadcast quality video footage can be downloaded here

High resolution photographs can be downloaded here  

About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

WFP

Tomson Phiri, WFP/Juba, Mob. +211 928 008 037

Azfar Deen, WFP/ Nairobi, Mob. +39 345 846 6425Julian Miglierini, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 348 2316793
Martin Rentsch, WFP/Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30
Nicola Kelly, WFP/London, Mob +44 (0)796 8008 474Rene McGuffin, WFP/ Washington Mob. +1 771 245 4268

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards 

Note: This new press release from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) marks five years since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and it calls on NATO countries to step up support for Afghans.

Oslo, Norway, 10 August 2026 – Afghanistan faces a deep humanitarian, economic and climate crisis, but NATO-countries have forgotten their solemn promises to stand by the Afghan people, says the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). 

Five years after Western soldiers, diplomats, and development agencies left Afghanistan, they have turned their back on a civilian population caught in an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. 

The return of more than six million Afghans from neighbouring countries since late 2023 has created additional humanitarian needs in a country already plagued by overlapping crises. Recurring climate shocks, regional tensions, and the shrinking space for women and girls since the Taliban retook power have placed additional pressure on communities. At the same time, steep cuts to humanitarian and development funding has left millions of Afghans struggling to survive. 

“NATO countries have forgotten their solemn promises to Afghan girls and boys and turned their backs on Afghan civilians. We find ourselves increasingly alone in facing growing needs and shrinking rights for girls and women across Afghanistan. A growing funding gap is forcing humanitarian organisations to scale down food, water, shelter and medical assistance to homeless and starving Afghan families,” said Jan Egeland, NRC Secretary General. 

Millions of Afghan refugees have returned to an uncertain life and future where they must start again from scratch. Up to 73 per cent of those returning remain unemployed, and there are very few livelihood opportunities.

“Shelter and livelihood support remains among the most critical needs of returnees. Shrinking aid funding means that many families are left without a proper roof over their heads, and are struggling to feed their children,” Egeland said.

Afghan authorities plan to distribute land plots to returnees as the centre of Afghanistan’s response to returnees. But, the high influx of returnees, complex procedures around distribution process, absence of sufficient investment and the lack of essential services make successful reintegration difficult.

Mohammad Jabbar, a returnee from Pakistan, told NRC “Most of the returnees, like us, urgently need shelter and opportunities to earn a living. We want the land distribution process to be prompt and responsive to these urgent needs.” 

Despite these crises and continued humanitarian needs across Afghanistan, funding for the humanitarian response has continued to decline considerably. The annual Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan was nearly 96 per cent funded in 2021. In 2025, this had dropped to 42 per cent and so far this year, only 26 per cent of the required funding has been provided. 

“NRC calls for increased development investment to support long-term solutions and recovery in Afghanistan. At the same time, the international community must engage meaningfully with the Afghan authorities to ensure that the humanitarian response and basic service delivery are not affected by politics, allowing vulnerable communities to access the assistance they need to rebuild their lives,” said Egeland.

• More than six million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran since late 2023. (IOM DTM) 
• 73 per cent of Afghan returnees are unemployed (Returnee resilience overview|Afghanistan). 
• 3.2 million people were internally displaced people as of December 2025 (UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Report) 

• A summary of the annual Humanitarian Needs and Response Plans can be found here.   
• The funding available for the humanitarian response has been cut by almost 70 per cent, from 3.3 billion dollars in 2022 to 1 billion dollars in 2025. So far this year, only 450 million US dollars have been provided for the humanitarian response, about 26 per cent of the 1.7 billion dollars needed (UNOCHA Financial Tracking Service) 

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: 

NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329 

Maisam Shafiey, Advocacy and Communications Manager, Kabul, Afghanistan: maisam.shafiey@nrc.no, +93 706453029 

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – UNCA Awards