The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know (Jan-Jun 2026)

What you need to know about the United Nations response to the conflict in the Middle East.

30 June

  • Secretary-General’s remarks at the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to UNRWA (OSSG)
  • Strait of Hormuz Disruptions (UNCTAD)

29 June

  • Security Council Briefing – 29 June 2026 (SCR 2334) (UNSCO)
  • UN Relief Chief tells Security Council Gaza civilians cannot wait for diplomacy (OCHA)
  • Middle East conflict fallout pushes countries toward US$1 trillion fossil fuel subsidy bill, warns UN Development Programme (UNDP)

25 June

  • War, hunger and hope in Gaza: WFP-EU art show draws crowds across Europe (WFP)

23 June

  • GAZA / CHILDREN MUSIC (UNifeed)
  • Israel continues to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes by deliberately targeting Palestinian children (OHCHR)
  • IMO announces evacuation plan in the Strait of Hormuz (IMO)

22 June

  • Mr. Indrika Ratwatte, Acting ASG for Humanitarian Affairs, on behalf of Mr. Tom Fletcher, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – Briefing to the Security Council on Syria (OCHA)

19 June

  • Geneva Palais Briefing: A child a day: The deadly illusion of Gaza’s ceasefire (UNICEF)
  • Iran peace deal must not come at the cost of human rights, warn UN experts (OHCHR)
  • Hundreds of displaced from south receive UNIFIL assistance (UNIFIL)

18 June

US-Iran deal: technical work can begin, says atomic energy agency

© IAEA An IAEA staff member analyses material in the organization's plutonium laboratory in Austria.
© IAEA An IAEA staff member analyses material in the organization’s plutonium laboratory in Austria.

The head of the UN-affiliated atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures such as verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a key sticking point. (UN News)

  • IAEA on signing of initial Iran-US memorandum (UNOG Newsroom)
  • Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (OHCHR)

17 June

  • UNIFIL naval peacekeepers help Lebanese Navy take on maritime security duties (UNIFIL)
  • Lebanon: 12 children killed, maimed daily, despite Hezbollah-Israel truce (UN News)

15 June

  • IMO Secretary-General welcomes US-Iran agreement (IMO)
  • While world waits for details on Iran-US accord, UN calls for Hormuz aid corridor (UN News)
  • Statement by Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, to the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council (OHCHR)

The UN Charter remains humanity’s best hope for peace.

Amid geopolitical divisions, member countries must uphold it & ensure that the UN lives up to what it was meant to be:

A forum for solutions.

A guardian of international law.

And a force for peace and security.

António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations (27 May 2026)

KEY RESOURCES

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Highlighted (confirmed) incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East (IMO)

United Nations

AskDag: Where can I find information about the State of Palestine's participation at the UN?

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