The Security Council on Friday weighed the future of the UN mechanism responsible for completing the remaining work of the international tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as members debated how to preserve its legacy while bringing its mandate to an orderly close.

Yemen remains gripped by one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with 22 million – out of a population of 35 million – requiring assistance. Women and girls account for half of those in need, and two-thirds of them are of childbearing age, placing reproductive health at the heart of the emergency.

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon is being pushed further into crisis as hostilities continue between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants – and essential services and healthcare are targeted.

The United Nations continues to monitor developments amid conflicting reports on Friday of a possible ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said in New York.

Haiti has opened its first State-supported safe house for survivors of sexual violence with support from the UN, marking a significant step in responding to the growing crisis affecting women and girls.

External funding cuts, a backlash against human rights, and chronic under-investment in HIV prevention and community services are threatening to reverse years of hard-won progress in the AIDS response, a UN report warned on Friday.

More civilians were killed and injured in Ukraine in May than in any other month in the past four years, UN investigators said on Friday in their latest update.

Every day, safe blood helps save the lives of women experiencing childbirth complications, accident victims, cancer patients and people living with chronic diseases. Yet despite decades of progress, access to lifesaving blood remains deeply unequal, with shortages continuing to put lives at risk in many lower-income countries, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report.

The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario in the days ahead, UN agencies said on Friday.

Violence spread across Belfast following a shocking knife attack allegedly carried out by a Sudanese asylum seeker on Monday, triggering a wave of anti-immigration unrest. The victim suffered significant injuries to his face and back.

Hate speech is a grave and growing threat to peace and security, Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday, calling for urgent action to break a cycle that can lead to genocide and other atrocity crimes.

Gender equality agency UN Women is “gravely concerned” by the arrest of at least 30 women in Herat city last weekend in Afghanistan for allegedly violating dress requirements imposed by Taliban authorities.  

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has launched a Global Alliance for Human Rights, a broad coalition aimed at placing the issue at the heart of decision-making, when conflict levels have reached a record high amid deepening inequality and accelerating climate change.

Three Indian seafarers were killed in an attack on an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, as renewed hostilities in one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors once again heightened concern over food security, fuel prices and broken global supply chains.

The biggest-ever football World Cup begins on Thursday, across three countries and two continents, with over 100 games. The UN is raising awareness of the game’s powerful capacity to serve as a platform for sustainable development and social justice.

Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives.

The UN's top human rights official has called for a 'massive rethink' of US immigration and security policies ahead of the World Cup, warning that racial profiling, surveillance and aggressive enforcement are already affecting teams, officials and supporters. 

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, conditions in southern Ukraine have rapidly deteriorated. Maintaining humanitarian operations has become an increasingly complex balancing act between enabling aid delivery and managing risk.

Nearly four months after the latest Middle East crisis erupted and despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran, tensions continue to reverberate across the region and beyond. The UN Security Council held a high-level debate on advancing political solutions in the Middle East on Wednesday, amid continuing conflicts, humanitarian emergencies and concerns over regional stability. Follow live in-depth meetings coverage here.

Escalating attacks on bridges, roads and other civilian infrastructure in Sudan are disrupting humanitarian access and putting civilians at further risk, the United Nations said on Tuesday.