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Remarks by Miroslav Jenča,
Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas
Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations
New York, 20 June 2025
Madam President,
Since we last briefed this Council on developments in Ukraine three weeks ago, fighting has continued to intensify on the ground, enveloping new geographic areas and prompting further displacement of the civilian population.
We have witnessed unrelenting large-scale Russian arial attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, resulting in a significant rise in civilian casualties.
On the night of 16-17 June, Russian drones and missiles hit seven districts of Kyiv, killing at least 28 civilians and injuring more than 130 others. This was one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in nearly a year.
According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, rescue workers spent all night trying to rescue dozens of trapped residents from under a partially destroyed nine-storey residential building that had reportedly been hit by a Russian ballistic missile. Many people are still reported missing under the rubble of the 35 apartments destroyed that night.
This is the story of just one residential building, in one neighbourhood of one city.
That night, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv and Kyiv oblasts were also reportedly attacked with over 428 drones and missiles. In Odesa, two civilians were reportedly killed, and scores injured.
These levels of death and destruction risk dimming hope for an immediate ceasefire and threaten to undermine prospects for a lasting peace.
Madam President,
According to OHCHR, since the start of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at least 13,438 civilians, including 713 children, have been killed. The confirmed number of civilians injured stands at 33,279, including 2,092 children.
The first five months of 2025 alone, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine totaled 5,144, with 859 killed and 4,285 injured. This figure was 47 per cent higher than in the same period in 2024.
This dramatic increase is a result of intensified use of long-range weapons, both missiles and loitering munitions, against cities across Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian authorities, between 1 and 17 June 2025, Russian armed forces launched at least 3,340 long-range drones, including loitering munitions and decoy drones, and 135 missiles into Ukraine.
By comparison, 544 long-range munitions were launched during the entire month of June 2024.
Madam President,
Escalating violence impacting civilians also continues to be reported, albeit at a far lower level, in bordering regions of the Russian Federation.
On 17 June, local authorities reported that a woman living near the border with Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region died at the hospital a day after she was injured in a Ukrainian drone attack.
In another incident reported by the local authorities, on 9 June, a 64-year-old man was reportedly killed and five others were injured in a Ukrainian strike on a recreational center in the Kursk region.
The United Nations is not able to verify these reports.
Let me once again unequivocally state - attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law, wherever they occur.
We condemn all such attacks. They must cease immediately.
My colleague, Director Wosornu, of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, will provide updates about the impacts on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
Madam President,
Since our last briefing, important diplomatic developments have taken place on the challenging path towards a lasting peace in Ukraine.
On 2 June, Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their second face-to-face meeting in Istanbul, where they reportedly exchanged written memoranda outlining their respective visions for a ceasefire and parameters for a future peace settlement.
The talks also resulted in an agreement for large-scale exchanges of prisoners of war and of mortal remains, as well as civilian detainees. The exchanges have been carried out in phases in the weeks since then.
Earlier today, the latest round of exchanges of severely sick and wounded took place.
It followed several rounds of all-for-all exchanges of youth of 25 years and younger, started on 9 June. Further exchanges are expected.
As of 16 June, the mortal remains of 6,057 Ukrainian servicepersons and 78 Russian servicepersons were also reportedly returned by the sides.
We welcome these exchanges and encourage them to continue so that all remaining prisoners of war and civilian detainees soon return home.
These efforts provide answers to many families who have lived in uncertainty about their loved ones, re-unite prisoners of war and civilian detainees with their families, and allow those who have been subjected to dire conditions in captivity to return to safety.
Madam President,
We welcome the continuation of all meaningful diplomatic efforts, including the recent talks in Istanbul.
We urge the sides to make tangible progress towards a ceasefire and a lasting settlement through continued talks.
The United Nations position remains principled in support of a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions and of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders.
The Secretary-General has called for a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as an important first step to that end.
As we are facing renewed escalation on the ground and crisis elsewhere, it is critical to maintain focused attention on the urgent need for peace in Ukraine.
We must redouble the efforts to ensure that the fragile diplomatic process is not only sustained but becomes irreversible.
The United Nations stands ready to support all meaningful efforts to that end.
Thank you.
Madame President,
We meet as the scope and scale of attacks in Iran and Israel continue to widen, with grave consequences for civilians in both countries.
In Iran, Israel claims to have targeted over 100 military sites and nuclear facilities, including the Kermanshah missile base, the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, and the Khondab (former Araak) heavy water reactor.
At the same time, government buildings, homes and residential neighborhoods, factories, hospitals, airports, and refineries have been struck in and around Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Ahvaz, among other cities.
The bombing on 17 June of Iran’s state-run television channel during a live broadcast marked a chilling moment.
Residents of Tehran and other cities have received warnings to evacuate on more than one occasion. Iran has closed its airspace until further notice and has shut some border crossings.
In Israel, residential neighborhoods and essential infrastructure have been hit throughout the country, notably in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Bat Yam, Dimona, Petah Tikva, and Eilat.
Several civilian sites have been directly impacted by Iran’s airstrikes, including the Weizmann research institute in Rehovot, the Bazan petrochemical complex in Haifa, and yesterday, the Soroka Medical center in Beersheba.
A state of national emergency remains in place, with severe restrictions on air travel. Several areas in the occupied West Bank have also been impacted, and checkpoints and road closures are impacting movement, particularly for Palestinians.
Throughout the region, airspace remains severely constrained by these exchanges, not only within Iran and Israel, but also throughout Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and beyond.
The intensifying cycle of attacks and counterattacks has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, including fatalities, in both Iran and Israel.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, as of 19 June, 224 people had been killed and more than 2,500 others injured in Israeli strikes across Iran. The Health Ministry added that 90 per cent of the victims were civilians.
Other estimates, based on local non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, suggest the death toll is at least double the official figure.
In addition, there have been over 20 high-ranking Iranian military leaders killed, notably the Commander and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the IRGC Commander-in-Chief and IRGC Intelligence Chief, as well as several nuclear scientists.
We have also received reports of significant displacement out of Tehran – a city of over 12 million residents – resulting in massive traffic jams. Fuel shortages are leading to long queues at petrol stations, sometimes for over five hours, further hampering movement.
And still, many remain trapped in their homes in Tehran with nowhere to flee. In the absence of bomb shelters or air raid sirens in the city and widespread internet blackouts, further strikes are bound to harm more civilians.
In Israel, the Office of the Prime Minister stated that, as of 19 June, Iran’s strikes have killed 24 people and injured 915 others, the vast majority civilians. The strikes have also damaged homes, leading to the displacement of Israelis.
Madame President,
We are teetering on the edge of a full-blown conflict and a humanitarian crisis.
International humanitarian law must be respected, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack.
Attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, and indiscriminate attacks, are strictly prohibited. Medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected.
We are witnessing in real time the impact of the conflict regionally, with missile launches by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel, and heightened tensions involving armed groups in Iraq.
With each passing day of fighting, the danger, particularly for civilians, grows. Interceptions and explosives falling short have been reported over Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, sending debris into populated areas, sowing fear, and uncertainty.
Any further expansion of the conflict could have enormous consequences for the region and for international peace and security at large.
The fallout of the conflict is also economic. We cannot discount the global impact of a potential disruption of trade through the Strait of Hormuz – described by the World Bank as the “world’s most critical oil passageway.”
Trade through this vital route has already fallen by 15 per cent amid heightened regional tensions starting in late 2023.
Madame President,
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Grossi will address this Council shortly. Allow me at this juncture to express our appreciation to the IAEA and its staff still on the ground in Iran. We also convey our deepest gratitude to our UN colleagues who have continued to stay and deliver.
At the center of the ongoing conflict are concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. As the Secretary-General has consistently stated, the best way to address these concerns is through dialogue leading to a negotiated solution.
But the window to prevent a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution has not yet closed, as demonstrated by positive recent openings for diplomacy.
We welcome in this regard the talks between the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the UK, and Iran, [and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission] in Geneva today.
We strongly encourage such efforts. We must pursue every possible opportunity to de-escalate, to cease the hostilities, to settle disputes by peaceful means. The Charter that binds all of us mandates it.
The imperative for diplomacy has seldom been greater.
Thank you, Madame President.
One week since the Israel-Iran conflict erupted, diplomatic efforts to end the war are ramping up in Geneva as foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK and the EU prepare to meet their Iranian counterpart. In New York, meanwhile, the UN Security Council heard the UN Secretary-General warn ambassadors that “we are on course to chaos” if the war widens “which could ignite a fire that no one can can control.” UN News app users can follow here.
Hostilities continue to escalate across Sudan’s North Darfur and Kordofan regions, with reports of civilian casualties, sexual violence, abductions and looting, the UN human rights chief warned on Friday, describing the consequences as disastrous.
Death and suffering in Gaza are ever-present and the enclave's people now have little choice but to risk their lives to fetch aid supplies, UN agencies said on Friday.
Today, we recognize the millions of refugees forced to flee war, persecution, and disaster.
Every individual carries a story of profound loss – of a family uprooted and a future upended.
Many face closed doors and a rising tide of xenophobia.
From Sudan to Ukraine, from Haiti to Myanmar, a record number of people are on the run for their lives – while support is dwindling.
And...
Women leaders from across Bougainville came together last month in a major push to advance inclusive peacebuilding, strengthen grassroots advocacy, and shape a collective vision for the region’s future.
More than 200 women from across Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Region of Bougainville convened in Arawa, Papua New Guinea, on 7 May 2025 for the first-ever Bougainville Women, Peace and Security Summit.
The two-day summit aimed to advance women’s leadership, knowledge-sharing and collective action on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Bougainville’s. The Government of Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and women’s civil society organizations organized the summit with support from UN Women, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund.
Bougainville’s President, Ishmael Toroama, and UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard opened the summit. Its theme, “sustaining peace in Bougainville,” highlighted women’s critical role in Bougainville’s peace process, including in bringing an end to the conflict in 1997, negotiating the Bougainville Peace Agreement and building and sustaining peace across the region in the decades since its signing.
Participants engaged enthusiastically in women-led and moderated discussion on topics including law and order– particularly in relation to gender-based and domestic violence– conflict resolution, and the impact of climate change and resulting food insecurity. The summit also included an evening session on cyber-security, a valuable addition for entrepreneurial women developing small, climate-resilient businesses, utilizing social media and embracing online banking.
In addition to the summit, the UN also organized trainings for Bougainville women and youth human rights defenders, equipping them with advocacy and legal skills and tools to to strengthen grassroots human rights initiatives in their communities.
The National Council of Women, fully functional for the first time in six years, played a key role in representing women from across the country and one of the summit’s follow up actions is the convening of a national women, peace and security summit in the second half of 2025.
Bougainville’s Women, Peace and Security Summit, alongside the “Empower Her” Peacebuilding Fund project are part of a larger commitment by the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and the broader UN system to the Bougainville peace process and to prevention in Papua New Guinea.
The independent moderator for the Bougainville post-referendum peace process receives continuous political support from the DPPA Liaison Officer in collaboration with a process design expert from the Standby Team of Mediation Experts as well as the Resident Coordinator and UNDP.
“Over 100 participants traveled from both Papua New Guinea and across Bougainville to voice their perspectives and aspirations for gender-responsive development and to address shared challenges in achieving a peaceful future. Their voices carried the hopes of entire communities — and the determination to create lasting change,” said Stephen Liston, UN Liaison Officer, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
The Peacebuilding Fund has invested more than $35 million in the peace process since 2015, with recent commitments from partners including Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom ensuring ongoing support to the moderator.
From mid-2024, the UN’s PNG Country Fund and Peacebuilding Fund will commit an additional USD $18 million to a second phase of the Highlands Joint Programme on peacebuilding, gender-based violence and sorcery accusation-related violence, in addition to work on livelihoods and youth, peace and security.
Papua New Guinea’s recently adopted National Prevention Strategy, aligned with the Pact for the Future, and with close World Bank and UN collaboration, will provide an invaluable framework for Papua New Guinea’s commitment to peacebuilding in the years ahead.
The participants at the Bougainville Women, Peace and Security Summit emphasized the central role of women in this peacebuilding journey, calling for sustainable, inclusive development, safety and freedom, representation in decision-making, business opportunities and an equal stake in the future of Bougainville.
Remarks by Rosemary DiCarlo,
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Annual Session of the Peacebuilding Commission
New York, 19 June 2024
Madam Chair,
Distinguished colleagues,
I am honored to address you today on behalf of the Secretary-General, who conveys his regrets at not being able to attend this session.
The Secretary-General places the highest importance on conflict prevention and peacebuilding and is a firm advocate of a strengthened Peacebuilding Commission.
Madam Chair,
We are meeting at a moment of considerable strain on the international peace and security. Conflicts are becoming more numerous, more protracted and more complex.
They are increasingly shaped by global and regional geopolitical dynamics and exacerbated by the widening divides.
Violence continues to escalate around the world, while negotiated solutions have become harder and harder to achieve. Threats to life and dignity abound, and international norms and legal frameworks are being disregarded.
Against this backdrop, the role of the Peacebuilding Commission remains critical and more needed than ever.
Madam Chair,
When the UN’s peacebuilding architecture was established twenty years ago, then Secretary-General Kofi Annan described it as filling “a gaping hole in the United Nations institutional machinery.”
At the time, there was no dedicated mechanism to help countries transition from war to lasting peace or to support Member States to consolidate fragile gains.
Since then, the Commission has made significant strides to fill this “gaping hole” offering effective and timely assistance to countries and regions that have sought its support.
The Commission was instrumental in supporting the democratic transition in The Gambia and helped the Government and the people forge a new social contract.
The Commission’s collaboration with Timor-Leste not only advanced the country’s stability but enabled it to contribute to regional peacebuilding efforts through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
The Commission’s support to Sierra Leone during the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics helped sustain peacebuilding progress and resilience.
These are just a few examples among many.
Madam Chair,
As we mark the 20th anniversary of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture, we must build on these achievements.
The Pact for the Future provides us with a forward-looking framework.
It recognizes the importance of nationally led efforts, including the central role of civil society, women and youth, and the value of UN partnerships with regional organizations and international financial institutions.
Notably, the Pact calls for the strengthening of the Peacebuilding Commission.
The direction is clear. Our task is to translate this ambition into practical progress.
The ongoing Peacebuilding Architecture Review offers a timely opportunity to identify the next steps.
First, the Commission should be equipped, strengthened and empowered to assist interested Member States to develop and implement national strategies for prevention and peacebuilding.
The recent presentation of Sao Tome and Principe of its national strategy to the Commission is a promising example.
In line with this, the Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund has designated support to such national strategies as a new priority.
Second, the Commission should have more systematic and robust links to other UN bodies and processes. The recent joint meeting between ECOSOC and the Commission on Haiti illustrates the value the PBC can bring complementing the efforts of the Security Council.
And third, the Commission should be positioned to engage more deeply with regional organizations, international financial institutions and other critical partners whose contributions are essential to sustaining peace
Madam Chair,
At the first meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission, then Secretary-General Annan remarked that the Commission symbolized “both hope and perseverance”. That sentiment remains highly relevant today.
The Commission is no longer a new institution, but its relevance and potential are undiminished. At a time of increasing need, we must equip it to deliver fully on its mandate.
Thank you.
Sexual violence in conflict is a tactic of war, torture and terror. It does not only devastate survivors but also tears apart families and communities. The trauma, shame and stigma are borne by victims, not perpetrators – echoing across generations.
Of the 700 million people worldwide living in extreme poverty, 40 per cent live in conflict-affected or fragile settings and this is on track to worsen, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
Last year, 41,370 grave violations against children were documented and verified by the United Nations, according to the Secretary-General's annual report on children in armed conflict, released on Thursday.
More than 100 days into Israel’s complete fuel blockade in Gaza, UN agencies still in the shattered enclave warned on Thursday that vital services are only “hours away” from shutting down.
As deadly missile exchanges between Israel and Iran enter a second week, the United Nations is sounding alarm over the growing toll on civilians, warning of mass displacement and regional instability.
Just days before Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, the UN watchdog agency monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities warned that the country was in violation of its non-proliferation commitments.
Of the 700 million people worldwide living in extreme poverty, 40 per cent live in conflict-affected or fragile settings and this is on track to worsen, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
Sexual violence is a grotesque tactic of war, used to brutalize, torture, and repress, scarring bodies, minds and entire communities. The horror of these heinous crimes echoes long after the guns fall silent.
Too often, perpetrators walk free, cloaked in impunity, while survivors often bear the impossible burden of stigma and trauma. The pain does not end with them. It stretches across lifetimes, ravaging generations of families, and forces the inherited legacy of trauma...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday he remains “profoundly alarmed” by the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Iran, as the sides continued to trade airstrikes.
As the pall of starvation hangs over Gaza, UN agencies have sounded the alarm over deadly violence at food distribution points, where over 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in recent weeks while trying to access desperately needed humanitarian aid.
Civilian deaths in conflict surged by 40 per cent last year, according to new data released by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) with already marginalised groups facing disproportionate levels of discrimination.
As the Iran-Israel crisis continued into a sixth day on Wednesday, the UN deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif called for urgent talks to end the ongoing missile attacks between Tehran and Tel-Aviv.
A senior UN official has warned against the impact of regional escalation on Syria as the country continues on the path to political transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December and nearly 14 years of devastating civil war.
The ongoing crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Sudan are in the spotlight this week at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.
At least 14 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 100 injured in Kyiv overnight into Tuesday, as Russian drone and missile strikes struck multiple Ukrainian cities in one of the heaviest nights of bombing in months.
Gaza’s health system is at breaking point, overwhelmed time and again by scores of people killed or injured near aid distribution sites, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
The UN Secretary-General is set to launch a global campaign to boost support for disarmament and mine action.
In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwandan-backed rebels, Congolese troops, and allied militias have all committed human rights abuses, some possibly amounting to war crimes, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in Geneva on Monday.
Eighty years after the United Nations was established to end war, uphold fundamental human rights and promote justice and international law, those founding principles are increasingly under threat, the UN’s human rights chief warned on Monday.
After a weekend of massive strikes and counter-strikes between Tel Aviv and Tehran, the UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk on Monday condemned the violence and echoed wider calls for a negotiated end to the attacks. Meanwhile in Gaza, aid workers report that mobile communications networks continue to be cut in the shattered enclave. We'll be covering these developments and more across the UN system and beyond today, thanks for joining us. UN News app users can follow our live coverage here.
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Thank you Madame President,
Today, at approximately 3:15am local time, the Israeli military launched waves of airstrikes across Iran, targeting a number of locations, including residential areas in Tehran.
These attacks, which are reportedly continuing this afternoon, have targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters, military bases, radar installations and nuclear facilities, among others.
They have reportedly caused significant damage, including reportedly dozens of civilian casualties.
In retaliation, Iran launched some 100 drones towards Israel, all of which were reportedly intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace. As I speak, there are reports of Iranian missiles heading towards Israel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) called the attack a “precise, pre-emptive strike”, and declared an “imminent threat” from Iran’s nuclear program, while also announcing a domestic state of emergency.
According to the IDF, over 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved in the opening strikes, dropping over 330 munitions on some 100 targets. Multiple nuclear installations were struck, including in Natanz, one of the central sites of Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a video message, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israeli forces also attacked Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and top Iranian nuclear scientists. He stated that the attacks were intended to ward off an existential threat, vowing that the battle would continue for “as many days as it takes.”
The impact of these attacks has already been felt throughout the region, with neighboring countries closing their airspace and putting their security forces on high alert. The Houthis have reportedly launched missiles towards Israel, one of which has hit the occupied West Bank, causing injuries.
Many regional leaders have condemned the attack as a flagrant violation of international law and an escalation that is pushing the region toward more conflict and tension.
According to Iran’s state media and statements made by Iran’s Supreme Leader today, at least four top Iranian generals and three leading nuclear scientists were killed. A number of civilians have also reportedly been killed and injured. The Supreme Leader has promised “severe punishment” for Israel.
Madame President,
I reaffirm the Secretary-General’s condemnation of any military escalation in the Middle East. I also underline the obligation of Member States not to use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
I reiterate the call by the Secretary-General to both sides to show maximum restraint at this critical moment and to avoid at all costs a descent into deeper and wider regional conflict.
Of particular concern is the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It has been reported that the Natanz Enrichment Complex, which houses both the Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, suffered significant damage, including centrifuge cascade halls.
The International Atomic Energy Agency resolution adopted on 12 June, calls on Iran to meet its legal obligations and to fully cooperate with the IAEA to urgently remedy its non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement.
Finally, the latest dangerous escalation follows some significant diplomatic developments. Talks between Iran and the US were to resume in Oman this weekend.
I encourage such diplomatic efforts to continue. A peaceful resolution through negotiations remains the best means to ensure the inclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
We must at all costs avoid a growing conflagration that would have enormous global consequences.
Thank you.
As diplomatic efforts continue to end fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN development agency (UNDP) issued an appeal on Friday on behalf of people uprooted by the violence to help them rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israeli strikes in Iran late Thursday evening, urging ‘maximum restraint’ from Member States. The head of the UN-backed atomic watchdog also highlighted the risk of a wider conflict.
Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities mark a dangerous new escalation in the Middle East, a top UN official told the Security Council during an emergency session convened on Friday.
A London-bound Air India jet carrying 242 people crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, reportedly killing more than 200 on board, with dozens still unaccounted for.
The General Assembly overwhelming backed a resolution on Thursday demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and resumption of humanitarian aid to stave off famine. There were 149 votes in favour, 12 against – including Israel and the US – and 19 abstentions. App users can follow our live coverage here.
Tens of thousands of people went missing in Syria over the past 50 years including during 14 years of civil war. Now, some families are able to live in hope as the Middle Eastern country emerges from the traumatic period of dictatorship and conflict.
Meeting in emergency session on Thursday in New York, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Yemen cannot endure more years of division, economic collapse and human suffering, the UN’s top official on the crisis told the Security Council on Thursday, warning that “time is not on our side.”
The UN-backed atomic watchdog voted through a resolution on Thursday declaring that Iran is not complying with its obligations regarding nuclear non-proliferation.
A Cambodian woman who grew up amid landmines now clears them as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon. A Sudanese civil society leader rallies displaced women to reclaim their voices in peacebuilding. Young activists from the divided communities of Cyprus foster dialogue and understanding in a deeply complex and long-standing conflict. These are just a few of the extraordinary stories captured in Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace, a striking photo exhibition that premiered on 7 June 2025 at Brooklyn Bridge Park as part of the Photoville Festival.
A joint initiative of the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), UN Women, the Elsie Initiative Fund, and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), in partnership with Photoville, the exhibit highlights the stories of women as leaders, negotiators, and protectors in conflict-affected societies — told through the lenses of women photographers from those very communities.
“Too often, women in conflict are portrayed only as victims,” said Natasha Lamoreux of UN Women. “But these photographs tell a different story. They show women as peacekeepers, negotiators, human rights defenders — leaders actively shaping peace.”
From Sudan to Cyprus, Haiti to Lebanon, the UN collaborated with local women photographers who not only document the lives of women but also share in their struggles, striving to build peace in their communities, which creates an intimate and powerful perspective.
“This exhibit is the culmination of months of partnership between the four organizing entities as well as between headquarters and field-based colleagues,” said Shatha Hussein from the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. “We worked on very difficult contexts and turbulent situations that are changing by the day. So working with women on the ground to amplify their efforts through this initiative was not easy in any of the contexts featured, but their commitment, despite the odds, made this possible.”
Preparing this exhibit has been a profound challenge — one that mirrors the obstacles women face daily in conflict zones. Intense fighting spiked early this year in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan as the photoshoots were being planned.
“These images are more than art — they are a collective story of resilience, acts of resistance, and transformation,” said Sophie Boudre of the UN Department of Peace Operations. “They declare that women’s rights must be protected, their leadership recognized, and their voices heard wherever peace is made.”
Rooted in the Women, Peace and Security agenda launched by UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the exhibit underscores both the critical roles women play in peacebuilding and the persistent challenges they face — including a rising global backlash against gender equality.
The Through Her Lens exhibit is on view through 22 June 2025 at Pier 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will also be shown at UN Headquarters in time for a Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security at the end of October. Importantly, the exhibit will travel to the regions featured in the photographs — bringing these powerful stories full circle.
To view the exhibit online, visit https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/exhibit/through-her-lens
