New UN websites & publications
TOPIC OF THE MONTH: FORESTS
https://forests.desa.un.org/documents/global-forest-goals-report-2026
With less than five years remaining to 2030—and forests, a key driver of climate resilience, livelihoods and food security, under threat— the United Nations launched The Global Forest Goals Report 2026 on 11 May 2026, calling for forests to remain at the centre of policy and investment decisions.
The report provides the most up-to-date global assessment of progress towards implementing the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030 and its six Global Forest Goals. Its release comes at a pivotal moment, as forests are increasingly recognized as central to delivering the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the global climate agenda and biodiversity commitments.
Based on voluntary national reports submitted by 48 countries representing 51 per cent of the global forest area and informed by the latest global data, the report shows that progress is being made, but not at the pace or scale required to achieve the Goals by 2030.
Further information:
- United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF): https://forests.desa.un.org/
- Global Forest Goals: https://forests.desa.un.org/global-forest-goals
- UNRIC Library Backgrounder on Forests: https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-forests/
- FAO Publications on Forests: https://www.fao.org/forestry/publications/en
- UNECE Publications on Forests : https://unece.org/publications/forests
- United Nations Sonian Forest Trail: https://unric.org/en/united-nations-sonian-soignes-zonienwoud-walking-trail/
UN in General
Report of the Secretary-General, 26 May 2026
https://www.un.org/un80-initiative/en/media/629
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued on 26 May 2026 this progress report on the UN80 Initiative, outlining reforms underway across the UN system and urging strong Member States’ engagement to move the process forward.
“The status quo is untenable,” he warns, arguing that the choice is between planned reform, led by Member States, or externally imposed, crisis-driven change.
The report places the Initiative in a new “decisive phase”. It shows where UN80 has generated movement, and how reform proposals are advancing along their decision pathways. It distinguishes issues that are ready, or nearly ready, for decision-making from those requiring further design and consultation. It also makes clear where political support and decisions are now needed to carry reform all the way.
see also: UN80 Initiative: ‘Critical new phase’ for UN reform effort (UN News, 26 May 2026): https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167593
https://www.un.org/scientific-advisory-board/en/podcast-science-forward
The first episode of Science Forward, the podcast of the Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board, was launched in May 2026. Featuring world-leading scientists, Science Forward explores today’s challenges, from AI and biotechnology to climate and health.
https://www.un.org/regularprocess/woa3
https://woa.un.org/
The third World Ocean Assessment (WOA III), the only global integrated assessment of the world’s ocean covering environmental, economic and social aspects, is the main output of the third cycle of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the States of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects.
WOA III is a collective effort of interdisciplinary writing teams made up of more than 650 experts, providing an important scientific basis for the consideration of ocean issues by Governments, intergovernmental processes, and all policy-makers and others involved in ocean affairs. It provides scientific information on the state of the marine environment in a comprehensive and integrated manner to support decisions and actions for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goal 14, as well as the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
AI in human resource management: The limits of empiricism (ILO Working Paper 154)
https://www.ilo.org/publications/ai-human-resource-management-limits-empiricism
This paper critically examines the use of AI in human resource management, showing how flawed objectives, biased data, and opaque programming undermine its effectiveness. It challenges the optimism surrounding AI’s promise of efficiency and fairness in recruitment, pay, scheduling, and performance management.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09667
The World Health Organization published this discussion paper examining how AI is reshaping the way health policy is made and what is needed to ensure those changes strengthen, rather than weaken, the evidence base on which decisions rest.
“The policy conversation on AI has focused on clinical care. This paper redirects attention to where the evidence base is actually being shaped: how problems are defined, how options are designed, how impact is assessed. Member States need a common framework for governing AI across that entire cycle. This paper provides a starting point.” said Dr Alain Labrique, Director of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI at WHO.
The new paper, developed jointly by the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI and the Department of Science for Health, sets out to fill the gap. It is intended to be applicable to a diverse audience, including policy-makers, regulators, health managers and AI developers.
Atlas of Global Development 2026 (World Bank)
https://data360.worldbank.org/en/int/atlas/
The Atlas presents interactive storytelling and data visualizations on key global trends related to people, prosperity, our planet, infrastructure, and digital transformation.
https://unece.org/info/publications/pub/414314
Product safety affects everyone. Every day, consumers rely on products ranging from household appliances and children’s toys to connected digital devices, often without considering the systems that help ensure those products are safe. In a global economy, where products move through complex international supply chains and are increasingly sold online, effective product safety frameworks are more important than ever.
This publication explains the fundamentals of product safety in clear and accessible language. It explores why product safety matters, the roles of regulators, standards bodies, industry and consumers, and how safety risks are managed throughout a product’s lifecycle. It also examines emerging challenges such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence and cross-border trade.
https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/49555
Scientists say the Earth is likely to shoot past a key global warming target within the decade, bringing the planet ever closer to a full-blown climate catastrophe.
The good news?
Several climate-friendly technologies – like renewable energy – may be approaching tipping points in which they become mainstream, finds a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). These transitions could allow humanity to break free of fossil fuels in some sectors and make a meaningful dent in the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming.
These tipping points are not guaranteed, found this report. They hinge on clear and sustained policies, investment, and public support to fulfill their potential. But their approach gives those on the frontlines of the climate battle reason for hope because once progress reaches a certain point, it can become self-reinforcing.
https://www.undp.org/publications/energy-sprint-ai-race
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a transformative tool in the pursuit of sustainable energy for development, offering new ways to accelerate progress toward universal energy access, decarbonization, and resilience. This paper explores how AI can enhance decision-making, optimize energy systems, and enable more inclusive, data-driven policy and planning in low- and middle-income countries. AI applications in energy forecasting, smart grids, demand management, and predictive maintenance can improve efficiency and reliability, particularly in decentralized renewable energy systems. Moreover, AI-powered geospatial analysis and natural language processing can unlock insights from large datasets, helping to identify underserved communities, tailor interventions, and monitor impact in real time.
However, realizing the full potential of AI in sustainable energy requires addressing key challenges. These include data scarcity, limited digital infrastructure, algorithmic bias, and the need for transparent, inclusive governance frameworks. The paper emphasizes the importance of capacity-building, cross-sector partnerships, and ethical AI design to ensure that AI tools are accessible, equitable, and aligned with development priorities.
Ultimately, AI offers a powerful opportunity to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable energy efforts—if deployed responsibly. By centering equity, transparency, and local ownership, AI can support a just energy transition that leaves no one behind.
https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/environmental-cost-of-AIs-Enrgy-Use-Carbon-water-and-land-footprints
This report, published by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) on its 30th anniversary, examines one of the most underexplored consequences of AI’s rapid expansion: the environmental footprints of the energy required to power it. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in economies, public services, research, communication, and everyday life, it depends on a growing physical infrastructure of data centers, advanced chips, cooling systems, electricity grids, water resources, land, and critical mineral supply chains. The report shows that AI is not only a digital technology, but also a material system with measurable environmental costs.
Expert Group Meeting report – Progress of the world’s women 2026: Gender equality in the age of climate crisis (UN Women)
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/06/expert-group-meeting-report-progress-of-the-worlds-women-2026-gender-equality-in-the-age-of-climate-crisis
This report summarizes the proceedings and key takeaways from an expert group meeting (EGM) convened by UN Women to inform the tenth edition of Progress of the world’s women. Bringing together leading feminist scholars, climate and environmental researchers, data experts, and advocates, the EGM tested and refined a feminist climate justice framework grounded in recognition, redistribution, representation, and reparation, and attentive to intersectional inequalities and the interdependence of people and nature.
https://www.who.int/news/item/15-05-2026-who-warns-nicotine-pouch-brands-targeting-youth-as-sales-surge
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a strong warning on 15 May 2026 over the rapid global expansion of nicotine pouch products, which are being aggressively marketed to adolescents and young people. WHO notes that regulation in many countries is limited or absent, raising concerns about youth nicotine addiction and related health risks.
The report comes in the lead-up to World No Tobacco Day (31 May), which this year will focus on tobacco and nicotine addiction and the tactics used by industry to hook a new generation of users.
Nicotine pouches are small sachets placed between the gum and lip that release nicotine through the lining of the mouth. They typically contain nicotine, flavourings, sweeteners and other additives. Retail sales of nicotine pouches reached over 23 billion units in 2024, increasing by more than 50% from previous year.
https://www.preventionweb.net/hubs/extreme-heat
The Extreme Heat Portal brings together trusted knowledge, data, and practical experience on extreme heat for audiences working across research, policy, and communication fields. The portal connects evidence, guidance, tools, and real-world solutions to support informed understanding and effective action on heat risk.
see also: UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Extreme Heat / Heatwaves – Selected Online Resources: https://unric.org/en/unric-library-backgrounder-extreme-heat/
https://doi.org/10.4060/cd9357en
The growing use of recycled plastic in food packaging and other food contact materials offers clear environmental benefits but also raises crucial chemical safety concerns that underscore the need for discussion on globally harmonized standards, according to this new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The report, published on 13 March 2026, comes amid a steady rise in the global food packaging market – estimated at $505.27 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $815.51 billion by 2030.
Snacks, ready‑made meals, fast food, confectionery, and bottled beverages illustrate how shifting consumption patterns and lifestyle changes are fueling demand for food packaging.
A framework for assessing climate change and disaster-related losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services (UNU-EHS)
https://unu.edu/publication/framework-assessing-climate-change-and-disaster-related-losses-biodiversity-and
This report introduces a framework for assessing climate change and disaster-related losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services. In response to ecosystem degradation, biodiversity declines and cascading impacts on human well-being, this framework aims to fill data gaps through a standardized approach to identifying, monitoring and assessing such losses.
https://content.unops.org/publications/From-rubble-to-resource_EN.pdf
As conflicts and climate-related natural disasters increase globally, millions of tonnes of debris are generated every year. Without effective management, this debris can delay recovery, increase costs and prolong the suffering of affected people.
– In the Gaza Strip there are more than 60 million tonnes of rubble: the capacity of nearly 3,000 container ships. On average every person in Gaza today is surrounded by 30 tonnes of rubble.
– In 2024, conflict in Lebanon generated 14.5 million metric tonnes, while the 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquake generated approximately 210 million metric tonnes.
This UNOPS report just out provides practical solutions to reuse rubble and accelerate recovery and reconstruction efforts for the affected communities.
While rubble overwhelms local systems, damages ecosystems and generates greenhouse gas emissions, it is not mere waste. The report highlights how to reuse and manage rubble after disasters and conflicts.
https://library.wmo.int/records/item/69882-wmo-global-annual-to-decadal-climate-update
Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, with Arctic temperature anomalies expected to continue to be higher than the global mean, according to this new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), produced by the UK Met Office.
The Global Annual-to-Decadal Update takes a look at the observed climate over the past five years and gives regional predictions for temperatures and precipitation over the next five years. Annual global mean near-surface temperatures during 2026–2030 are predicted to range between 1.3°C and 1.9°C above the 1850-1900 average. It is likely (86% chance) that one year between 2026 and 2030 will surpass 2024 as the warmest year on record, according to the update.
It is very likely (91% chance) that the global mean near-surface temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average levels for at least one year between 2026 and 2030. This level was also temporarily exceeded in 2024.
https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/49531
Decarbonisation of the buildings and construction sector has slowed, leaving it both a major emissions source and increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts and energy price shocks, according to this new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).
The tenth edition of the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction assesses progress across the sector using seven key indicators covering policies, finance, technologies, and investment aligned with global commitments towards a 2050 net-zero emissions pathway.
Published amid a global housing and energy affordability crisis, the report highlights how climate action in buildings can reduce energy bills, improve living conditions, and strengthen resilience to climate impacts, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
https://commons.wmu.se/lib_reports/98/
The World Maritime University (WMU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) released this new handbook on 18 May 2026, calling for action to address persistent gender inequality across the global maritime industry.
The handbook provides practical guidance for maritime administrations, shipping companies, ports, shipyards and maritime education institutions on how to integrate gender considerations into policies, recruitment, training, workplace safety and leadership development.
It includes tools tailored to maritime organizations for gender analysis, the development of gender equality action plans, and monitoring and evaluation.
English: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398121
French: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398122
Spanish: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398124
UNESCO’s first Higher Education Global Trends Report shows that the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide has more than doubled over the past two decades, reaching 269 million in 2024. International mobility has tripled over the same period, with nearly 7.3 million students studying abroad, half of them hosted in European and North American countries. Women now outnumber men in higher education but lag behind at doctoral level. Serious geographical inequalities remain with lower enrolment and completion rates in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
How Effective Are Emission Trading Systems in Reducing Emissions? Empirical Evidence from the EU, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 11371)
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44794
Emission trading schemes are among the primary pricing instruments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, more than 35 emission trading schemes are in operation around the world at multinational, national, and subnational levels. How effective these systems are in reducing emissions is a key empirical question. This study examines the effectiveness of three large-scale emission trading schemes implemented by the European Union, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The study employs a generalized synthetic control method on data from 2005–20. The findings show that the EU emission trading scheme led to a cumulative reduction of 21.3 percent in carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity sector and 15.6 lower total carbon dioxide emissions, relative to a scenario with no emission trading scheme. In New Zealand, the emission trading scheme had no statistically significant effect on total national carbon dioxide emissions—largely because nearly half of New Zealand’s emissions come from agriculture, a sector not covered by the country’s emission trading scheme. The effectiveness of Korea’s emission trading scheme varied substantially across phases. Although initially it did not halt the rise in emissions, it became a progressively strong driver of decarbonization over time.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398298
This new issue brief highlights the growing role of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in strengthening information integrity, promoting critical thinking, and building resilience against online hate speech, disinformation and harmful digital content.
The issue brief presents Media and Information Literacy as a key preventive and educational response to hate speech. It emphasizes the importance of empowering individuals to critically engage with information, understand how digital environments function, and participate meaningfully in online spaces while safeguarding freedom of expression and human rights.
One-Fifth of the World’s Population Is at High Risk of Climate-Related Hazards (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 11380)
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44886
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. When these events occur, they threaten lives and livelihoods. This paper estimates the global population at high risk of climate-related hazards by combining household-level vulnerability data with local exposure to four types of events: agricultural droughts in rural areas, floods, heatwaves, and cyclones. Under current climate conditions, 4.5 billion people are expected to experience these hazards at intensities exceeding hazard-specific thresholds chosen to capture the likely occurrence of systemic impacts within a lifetime. One-third of this population is considered highly vulnerable, based on seven dimensions that influence ability to cope and recover: income, education, access to finance, social protection, drinking water, electricity, and access to services and markets. Overall, one in five people globally are considered at high risk, meaning they are both likely to experience at least one of these hazards and face severely limited capacity to recover from their impacts. Although the share of the global population at high risk has nearly halved since 2010 due to decreased vulnerability, the number of people exposed has increased, and progress has been uneven across regions. This study introduces a new global population headcount indicator based on household survey data and high-resolution spatial data to monitor climate risks across countries and over time.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240120785
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched this guide to help countries and organizations scale up psychological self-help interventions, aiming to expand access to evidence-based mental health care.
It provides practical advice on planning, adapting and delivering self-help, with or without support from trained non-specialists. More than one billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition, yet many lack access to effective care. Psychological self-help interventions are one way to help close this gap, offering structured techniques that people can use on their own, supported by minimal human resources. They can be delivered in communities, or remotely at scale.
Evidence shows self-help approaches are effective, particularly for depression and anxiety, and they have already been recommended in WHO guidelines for a range of mental health, brain health and substance use conditions. Their ability to reach large numbers of people remotely makes them especially valuable in low-resource and crisis-affected settings. The new guide draws on extensive work by WHO and partners with populations in various countries.
Public Institutions in the Age of AI: Emerging Practices (World Bank)
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44855
This paper examines how governments are translating international principles for the use of AI into practice across public institutions. By reviewing global experiences, seven practice areas were identified. These demonstrate how governments have taken concrete steps to operationalize principles and highlight several key takeaways as well as providing some cautionary tales from early adopters. Each practice area is linked to relevant principles and evidence of good practice, showcased through diverse country examples. To support implementation, the paper outlines a set of suggested activities, presented in annexed tables, which offer practical techniques governments may consider to operationalize responsible AI, reduce fragmentation, and build institutional capacity across the AI lifecycle.
https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/report-card-20
Economic inequality in wealthy countries is linked to worse physical health and poorer academic outcomes among children, according to this analysis published on 12 May 2026 by UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti.
It examines the relationship between economic inequalities and children’s wellbeing in 44 OECD and high-income countries and finds that, in most of these countries, rates of income inequality and child poverty remain stubbornly high. On average across the countries, households among the top 20 per cent of earners take home over five times more than the bottom 20 per cent, while, on average across countries, almost one in five children live in income poverty, meaning their basic needs may not be met.
https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/49463
Surging global demand for sand, driven by population, economic, urbanization and infrastructure growth, is outpacing sustainable sand supply, threatening the ecosystems and livelihoods on which we depend, according to this new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
Sand is extracted for various infrastructure needs that underpin modern society and development. It took nature hundreds of thousands of years to generate sand through gradual, geological erosion processes. Yet we are using sand at the staggering rate of 50 billion tonnes per year; its use for buildings alone is projected to rise by up to 45 per cent by 2060. We are extracting it faster than it replenishes – this is the sand gap.
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/44859
This World Bank report examines the urgent need to scale up climate adaptation finance in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), a region increasingly exposed to severe climate risks such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires. It highlights that adaptation investment needs—estimated at 1–5 percent of GDP annually, far exceed current finance flows, which remain among the lowest globally. Despite strong economic and social returns on adaptation investments, including high benefit-cost ratios and resilience dividends, the region faces a significant financing gap driven by both limited demand for investment-ready projects and constrained supply of finance. The report identifies key barriers to adaptation investment, including insufficient climate risk data, weak regulatory frameworks, limited fiscal preparedness, and underdeveloped financial markets. It also highlights that adaptation finance is heavily reliant on public sources, with minimal private sector participation. To address these challenges, the report proposes a comprehensive framework that combines policy reforms, improved institutional coordination, enhanced climate information systems, and innovative financing mechanisms such as blended finance, green bonds, and results-based instruments. Ultimately, the report argues that closing the adaptation finance gap will require strengthening both public and private investment ecosystems, aligning incentives, and integrating climate resilience into fiscal and financial decision-making. By doing so, countries in Europe and Central Asia can protect development gains, reduce future losses, and build long-term economic and environmental resilience.
English: https://library.wmo.int/idurl/4/69843
Spanish: https://library.wmo.int/idurl/4/69851
The WMO State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2025, is the sixth edition of climate reports published annually for this region and has involved National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), WMO Regional Climate Centres (RCCs), and several research institutions, as well as United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations. The report provides the status of key climate indicators and information on climate-related impacts and risks. It addresses specific physical science, socio-economic and policy-related aspects that are relevant to LAC and responds to Members needs in the fields of climate monitoring, climate change and climate services.
Strait of Hormuz Disruptions: The burden of oil price shocks on vulnerable economies (UNCTAD)
https://unctad.org/publication/strait-hormuz-disruptions-burden-oil-price-shocks-vulnerable-economies
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are sending shockwaves through the global energy system.
Vulnerable economies are on the front line: of 75 economies – least developed countries and small island developing states – 65 depend on imported oil.
For these countries, rising energy prices will translate into higher costs and difficult trade-offs between covering fuel bills and investing in essential public services. This will affect nearly 1 billion lives.
https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/UNU-INWEH-Report-water-quality-mirror-and-magnifier-structural-inequalities-and-social-injustice
Unsafe drinking water is not just a technical problem. It is a sign of deeper inequality, concludes this new investigation of the state of water quality in 138 countries by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU‑INWEH). The report shows that poor water quality mirrors and worsens poverty and gender inequality across the Global South.
The UN University scientists find that how rich a country is and how fairly men and women are treated mirrors its drinking water safety to a good extent. In nearly 75% of the analyzed countries, water safety is correlated with wealth and gender equality. This does not suggest that investment in water infrastructure is unimportant. Instead, it suggests that pipes and treatment plants on their own would not guarantee improved water quality. The UN scientists conclude that what matters, along with the state of water infrastructure, is whether a country can afford to maintain those systems and whether everyone, including women, has equal power, protection, and access to services.
https://unhabitat.org/world-cities-report-2026
https://unhabitat.org/nearly-half-of-humanity-caught-in-a-global-housing-crisis
Nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population – around 3 billion people – are now affected by a global housing crisis marked by soaring costs, housing shortages, poor-quality living conditions and inadequate access to basic urban services such as water and sanitation, according to the latest edition of the World Cities Report released by UN-Habitat on 19 May 2026.
The report launched during the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum, warns that the crisis is deepening rapidly across both developed and developing countries and threatens progress towards sustainable development worldwide.
International Peace and Security
https://www.undp.org/publications/programming-climate-peace-and-security-thematic-review-and-guidance-note
This publication provides a comprehensive review of emerging programming approaches at the intersection of climate, peace and security (CPS), drawing on UNDP’s operational experience across fragile and conflict-affected contexts worldwide. Developed through a thematic review of 15 projects implemented across 28 countries, the report examines how climate-related security risks are being addressed through integrated approaches that advance both climate resilience and peacebuilding outcomes.
The review’s findings highlight how climate impacts on natural resources, livelihoods, mobility, governance and social cohesion can deepen fragility and insecurity, while also demonstrating how inclusive and context-specific climate action can strengthen cooperation, resilience and peace dividends. Through case studies and field-based examples spanning Africa, Central Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, it identifies key operational lessons, thematic trends, financing models and partnership approaches shaping the evolving CPS area of practice. Building on these findings, the publication offers practical guidance for policymakers, practitioners and development partners. It provides recommendations on risk assessment, project design, implementation, stakeholder engagement and monitoring, contributing to a more coherent, scalable and evidence-based approach to CPS programming.
Human Rights
Conflict-related sexual violence: Report of the Secretary-General (S/2026/321)
English, French & Spanish: https://docs.un.org/S/2026/321
Nearly 10,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were recorded worldwide last year – more than double the previous year’s figure – as rape, sexual slavery and abduction were deployed as weapons of war across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean.
Releasing the UN’s annual report on 29 May 2026, Special Representative Pramila Patten said the numbers reflected a deepening global trend, with rising insecurity, displacement and dwindling resources for survivors all fuelling the crisis.
“In 2025 documented cases of sexual violence as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism and political repression marked by extreme brutality and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls increased dramatically,” she told reporters at UN Headquarters.
The report verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence during 2025 – however, Ms. Patten stressed the figure does not reflect the brutal reality.
In Their Own Words: Voices of Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Service-Providers (OSRSG-SVC)
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/in-their-own-words-voices-of-survivors-of-conflict-related-sexual-violence-and-service-providers/
The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) has published this anthology, which spans a dozen countries and includes more than 150 testimonies from conflicts ranging from 1992 to the present, survivors and service-providers speak in their own words.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/overview-report-practices-and-policies-affecting-human-rights-occupied
This report provides an overview of the human rights situation and key trends and developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory encompassing Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2025, complements other OHCHR reports covering overlapping periods of time by including information not previously covered.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/studies-and-research/pushed-shadows-evidencing-digital-surveillance-chilling-effects-and
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, presents “Pushed into the Shadows: Evidencing digital surveillance chilling effects and the erosion of the rights to freedom of assembly and of association”. This Global Study documents the profound impact that pervasive digital monitoring exerts on fundamental public freedoms. Moving beyond traditional privacy-centric narratives, the Study details how contemporary surveillance ecosystems induce serious chilling effects. Surveillance-induced chilling effects arise when individuals change their behaviour because they are concerned about the consequences of actual, suggested or perceived monitoring. As detailed in the Study, chilling effects directly undermine the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and participation in public affairs. By centering the lived experiences of 152 activists, human rights defenders and journalists across 84 States, the Study establishes that digital surveillance is no longer just a targeted measure against specific actors, but a systemic threat to a functioning democracy.
https://www.unfpa.org/publications/shining-light-reproductive-violence-contribution-understanding-all-forms-gender-based
By examining experiences of reproductive coercion, mistreatment during childbirth and restricted access to services, this report highlights a broader pattern of control over women’s bodies that has not been sufficiently recognized or addressed. It provides a definition and conceptual framework for reproductive violence as a distinct form of gender-based violence operating at interpersonal, community, institutional and societal levels. At a time of increasing challenges to sexual and reproductive health and rights, this framework supports policy dialogue, research and advocacy to ensure that all women and girls can exercise their reproductive rights free from violence. It offers a fresh lens on human rights and gender equality at a time when reproductive freedoms are increasingly contested—and makes a clear call to recognize, confront, and prevent this deeply rooted form of harm.
Humanitarian Affairs
https://www.undp.org/asia-pacific/publications/afghanistan-socio-economic-review-mass-returns-time-growing-insecurity-2024-2025
Poverty in Afghanistan continues to deepen, with three in four Afghans – around 28 million people – unable to meet their most basic needs in 2025, as modest economic growth fails to keep pace with rapid population growth, declining international aid, worsening climate shocks, and ongoing restrictions on women’s rights, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The return of 2.9 million Afghans in 2025 alone is further straining already overstretched services and livelihoods.
This edition of UNDP’s Afghanistan Socioeconomic Review finds that while the share of Afghans living in subsistence insecurity remained unchanged, it is a story of returnees with an estimated 1.4 million additional people affected as more people returned to the country in 2025. Millions of families are facing growing hardships, lacking access to basic needs such as water, food, healthcare, housing, heating, and clothing. More than 80 percent of households are in debt, and nearly three quarters rely on negative coping strategies to manage getting through the day.
https://publications.iom.int/books/missing-migrants-eastern-southern-africa-route-characteristics-risks-and-recommendations
This report examines migrant deaths and disappearances along the Eastern Southern Africa Route focusing on Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and United Republic of Tanzania. Drawing on field and desk research, it explores migration journeys, migrant profiles and the protection risks that contribute to deaths and disappearances, including human trafficking. Despite these anecdotal risks, data on this route remain fragmented and incomplete, due to limited documentation capacities, low identification and reporting rates and the irregular nature of these movements – all which result in families often left in a state of ambiguous loss, struggling without answers about the fate of their loved ones. Between 2014 and 2024, the Missing Migrants Project recorded at least 484 deaths on this route, but the real figures are believed to be much higher. The findings highlight the magnitude of the fatal risks migrants face and the urgent need for stronger responses. The report concludes with actionable recommendations for governments and international organizations, in line with the United Nations Secretary General’s Recommendations on missing migrants, to strengthen prevention, data, search and identification, forensic capacity and cross-border cooperation.
https://data.unhcr.org/en/working-group/496?#mapping-services
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and ICVA, a global NGO network for principled and effective humanitarian action, launched a new online dashboard on 12 May 2026 to map protection and assistance services available to refugees and migrants along key routes, starting with the Western Africa Atlantic Route.
The tool provides a cross-regional overview of available services and urgent gaps. It aims to strengthen programme design and coordination, and to support referrals and improve planning and resource mobilization, while helping refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants access relevant, timely and tailored information, protection and assistance where they are. The plan is to gradually expand the product to other major mixed movements routes.
English, French & Spanish: https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/hottopics/pages/seamigration-default.aspx
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) released this revised Rescue Guide, a tool to help all partners uphold the humanitarian and legal duties to rescue refugees and migrants in distress at sea and bring them to safety.
The revised edition of the guide comes as tragic shipwrecks continue to highlight the urgent need for stronger collective action to prevent further loss of life among people fleeing danger or seeking better prospects.
Drug Control, Crime Prevention and Counter-terrorism
https://unicri.org/Publication-Dangerous-liaisons-assessing-the-nexus-between-terrorism-and-criminal-activities-in-Africa
Across several regions of Africa, the relationship between terrorism and illicit economies interacts with broader patterns of insecurity. In environments marked by fragile institutions, porous borders and expansive informal markets, violent extremist groups and criminal actors operate within overlapping spaces where the boundaries between legality and illegality are often blurred. These conditions create environments in which illicit economic systems can be exploited by violent extremist groups.
This publication examines the interactions between terrorist actors and criminal economies, drawing on analysis of selected groups affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida. The study focuses in particular on West Africa, with field research conducted in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/2026/Publications/2516935E-LegGuideImplementationSoM-eBook.pdf
Model Legislative Provisions Against the Smuggling of Migrants: Second edition (UNODC)
https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/2026/Publications/2516934E-MLProvisionsSoM-eBook.pdf
As global migration continues to surge, so does the shadow economy of migrant smuggling. In response, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched two legislative resources aimed at helping countries strengthen their legislative frameworks and better align with international standards to combat this transnational crime.
The new Legislative Guide and Model Legislative Provisions are designed to assist governments in reviewing, reforming and implementing laws that target migrant smuggling — an illicit industry that endangers lives, fuels corruption and often intersects with other crimes such as human trafficking and money laundering.
https://unicri.org/Publication-minerals-crime-Andean-Amazon-region-regional-cooperation-governance-response-May-2026
How can governments respond effectively to minerals crime when criminal networks operate across borders, supply chains, and financial systems?
As global demand for gold and critical minerals continues to grow, illegal extraction and trafficking are increasingly linked to organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption, environmental harm, and broader governance vulnerabilities. These dynamics are becoming particularly significant in the Andean–Amazon region, where mineral supply chains intersect with fragile ecosystems, transnational trade routes, and complex governance challenges.
This new UNICRI report examines how regional cooperation can help address the structural limits of fragmented national responses to minerals crime.
Newsletter Archive: https://unric.org/en/unric-info-point-library-newsletter-archive