Society
Peace hinges on people-centred policing, global summit hears
Policing is the cornerstone of peace, said top UN officials ahead of the fifth UN Chiefs of Police Summit, which begins on Tuesday.
Source: UNRead →
Full archive
Every research item we've indexed.
710 reports, surveys and statistics from 15 source organisations.
AI
When AI hurts people, who’s to blame? Global experts grapple with accountability
Who is legally responsible when Artificial Intelligence causes harm? The issue took centre stage on Tuesday – day two of the first ever UN summit on AI governance, where leading experts warned of mounting evidence of human rights violations linked to the revolutionary technology.
Source: UNRead →
Population
Young people value partnership and parenthood but barriers block their dreams
Fertility rates are falling worldwide not because young people are rejecting marriage, children or family life but because many are facing economic and housing constraints.
Source: UNRead →
AI
New coalition puts children’s rights at the centre of the AI age
A new international coalition launched in Geneva on Tuesday is setting out to make sure children's safety and rights are not an afterthought as artificial intelligence reshapes how they learn, play and grow up.
Source: UNRead →
Environment
Southwest Pacific’s last tropical glacier could vanish within months
The Southwest Pacific is facing mounting climate risks as its vast ocean expanse becomes hotter, more acidic and more dangerous for coastal communities, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a report published on Tuesday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
‘Shared blueprint for peace’: Development goals deliver for billions, but challenges remain
With fewer than five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new UN report says sustained investment and international cooperation have improved billions of lives, but warns that governments must urgently accelerate action if the goals are to be met by…
Source: UNRead →
Society
Ukraine: Latest Russian assault leaves at least 14 dead in Kyiv
Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv killed at least 14 civilians and injured more than 80 others overnight on Monday, according to local authorities.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Sudan: Amid lethal drone attacks, children bear brunt of escalating war
Children across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of a war that is becoming increasingly deadly, with at least 330 children reported killed or injured during the first six months of 2026, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Occupied Palestinian Territory: Aid restrictions in Gaza, ‘senseless’ infant deaths in the West Bank
Ongoing restrictions and closures of border crossings continue to hamper delivery of critical supplies into the Gaza Strip, amid mounting concern for children there and in the West Bank, the United Nations said on Monday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Afghanistan among the world’s largest displacement crises
Afghanistan faces one of the world’s biggest displacement crises amid poverty, drought and earthquakes, UN agencies warned on Monday.
Source: UNRead →
AI
From AI to ‘killer robots’: UN chief issues urgent governance call
UN chief António Guterres appealed on Monday for far-reaching, worldwide controls on Artificial Intelligence, as increasingly powerful AI chips that are designed for civilian use shift to the battlefield, where “killer robots” are already the norm.
Source: UNRead →
Society
UN maritime agency seeks release of 44 detained seafarers as food runs low
The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) appealed on Monday for the urgent release of 44 seafarers held captive in Somali waters by pirates and armed robbers.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Venezuela quake: UN continues to scale up as damage estimate reaches $37 billion
The UN and its partners are ramping up assistance for people affected by the earthquakes in Venezuela, working alongside the Government's response effort, as a new UN estimate puts direct physical damage at $37 billion.
Source: UNRead →
Society
As deadly as war and as powerful as governments, global organized crime remains in the shadows
When people think of the world’s deadliest threats, armed conflicts usually come to mind first. Yet every year, organized crime quietly claims a comparable number of lives.
Source: UNRead →
AI
Global push for AI governance amid warnings of ‘catastrophic harm’
Can artificial intelligence benefit all of humanity – safely, fairly and without causing “catastrophic harm”? That is the question at the heart of a major UN summit opening in Geneva on Monday.
Source: UNRead →
Health
A safe return home: Tackling stigma on Uganda's Ebola frontline
As Uganda works to contain an Ebola outbreak that is also affecting neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers are doing more than responding to a deadly virus. They are helping families navigate fear, misinformation and stigma.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Invisible peacebuilders: How ‘diplomacy works’ to prevent conflict
Described as “sometimes modest, sometimes historic,” UN special political missions have quietly been preventing the escalation of conflicts during the organization’s 80-year history, becoming a key instrument for maintaining peace.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Civilian dangers multiply as drones transform Ukraine's battlefield
As drones reshape the battlefield in Ukraine, they are also creating new and increasingly complex dangers for civilians, threatening recovery efforts, agriculture and global food security long after the fighting ends.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Sudan’s people subject to ‘relentless’ drone strikes in El Obeid
The war in Sudan threatens to spiral further as the strategically-important town of El Obeid continues to face “relentless” drone attacks by advancing paramilitary militias, the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, said on Friday.
Source: UNRead →
Society
El Niño forecast to intensify, increasing likelihood of extreme weather
More blistering heatwaves and other weather extremes are becoming increasingly likely across the world now and in coming months, linked to strengthening El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
Source: UNRead →
Health
WHO adds first diagnostic test for Ebola Bundibugyo virus to its Emergency Use Listing
Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) to its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) . The test detects the virus by identifying its genetic material in blood samples, helping confirm infection rapidly and…
Source: WHORead →
Health
Patient enrolment begins in a scientific trial to identify the first effective treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease
In a major international effort to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola disease due to Bundibugyo virus (BVD), the PARTNERS clinical trial has opened enrolment today for patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Source: WHORead →
Economy
Security Council LIVE: Emergency meeting on Iranian attack in Bahrain
The 15-member Security Council is meeting in emergency session on Thursday morning to address the escalating tensions in the Gulf region following Iran attacks in recent days on Bahrain and Kuwait while Tehran and Washington continue to trade strikes over the Strait of Hormuz…
Source: UNRead →
Health
Venezuela's earthquake-hit hospitals pushed to the brink as disease risk grows
A week after earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guaira are buckling under the weight of the disaster – and the risk of disease outbreaks in shelters is rising fast.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Ukraine: Rescuers work to save trapped residents after wave of Russian attacks
Aid agencies in Ukraine on Thursday rushed to respond to a massive uptick in deadly strikes by Russia, including one of the largest attacks on Kyiv to date.
Source: UNRead →
Health
Taking the world’s temperature: WHO chief spotlights global health emergencies
The hantavirus global outbreak is officially over, Ebola outbreaks are growing in Africa and responders are helping recovery efforts in quake-hit Venezuela, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Thursday, announcing updates on global health emergencies.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Racism significantly impacts access to sport: Independent expert
From high participation costs and restrictions on Palestinian athletes – to bans on Muslim women wearing hijabs – racism continues to shape who gets to participate in sport, a new UN report published on Thursday has found.
Source: UNRead →
Society
Venezuela earthquake disaster: needs ‘skyrocketing’, say relief agencies
In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster.
Source: UNRead →
AI
AI explained: Why the world needs to act now
Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving faster than governments can keep up.
Source: UNRead →
Environment
World News in Brief: Risk of atrocities in Sudan, UN programme prevents climate displacement, more civilians killed in Ukraine
Drone attacks by advancing rebel fighters who are besieging El Obeid, Sudan, continue to result in civilian casualties, putting around half a million civilians at grave risk of large-scale atrocities.
Source: UNRead →