Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN is “totally committed” to supporting a smooth transition of power in Syria through an inclusive political process that guarantees full respect of minority rights.
Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN is “totally committed” to supporting a smooth transition of power in Syria through an inclusive political process that guarantees full respect of minority rights.
The General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted two resolutions, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to drop its ban on the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, following an emergency special session triggered by another use of a veto in the Security Council. Follow the latest from the ground and other key updates from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. App users can follow our live coverage here.
The General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted two resolutions, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to drop its ban on the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, following an emergency special session triggered by another use of a veto in the Security Council. Follow the latest from the ground and other key updates from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. App users can follow our live coverage here.
UN agencies continue their response to the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Lebanon, as access challenges, food shortages and reconstruction needs plague both regions.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has issued an alert after a surge in the number of displaced people fleeing war-torn Sudan for neighbouring South Sudan.
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping the Syrian people to create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
Syria’s historic power reset coupled with the highly volatile situation there, has increased basic needs in a country where nearly 17 million people already depended on aid, UN aid teams insisted on Tuesday.
Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on Sunday, Syria has entered a period of profound uncertainty, and the UN will have a vital role in ensuring an orderly transition to renewed, stable institutions, continuing efforts to bring together different groups and factions which began at the outset of war in 2011.
The UN Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) briefed the Security Council on Monday on recent developments, including political disagreements over constitutional reform and escalating insecurity in the east.
At least 184 people, including 127 elderly men and women, were killed in Haiti’s Wharf Jérémie neighbourhood of Cité Soleil over the weekend, prompting strong condemnation from Secretary-General António Guterres.
The historic power shift in Syria adds new complexity to the Middle East crisis, with ongoing Gaza hostilities, violence in the West Bank, and a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon. A closed-door Security Council meeting is expected today. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with millions in urgent need. UN News app users can follow here.
This publication is a collection of inspiring messages shared by young leaders during the 6th Dialogues between Governments and Youth of Central Asian countries. These discussions took place as part of the 14th annual meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian States on November 26, 2024, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Full publication is available ...
As reports continued to emerge from Damascus where opposition forces declared victory on State television on Sunday, the UN’s top humanitarian official insisted that aid teams will continue to provide emergency relief wherever possible.
After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday.
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There have been significant developments in Iraq in recent months – which has so far avoided being dragged into the widening Middle East conflict – but corruption and other challenges persist, the new UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Friday.
One of the last partially functional health centres in besieged northern Gaza was hit several times overnight into Friday, leaving four health workers among the casualties and the dead, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador Ishmael Beah visited Sudan this week, meeting children and families whose lives have been upended by the brutal war between rival militaries which has upended the country.
The UN Secretary-General appealed on Thursday for an end to the fighting in Syria, where a recent escalation raises the risk of further division in the ongoing civil war.
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. Violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon are also continuing – we're covering it all live. UN News app users can follow here.
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 Coordinator Tom Fletcher, with highlights from humanitarians around the world, from Gaza to Ukraine. UN News app users can follow our coverage here.
The plight of children impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was the focus of debate in the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
The “Guatemala Joven Conversa” initiative brought together hundreds of young people from around the country to discuss the political issues and challenges they face in their daily lives. DPPA, with funding from its Multi-Year Appeal, helped participants overcome barriers to connectivity.
This autumn, from September to November, with support from DPPA’s Innovation Cell, over 300 young Guatemalans joined a series of AI-powered digital dialogues on civic engagement and political participation. To take part, all they needed was internet access and a desire to share with others their views on critical national issues, from the fight against corruption to the need for electoral reform.
The dialogues were facilitated as part of the Guatemala Joven Conversa initiative, a collaborative project led by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) and Fundación Esquipulas, a civil society organization that focuses on peace, democracy, and social and economic development in the Central American and Caribbean region. The initiative aimed to strengthen youth political participation in Guatemala by providing a platform for young leaders to discuss their visions for the country’s future.
The project’s three digital dialogues each focused on distinct topics: electoral law reform, youth participation in development, and corruption. The hundreds of young people that participated came from 22 departments, and included Indigenous communities; 64 percent of them identified as women.
“DPPA embraces innovative technologies like AI to amplify marginalized voices,” said Diego Antoni, Peace and Development Advisor in Guatemala. “The Guatemala Joven Conversa initiative highlights how AI-enabled dialogues can empower youth and marginalized communities to shape their country’s future and drive transparency and accountability.”
Guatemala’s youth: overcoming barriers for participation
Young people are a significant demographic in Guatemala, where they have historically championed peace and human rights through social engagement. Formal spaces to inform decision-making involving youth remain limited, especially for young women and Indigenous peoples.
Fundación Esquipulas and the Joint UN Development Programme (UNDP)-DPPA Programme-supported Peace and Development Advisor in the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator in Guatemala launched the Guatemala Joven Conversa initiative to amplify young leaders’ voice on issues such as electoral reform, anti-corruption, and local governance and development. With the aim of engaging a broad and diverse youth audience, the team turned to AI-powered digital dialogues to create a wide platform for engagement.
Using AI to amplify young leaders’ participation
With support from DPPA’s Innovation Cell, the Guatemala Joven Conversa initiative launched three digital dialogues, each involving over 300 participants. This technology enabled real-time, anonymous exchanges among young people ages 18 to 30 from all 22 departments of Guatemala. Participants needed only access to a phone or computer connected to the internet, making the dialogues simultaneously available nationwide. By allowing participants to vote on each other’s input, it ensured the conversation stayed focused on key issues, offering a more engaging and inclusive approach than traditional methods.
“The digital dialogues provided a different dynamic than what we are used to,” said Laura Regina Lopez, youth leader from the International Youth Leaders Network REDJINOL. “These experiences normally take place in platforms such as Zoom or Meet, where people often are inhibited or feel embarrassed to voice their opinions, afraid of what others might say. In this type of dialogue, the dynamic was different, which allowed people to freely express themselves.”
Approximately 60 per cent of the participants were women, and 40 per cent self-identified as Indigenous — a critical representation in a country where over 43 per cent of the population identifies as Indigenous. To encourage diverse participation, DPPA, with funding from its Multi-Year Appeal, paid for mobile data coverage for roughly 200 participants in each dialogue to overcome connectivity barriers, especially in rural communities. Additionally, DPPA funded three in-person workshops to review the findings of the digital dialogues with 25 youth leaders, enabling a deeper analysis of the topics discussed.
Advancing youth perspectives for peace, development and human rights
Speaking online, youth leaders often noted the need to address Guatemala’s pressing challenges, from strengthening democracy and advancing sustainable development to combating corruption. Whether through voting, engaging in local governance, or participating in social movements, youth are eager to contribute. However, they shared significant barriers for participation, including discrimination and limited access to information.
Several of the youth leaders highlighted the corrosive impact of corruption on institutional trust and resource allocation, which are essential for addressing inequality. Worryingly, some 70 per cent expressed fear of criminalization and political persecution for speaking out against corruption, including fear of facing prosecutorial retaliation, underscoring the ongoing risks of advocating for transparency and justice in Guatemala.
Ixmucane Caal, a youth leader from the Political Association of Mayan Women Mo’Loj, said that “As young people we can make corruption visible, it is important that the population knows what is happening, so that we can take action and protest.” She went on to stress that “Raising our voices […] is the best way to make rights violations and acts of corruption visible.”
Throughout the dialogues, youth expressed their ambitions to confront systemic challenges and to promote greater inclusivity and transparent governance. With support from the Guatemala Joven Conversa team, key government counterparts, such as the National Youth Council, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Decentralization Presidential Secretariat, and the Electoral Tribunal were invited to observe the dialogues. The results of the process will be formally presented to them, in a step toward ensuring that youth voices play a central role in shaping Guatemala’s future.
Madam President,
I would like to thank the United States for organizing this intergenerational leadership on women, peace and security.
Around the world, peace is in a perilous state.
We face rising violence and diversifying threats to peace and security – from climate crises to hybrid warfare.
We see growing geopolitical contestation and polarization, yet the avenues for meaningful diplomatic dialogue are shrinking.
Amid these crises, young women peacebuilders are demonstrating that a better world is possible.
In Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai championed girls’ right to education undeterred by an assassination attempt. She remains the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate ever.
In Sweden, Greta Thunberg has galvanized millions through the Fridays for Future movement to confront the climate crisis.
In Somalia, Ilwad Elman works to rehabilitate child soldiers while empowering other young people to help prevent violent extremism.
These remarkable leaders remind us that transformation requires bucking the status quo.
We must embrace new approaches to cultivate a new generation of leaders – especially young women and girls – who are at the forefront of reshaping power structures and advancing peace.
Madam President,
The Secretary-General’s policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace calls for dismantling entrenched patriarchal systems, which perpetuate inequality and exclusion.
It underscores the urgent need to reimagine global power structures and place women and girls – especially young women – at the center of our efforts to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity.
If we do not break free from patriarchal norms, true peace and inclusive security will remain out of reach.
In this context, the strong support for the women, peace and security agenda in the Pact for the Future is potentially transformational.
The Pact underscores the importance of ensuring that women’s leadership and participation are integrated into all aspects of conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
It also reaffirms our collective commitment to investing in young women as changemakers in the pursuit of sustainable peace.
Madam President,
I would like to highlight three key areas in advancing intergenerational leadership: facilitating dialogues, fostering inclusive peace processes, and investing in young women’s leadership.
First, tackling today’s conflicts requires forward-looking visions that are shared broadly within societies and transcend generations.
Intergenerational dialogues are critical opportunities for building trust and articulating shared aspirations.
In Chad, for example, the Peacebuilding Fund supported local dialogue platforms that brought together youth associations with traditional authorities to peacefully resolve disputes and lead prevention campaigns.
The diverse young women and men and community elders committed to duties and responsibilities in a signed “intergenerational charter”.
The platform strengthened social cohesion and reduced intercommunal tensions and conflicts in the Nya Pendé and Barh Sara regions.
In The Gambia, dialogues in the three River regions brought together national and local authorities, police, ministries, and youth to improve trust. This included mentoring programmes by women politicians with young women running for office.
The dialogues promote the involvement of women and youth in ongoing national processes and reforms. This intergenerational dialogue also helped improve the relationship between youth and security forces.
Second, peace cannot be achieved through deals made by elites alone.
Advancing inclusive, multi-track peace processes that prioritize diverse groups of women, including young women, and promote their leadership and rights at every level is essential for locally owned infrastructures for peace.
We recognize the diverse and changing mediation landscape today.
This year, during the annual open debate on women, peace and security, the Secretary-General launched his “Common Pledge on women’s participation in peace processes”.
This initiative invites diverse mediation actors, including Member States and regional organizations, to join the United Nations in taking concrete actions to ensure women’s participation in peace processes.
We urge all stakeholders to step forward and sign the Pledge.
We know that mediation processes that systematically include women and civil society are more likely to generate national ownership and stronger support for a negotiated settlement.
Only through collective efforts can we move toward more inclusive and durable peace processes.
The United Nations actively backs multi-track efforts that promote peace from the bottom up, emphasizing young women’s leadership.
In Colombia, where I recently represented the Secretary-General at the 8th anniversary of the 2016 Final Peace Agreement, the UN Verification Mission supports Colombian women and men from all backgrounds and of all ages, addressing stigmatization of ex-combatants in reintegration areas.
I saw this work up close when I visited the Agua Bonita reintegration area in southwest Colombia.
In Yemen, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, in partnership with UN Women, has organized consultations for a “A Bottom-up Vision for an Inclusive Peace Process”.
This has fostered advocacy coalitions between women’s groups and other stakeholders including youth and traditional leaders, amplified diverse local voices, and reframed the women, peace and security agenda as a broader community priority rather than just a women’s issue.
Third, our investments must be aligned with our priorities.
Significant and sustained resources are essential to support young women peacebuilders and ensure their work flourishes.
In Somalia, thanks to a Peacebuilding Fund initiative, young men and women worked together in managing and restoring water canals across clan lines, overcoming historical grievances and mitigating inter-clan conflicts driven by resource scarcity.
In El Salvador, another project of the Peacebuilding Fund empowered marginalized youth to lead community action.
This became possible through integrating youth into Municipal Committees for the Prevention of Violence, facilitating consultations with local governance actors, and providing capacity training to marginalized youth.
Allowing youth to communicate their concerns contributed to reducing tensions.
The success of these efforts requires more robust and consistent financial backing from the international community.
Investments in women, peace and security agenda are not an option; they are a necessity for preventing conflict and achieving sustainable and inclusive peace.
Madam President,
In the face of unprecedented challenges to global peace and security, young women around the world are envisioning and demanding a world of justice and peace.
As we approach the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we must open doors for the next generation.
Together, we must cultivate leadership from the ground up, placing young women and women’s rights at the heart of our efforts.
Thank you.
Peace is in peril worldwide and avenues for diplomatic dialogue are shrinking, but young women peacebuilders are demonstrating that a better world is possible, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.
The ongoing escalation of violence in northwest Syria linked to the wider conflict in Gaza and Lebanon has left civilians dead and injured, hospitals “overwhelmed” with healthcare attacks on the rise, the UN warned on Tuesday.
The President of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday emphasised that peace and security in Middle East cannot be achieved through force or occupation but only through dialogue, mutual recognition and a commitment to a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution based on international law.
Syria’s status quo has been “radically altered” in a matter of days, with a surge in fighting resulting in an “extremely fluid and dangerous” situation, the UN Special Envoy for the country warned on Tuesday.
The United Nations has condemned deadly shelling on Zamzam camp, the largest site for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Darfur region of Sudan.
