On day six of the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the Council heard urgent updates on rising internal displacement driven by organised crime, escalating genocide risks and the trafficking of women in the domestic work sector.

A growing network of online communities known collectively as the “manosphere” is emerging as a serious threat to gender equality, as toxic digital spaces increasingly influence real-world attitudes, behaviours, and policies, the UN agency dedicated to ending gender discrimination has warned. 

One week since the Israel-Iran conflict erupted, diplomatic efforts to end the war are ramping up in Geneva as foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK and the EU prepare to meet their Iranian counterpart. In New York, meanwhile, the UN Security Council heard the UN Secretary-General warn ambassadors that “we are on course to chaos” if the war widens “which could ignite a fire that no one can can control.” UN News app users can follow here.

Death and suffering in Gaza are ever-present and the enclave’s people now have little choice but to risk their lives to fetch aid supplies, UN agencies said on Friday. 

Sexual violence in conflict is a tactic of war, torture and terror. It does not only devastate survivors but also tears apart families and communities. The trauma, shame and stigma are borne by victims, not perpetrators – echoing across generations. 

Last year, 41,370 grave violations against children were documented and verified by the United Nations, according to the Secretary-General’s annual report on children in armed conflict, released on Thursday.  

As the Iran-Israel crisis continued into a sixth day on Wednesday, the UN deputy human rights chief Nada Al-Nashif called for urgent talks to end the ongoing missile attacks between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

Civilian deaths in conflict surged by 40 per cent last year, according to new data released by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) with already marginalised groups facing disproportionate levels of discrimination.

As the pall of starvation hangs over Gaza, UN agencies have sounded the alarm over deadly violence at food distribution points, where over 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in recent weeks while trying to access desperately needed humanitarian aid.

On the third day of the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the spotlight turned to reports on rising executions in Iran and the increasing repression of civic space around the world amid a wave of elections.