New UN websites & publications
UN in General
Highlights of Security Council Practice 2025
https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/highlights-2025
In 2025, the Security Council held fewer meetings and informal consultations than in 2024, while recording an increase in informal interactive dialogues. With regard to its decisions, the Council adopted 44 resolutions and eight presidential statements, compared to 46 resolutions and seven presidential statements in 2024. The Council also issued fewer notes and press statements than in the previous year. The proportion of unanimously adopted resolutions decreased (61 percent in 2025 compared to 65 percent in 2024), while the number of failed draft resolutions and the number of vetoes declined compared to previous years.
In 2025, the Council dispatched two visiting missions: one to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and another to Lebanon and Syria.
https://sdgs.un.org/2026/PartnershipSnapshot
The 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum took place on 27 January 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, under the theme: “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for a sustainable future for all”.
As part of the preparations for the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum and its SDG Action Segments, the present Partnership Snapshot has been developed with the purpose to provide a concise and informative overview of various partnerships, with the aim of inspiring governments and stakeholders to actively engage in collaborations that advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
World Public Sector Report 2025: Supreme Audit Institutions and the Sustainable Development Goals (DESA)
https://desapublications.un.org/publications/world-public-sector-report-2025
https://data.wto.org/
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has revamped the WTO Data Portal, the principal gateway to all trade data published by the organization. A key feature of the portal is a new catalogue of WTO datasets allowing WTO members and other users to explore WTO data in one self-contained area instead of navigating various platforms. The new catalogue features a simple, user-friendly interface that allows quick access to WTO trade data and better support for trade policymaking by WTO members.
IFAD DigiHub
https://digihub.ifad.org/dam/
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has a new one-stop-shop for all our digital assets, including photos, videos, social media assets and more. By showcasing IFAD’s critical work in rural transformation, the DigiHub has an important role to play in driving global investment in a food-secure future.
see also: Dive into IFAD’s Governing Council with our new DigiHub (Explainer, 3 February 2026): https://www.ifad.org/en/w/explainers/dive-into-ifad-s-governing-council-with-our-new-digihub
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/ai4g/T-AI4G-AI4GOOD-2025-6-PDF-E.pdf
This report provides an analysis of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness study aimed at developing a framework for assessing AI Readiness, which indicates the ability to reap the benefits of AI integration. By studying the actors and characteristics in different domains, a bottom-up approach is followed, which allows us to find common patterns, metrics, and evaluation mechanisms for the integration of AI in these domains. The ITU AI Readiness framework aims to engage with multiple stakeholders around the world, assess and improve the level of integration of AI in various domains, study use cases to validate the weightage of the key factors in those domains, improve global AI capacity building, and foster opportunities for international collaboration.
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289062701
Air pollution remains a major public health concern, contributing to an estimated 6.7 million deaths globally each year. To communicate changing air quality to the public, many countries use air quality indexes (AQIs) as a tool to inform about short-term air quality conditions. The WHO Regional Office for Europe has released this new report offering practical guidance to bolster the ways in which air quality information is communicated and used to protect health. Conventional AQIs often rely on regulatory thresholds for single pollutants and do not reflect the combined health risks of multiple pollutants. This new report reviews current practices and highlights the benefits of health-based multipollutant indexes, which draw upon epidemiological evidence to provide a more accurate picture of health risks.
English: https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/410887
French: https://unece.org/fr/info/publications/pub/410887
This paper presents a set of harmonized definitions for cycling infrastructure developed by the UNECE Group of Experts on the Cycling Infrastructure Module (2022–2024). Drawing on recent developments across UNECE member countries, the Group recognized significant changes in cycling practices, infrastructure types, signage, and regulations. In response, it formulated standardized definitions intended for broad international use. The definitions cover both linear infrastructure such as cycle tracks, greenways, cycle lanes, sharrows, mixed-traffic roads, cycle streets, contraflow cycling streets, bus and cycle lanes, and cycle route networks, and non linear infrastructure, including cycle crossings, grade separated crossings, advanced stop lines, two stage turn provisions, cycle parking, and cyclist traffic light exemptions. Each definition is accompanied by an explanatory note detailing its source, examples of practical application, and relevant signage based on the 1968 Convention on Road Signs and Signals or national regulations. To support clarity, the paper also includes illustrative images of signs and infrastructure.
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/410995
The study provides an overview of forest information systems in the context of their application in forest policy and management. It outlines the FIS types and functions and analyses their application in the forest sector. It outlines how these technological advances can improve modern forest policy-making and natural resource management. It provides examples of FIS solutions and their implementation in selected countries. The study is complemented by the separate practical guide, which details the needs, opportunities and constraints for developing/improving forest information systems for the forest sector.
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/410888
The guide was designed for national analysts, policymakers and forestry professionals looking for a deeper understanding of the needs, opportunities and constraints of developing/ improving forest information systems for forest sector activities and sustainable forest management. It guides users through the process of performing a strategic analysis. This practical guide includes several exercises covering all stages of the analysis. The exercises define the potential scope of a forest information system development programme in the forest sector. Throughout this process, an attempt is made to specify possible objectives, stakeholders involved, methods and means, as well as challenges of future implementation.
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44236
The paper examines the European Union’s efforts to promote economic and social integration. Despite significant convergence across EU member states, regional inequalities persist, particularly between urban centers and lagging rural areas, fueling Euroscepticism and political polarization. To counter these issues, the paper proposes a three-pronged strategy to strengthen social integration. The European Social Fund+, a vital component of Cohesion Policies, could focus on targeted social assistance programs, such as the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), and combine them with “case management,” enhancing the effectiveness of social policies in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable groups. Second, administrative capacities at the local level should be enhanced to ensure an efficient use of Cohesion Policy funds. Finally, the paper recommends fostering policy innovation and rigorous evaluation to adapt social policies to evolving economic challenges, including population aging, technological shifts, and the green transition. This approach could maximize the impact of EU social policies, addressing rising disparities within and between regions to promote a more inclusive and resilient Union.
https://www.undp.org/publications/crisis-resilience-climate-solutions-positive-peacebuilding
This publication brings together practical, country-led experiences that illustrate how climate action can also contribute to peace and stability in fragile and conflict-affected settings. As climate impacts intensify – from water scarcity and land degradation to extreme weather and displacement – the risks to livelihoods, social cohesion and governance are increasing, particularly where institutions and resources are already under strain. Drawing on ten case studies from Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan, the compendium highlights how climate adaptation, mitigation and finance can be designed and implemented with peace-positive approaches. The cases span a range of sectors, including water and energy access, sustainable land management, climate-resilient livelihoods, gender-responsive approaches and data-driven decision-making.
https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/publication/2026youthreport
The report Lead with youth released by the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, in partnership with the UN Youth Office, is a response to the 2022 Youth Declaration of the Transforming Education Summit. It provides the first global baseline assessment of how governments engage youth and student organizations in education legislation and policymaking. Based on surveys issued to both governments as well as youth and student organizations worldwide, the findings paint a picture of participation without meaning: young people invited to the table but not truly heard.
https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:10445/Global_Water_Bankruptcy_Report__2026_.pdf
Amid chronic groundwater depletion, water overallocation, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and pollution, all compounded by global heating, this UN report – released on 20 January 2026 – declared the dawn of an era of global water bankruptcy, inviting world leaders to facilitate “honest, science-based adaptation to a new reality.” It argues that the familiar terms “water stressed” and “water crisis” fail to reflect today’s reality in many places: a post-crisis condition marked by irreversible losses of natural water capital and an inability to bounce back to historic baselines.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116313
As cities continue to grow, safe public spaces for children to play, move and connect are shrinking. This new global guide released on 21 January 2026 by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and UN-Habitat calls on governments and city leaders to put children at the centre of urban design, arguing that public spaces are essential to children’s health, development and well-being. The guide provides practical, evidence-informed guidance to help cities create streets, parks and public places that are safer, more inclusive and more resilient, while advancing equity, climate action and healthier urban living for all.
Location efficiency and accessibility of E-Mobility: mobility needs and infrastructure planning (UNECE)
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/411090
Recognizing the complexity of energy-transport interlinkages in the context of sustainable mobility, the mandate of the Informal Task Force on Electric Mobility for 2024-2026 outlined in ECE/TRANS/2024/21, comprised a set of thematic clusters. The discussions during the first session of the Informal Task Force on Electric Mobility in 2024 and the subsequent online questionnaire, led to the selection of four priority clusters/subclusters for inclusion in the work plan for 2024–2025, including Cluster E titled “Explore the concept of location efficiency and accessibility in terms of infrastructure planning and reducing mobility needs by linking buildings, industry, transport, and infrastructure through land use” overseen by the Sustainable Energy subprogramme and, in particular, the Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency.
This material presents the finalized outcomes of the Cluster E work in 2024-2025, building on thematic discussions at UNECE Sustainable Energy Week 2025 and sessions of UNECE Working Party on Transport Trends and Economics and the UNECE Working Party on Intermodal Transport and Logistics – incorporating views, findings, insights, and interpretations from these discussions.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240118324
Healthy food in schools can help children develop healthy dietary habits for life, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which released these new global guideline on evidence-based policies and interventions to create healthy school food environments. For the first time, WHO is advising countries to adopt a whole-school approach that ensures food and beverages provided in schools and available throughout the broader school food environments are healthy and nutritious. Childhood overweight and obesity are rising globally, while undernutrition remains a persistent challenge. Schools are on the front line of this double burden of malnutrition. In 2025, about 1 in 10 school-aged children and adolescents – 188 million – were living with obesity worldwide, surpassing for the first time the number of children who are underweight.
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/409726
Addressing the triple challenge of reducing physical inactivity, promoting mental health and providing healthy and sustainable mobility options of review studies and the growing body of evidence on the impacts of active mobility across a wide range of mental health conditions in all age groups. It also collates evidence-based, practical tips and good-practice project examples to promote further investments into active mobility as well as research into its effects on mental health, to help address the dramatic burden of mental ill-health and physical inactivity across Europe. Overall, the findings are encouraging. They support investments into the promotion of safe active mobility, which can help enhance mental health and well-being for all age groups, along with physical health and sustainability.
https://www.unep.org/resources/state-finance-nature-2026
For every US$1 the world invests in protecting nature, it spends US$30 on destroying it. This stark imbalance is the central finding of this new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released on 22 January 2026. It calls for a major shift in global financing of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and phasing out harmful investments to deliver high returns, reduce risk exposure, and enhance resilience.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240118980
Urgent action is needed to strengthen national water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems so countries can accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and protect health, especially in the face of growing climate-related risks and recurring disease outbreaks. New findings from the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) report developed jointly by WHO and UNICEF, provide a comprehensive picture of what is holding WASH services back. The analysis draws on data from 105 countries and territories (covering 62% of the global population) and 21 development partners, including UN agencies, multilateral financing institutions, and international nongovernmental organizations.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396955
UNESCO has published the second edition of Story-Based Inquiry: A Manual for Investigative Journalists, offering a comprehensive update of its 2009 global reference handbook. The new edition reflects how investigative journalism has evolved in the digital age, particularly in response to the rise of collaborative investigative journalism highlighted in UNESCO’s 2025 World Trends Report. Responding to the realities of today’s investigative work, the updated manual has been expanded to nine chapters. It integrates lessons from major global investigations and incorporates tools that shape modern practice: open-source intelligence, advanced data analysis, digital platforms, and cross-border collaboration.
International Peace and Security
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44148
Climate change is widely recognized as a driver of violent conflict, but its broader social effects remain less understood. Ignoring these dimensions risks a vicious cycle where climate policies might undermine socially just adaptation. Evidence is still limited on how climate shocks influence political participation, trust, or migration. This paper helps fill that gap by examining links between climate change, conflict, and social sustainability, with a focus on inclusion, resilience, cohesion, and legitimacy.
Concept note for the high-level open debate of the Security Council on the theme “Reaffirming international rule of law: pathways to reinvigorating peace, justice and multilateralism”
English, French & Spanish: https://docs.un.org/S/2026/28
The Federal Republic of Somalia, in its capacity as the President of the Security Council for the month of January 2026, held an open debate entitled “Reaffirming international rule of law: pathways to reinvigorating peace, justice and multilateralism” on 26 January 2026. This concept note was prepared for the event.
Report: https://www.undp.org/publications/service-delivery-and-non-state-actors-lessons-engagement-fragile-and-conflict-affected-settings
Practice Note: https://www.undp.org/publications/practice-note-supporting-rights-based-governance-fragile-and-conflict-affected-settings
In fragile and conflict-affected settings, formal state institutions are often constrained and unable to deliver basic services. In such contexts, non-state actors – including civil society organisations, youth groups, customary, political, or religious leaders – play a critical role in service provision, including healthcare, justice, security, and education. Their engagement has contributed to the emergence of hybrid governance systems, in which state and non-state actors operate in interconnected ways to meet the needs of local populations. Drawing on case studies from the Liptako Gourma region in the Sahel, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, this report explores the political and normative implications of international engagement, with non-state actors, as well as the associated trade-offs and enabling factors. It proposes an analytical framework for understanding how engagement with non-state actors can support rights-based governance principles and contribute to strengthening or restoring the social contract. The report was developed through a partnership between UNDP and the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) Unit for Democracy and Governance.
Human Rights
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396980
More than three quarters of surveyed teachers in the European Union (EU) have encountered antisemitic incidents in their classroom, according to this report published by UNESCO with the support of the European Commission on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The survey also shows alarmingly high levels of Holocaust denial and physical violence against Jewish students. Drawing from 2,030 teachers from 23 European Union countries, UNESCO’s new report provides the first European study of trends in teachers’ perceptions and experiences of antisemitism in the classroom. The data shows that more than three quarters (78%) of surveyed teachers have encountered at least one antisemitic incident between students, while over a quarter of them (27%) had witnessed nine or more such incidents.
see also:
• UNESCO launches new online course to help educators teach about histories of violence (27 January 2026): https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-launches-new-online-course-help-educators-teach-about-histories-violence
• A decade of action against antisemitism (26 January 2026): https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/decade-action-against-antisemitism
Environmental Rights Bulletin (OHCHR / UNEP)
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/tools-and-resources/environmental-rights-bulletin
https://www.unep.org/resources/newsletter/environmental-rights-bulletin
This “Environmental Rights Bulletin”, produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) aims to support a growing community of practice between the two entities. It showcases best practices related to processes at the country, regional and global levels of relevance to the human rights-environment nexus.
Report & Infographics: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/israels-discriminatory-administration-occupied-west-bank-including-east
A comprehensive UN Human Rights Office report released on 7 January 2026 details the asphyxiating impact of Israel’s laws, policies and practices on every aspect of daily life for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The report warns that Israel is violating international law requiring States to prohibit and eradicate racial segregation and apartheid. Systemic discrimination against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a long-standing concern, the report notes, adding that the situation has drastically deteriorated since at least December 2022. The report contains numerous illustrative examples of how increasingly constrained and insecure life has become for Palestinians.
Humanitarian Affairs
https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/120944
This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, jointly developed by UNHCR and IOM, is intended to provide clarity on the route-based approach, its rationale, and application within the broader context of mixed movements. It addresses common questions raised by diverse stakeholders and partners (including governments, UN and other international organizations, NGOs, civil society, local authorities, refugees and migrants), offering concise explanations of key concepts, strategic objectives, and operational implications. The FAQ aims to support a shared understanding of how the route-based approach contributes to protection-sensitive asylum and migration management, enhances inclusion, and informs coordinated responses along displacement and migration routes. This is a living document to be updated as the approach evolves, new insights emerge, and further questions are raised by stakeholders and partners.
https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/120820
This new analysis of 6,000+ survey observations reveals that while 57% of Ukrainian refugees in Europe are employed, they remain 22 percentage points behind host-country nationals. Beyond the participation gap, the report uncovers a “de-skilling” crisis: 60% work below their skill level, with tertiary-educated refugees five times more likely than locals to hold low-skilled positions. This structural mismatch drives a significant wage gap and prevents host countries from realizing potential GDP gains of up to 0.7 percentage points per year.
English: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/120941
French: https://data.unhcr.org/fr/documents/details/120942
Spanish: https://data.unhcr.org/es/documents/details/120943
This Rescue Guide jointly developed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Maritime Organization and the International Chamber of Shipping, providing guidance on relevant legal provisions and practical procedures to ensure the prompt disembarkation of persons rescued at sea and to meet their specific needs, with a particular focus on refugees and migrants. The present guide builds on an earlier version published in 2015.
https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:10446/Unlocking_AI_s_Potential_to_Serve_Humanity.pdf
This report examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity and the planet, including climate change, humanitarian crises, food insecurity and gaps in access to health and education. Drawing on nearly a decade of work under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)–led AI for Good platform, the report focuses on three AI domains that have demonstrated particular relevance for the public good: robotics, geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) and AI for communications networks.
Justice and International Law
Audiovisual Library of International Law – new addition
• Marine Environment: The BBNJ Agreement, by Cymie Payne, Professor at Rutgers University: https://legal.un.org/avl/ls/Payne_LS.html
Drug Control, Crime Prevention and Counter-terrorism
Hidden Links: Facilitating Criminal Activities While Exploiting E-Commerce (UNICRI)
https://unicri.org/Publication-Hidden-Links-Facilitating-Criminal-Activities-While-Exploiting-E-Commerce
Newsletter Archive: https://unric.org/en/unric-info-point-library-newsletter-archive