The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday issued a new warning over the deadly impacts of the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza on people there now suffering starvation.
Nearly two years of war in Gaza along with continued violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank underscore the need to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a top UN official in the region told the Security Council on Wednesday.
After 500 days of siege, the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur has become an epicentre of child suffering, with malnutrition, disease and violence claiming young lives every day, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
Following a devastating 15-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants focused on southern Lebanon, the November 2024 cessation of hostilities created a fragile calm along the Blue Line separating the two countries.
Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča
Remarks to the Security Council
On Nord Stream
New York, 26 June 2025
Mr. President,
Nearly three years have passed since the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022.
This incident has increased concerns about the safety and security of critical civilian infrastructure at a time of heightened tensions in the region. It also sparked speculation over the past years.
This briefing, similarly to our previous briefings on this topic, is based solely on information that is publicly available and shared by the Member States concerned on the matter. The United Nations does not have any additional details of the events and is not in a position to verify or confirm claims or reports made regarding the incident.
To recap the events, between 26 and 29 September 2022, four leaks were reported in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. These pipelines are located in international waters, within the Swedish and Danish economic zones in the Baltic Sea.
The pipelines were not in operation at the time, but they reportedly contained several hundred million cubic meters of natural gas.
According to a study coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme that was published in January this year, the incident resulted in the planet’s largest human-caused release of methane.
Nearly 70 scientists from 30 research organizations participated in the study. They concluded that the plausible range of the Nord Stream leak was anywhere from 445,000 to 485,000 tonnes - more than twice as much as previously thought. According to the experts, over the short-term, the Nord Stream leak contributed as much to global warming as would have 8 million cars driven for a year.
Although the incident only represents a small part of global methane emissions, it is an important reminder of the environmental impact on global warming caused by the destruction of critical infrastructure.
Mr. President,
After the leaks were reported, the Danish, German and Swedish authorities announced the launch of separate national investigations. The authorities have provided updates to the UN Security Council on these investigations.
Since we last briefed the Council on this topic on 24 April 2024, further communications have been received.
In a letter dated 16 August 2024 addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2024/619), the Charge d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation drew attention to media coverage of the Nord Stream incidents and investigation process.
On 9 September 2024, a joint letter from the Permanent Representatives of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to the President of the Security Council (S/2024/665) informed that the Office of the Federal Prosecutor in Germany continues to conduct criminal investigations into the sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
In a letter from the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, dated 10 October 2024, addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council (S/2024/727) the Russian Federation reiterated its concerns about the ongoing German investigation and reiterated that they see a need for an international investigation into the Nord Stream incidents.
Most recently, a joint letter from the Permanent Representatives of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to the President of the Security Council, dated 22 August 2025, transmitted further information and updates regarding the investigation conducted by the German authorities.
According to this communication, the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany “continues to conduct criminal investigations on the sabotage against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines”. It notes that “these investigations are conducted impartially, independently and in line with fundamental principles of the rule of law. They are ongoing.”
The information provided further notes that as part of this investigation, the Federal Public Prosecutor General of Germany has announced that a Ukrainian national was arrested in Italy on 21 August 2025, based on a European arrest warrant requested by the German authorities.
The United Nations is not in a position to comment on the ongoing investigations or legal proceedings.
Mr. President,
As we stated in our previous briefings on this topic, any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of serious concern. Such incidents should be condemned and investigated.
The protection of civilian infrastructure and security of international waters is critical for regional commerce, security, and stability. We continue to encourage Member States to further cooperate on these matters and to share information with each other.
In the current volatile security environment, we also urge not to politicize or speculate about any findings or developments related to ongoing investigation efforts. Instead, cooperation, trust and dialogue among all concerned is of utmost importance.
Thank you.
The killing of five more Palestinian journalists in Gaza by Israeli forces – bringing the total killed overall to 247 since the war began – should shock the world into action, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) renewed his call for a ceasefire in Gaza following two deadly Israeli air strikes on the Nasser Hospital in the southern Strip on Monday.
One of the many ugly consequences of wars and conflict is injuries leading to a loss of limbs. Gaza, which now has the highest number of child amputees per capita anywhere in the world, is no exception.
More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday.
US and Qatari diplomatic efforts to bring a lasting peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have not yet led to improved conditions on the ground, where the security situation remains dire, the UN Security Council heard on Friday.
Recent elections in Libya are a sure sign of the people’s desire to choose their own representatives, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country said in the Security Council on Thursday.
Israeli airstrikes and shootings near aid hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US and Israel-backed initiative, have seen a dramatic increase in deaths and injuries leading to amputations, compounding the suffering of Palestinians struggling to stave off malnutrition and starvation as the conflict continues.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Thursday, saying that amid a strained ceasefire and military skirmishes in Syria, the political transition “remains on a knife’s edge”.
With intensifying Israeli activity in and around Gaza City reportedly continuing on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres renewed his urgent call for a ceasefire, as Palestinians fled intense airstrikes, artillery shelling and gunfire.
Terror attack survivors came together to bear witness at UN Headquarters on Thursday, emphasising that their voices must not be sidelined in shaping policy and driving efforts to prevent future atrocities.
In recent days, reported attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan’s Darfur State have forced some humanitarian groups to stop providing critical cholera services as the outbreak continues to spread.
The threat posed by the terrorist group ISIL – known more widely in the Middle East as Da’esh – remains dynamic and diverse, with Africa currently experiencing the highest level of activity worldwide.
Photo by: OSESGY/Abdel Rahman Alzorgan
Jacob Al-Sufyani: In light of the escalation in Gaza, to what extent have the...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed recent diplomatic efforts spearheaded by the United States towards a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, his Spokesperson said on Tuesday in New York.
Hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza are intensifying as a devastating ground offensive looms, creating a limited opportunity for humanitarians to bring in shelter items, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported on Tuesday.
The UN has strongly condemned recent attacks carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group in several locations in North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This Tuesday, the UN honoured fallen colleagues and reminded the world that aid workers should never be a target, as 2024 saw a shocking new record of 383 aid workers killed.
Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, briefed the Security Council’s open debate on conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) on Tuesday, presenting the Secretary-General’s annual report and stressing the need to support survivors in conflict zones where services are increasingly inaccessible.
With the news on Tuesday that a record 383 aid workers were confirmed killed in the line of duty last year, one veteran UN aid worker based in Gaza reaffirmed the resolve of humanitarians everywhere to save lives and relieve suffering, no matter how challenging the situation.
UN aid teams in Gaza say that they’re only able to get less than half the lifesaving food support that is needed into the war-torn enclave.
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee, briefed the Security Council on the deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in South Sudan on Monday.
Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight including in the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia reportedly killed at least 14 people – including three children.
Adam Ibrahim was working with the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, in his home country, Sudan, when conflict between rival armed forces erupted in early 2023 and he became a refugee alongside thousands of others who continue to flee the ongoing violence.
When Israeli forces in Gaza issue a new displacement order ahead of an incursion into a neighbourhood or city, Palestinian civilians are expected to pack their bags and flee – perhaps for the third, fourth, or tenth time.
The United Nations has reiterated the importance of dialogue as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to meet on Friday in Alaska, with Ukraine top of the agenda.
Without an urgent and unrestricted flow of aid, Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis could deteriorate further, the UN warned on Friday.
Sexual violence in conflict zones rose sharply in 2024, increasing by a quarter compared to the previous year, the UN reported on Thursday. More than 4,600 survivors endured abuses used as weapons of war, torture, terrorism and political repression.
Top UN human rights investigators said on Thursday that war crimes may have been committed in predominantly Alawite areas of Syria in a wave of deadly violence earlier this year.
UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have uncovered rocket launchers, mortar rounds and other unauthorized weapons, while the country grapples with a severe drought, threatening millions with life-threatening water shortages.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has expressed outrage over Monday’s deadly large-scale attack by the Rapid Support Forces militia on El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, which has been besieged by the RSF since April last year.
