Afghanistan: UN condemns Taliban ban on women attending medical classes

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has condemned a new ban imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan preventing women and girls from attending private medical institutions, warning that it will have devastating consequences for healthcare – especially the future availability of midwives and nurses.

Meet the ‘Land Heroes’ who are fighting desertification

From planting a billion trees in Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, to exporting products from the moringa tree in Mali and developing a climate action-focused board game called “Rescuing Penguins,” in Costa Rica, a group of young people has been recognized by the UN for making a positive impact in the fight to counter desertification, land degradation…

Live updates: UN humanitarians highlight global needs for 2025

Every year, the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview is an opportunity to highlight where needs are greatest and how much funding is needed to help some of the most vulnerable people on Earth. Read our live updates of events as they unfolded in Kuwait, Nairobi and Geneva, hosted by the UN’s new Emergency Relief…

Middle East crisis: Live updates for 4 December

The Middle East crisis continues to deepen, with families in Gaza struggling to secure basic food amid constant displacement, plummeting temperatures, and relentless conflict. Meanwhile, civil war in Syria has reignited, where the status quo has been “radically altered” in recent days, creating an “extremely fluid and dangerous” situation, says the UN Special Envoy there….