Press freedom: Journalists face rising risks

World Press Freedom Day, officially observed on Sunday, arrives this year under the theme Shaping a Future at Peace, a message that feels especially urgent as the number of journalists killed in conflict zones continues to rise.According to the UN education and culture organization, UNESCO, which monitors press freedom, 93 journalists were killed in 2025 alone – 60 of them in conflict zones.So, what does a call for peace mean in today’s turbulent global landscape? UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to Sylvie Coudray, Director of UNESCO’s Division for Freedom of Expression, Media Development, and Media and Information Literacy.

NASA aerospace engineer Alinda Mashiku was born in New York then moved to Tanzania as a young girl, where she dreamed of becoming an astronaut – but reaching for the stars seemed almost an impossibility. Today, as a Program Manager with the US space agency, she helps ensure that satellites avoid collisions in orbit, contributing to the safety and sustainability of pioneering space missions such as the record-breaking Artemis II mission around the moon earlier this month.According to UN data, women make up only 35 per cent of science, tech, engineering and maths graduates (STEM) – figure that has not changed in the past decade.In an interview with UN News’s Anold Kayanda from our Swahili team, Ms. Mashiku explains why girls should place no limits on their ambitions to break the STEM glass ceiling, into the stratosphere. 

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock highlights a striking gap in its leadership: the continued absence of a woman Secretary-General.For an institution founded on principles of equality, human rights, and inclusion, this omission is becoming harder to defend. Ms. Baerbock argues that the issue is not merely symbolic, but central to the UN’s mission, with women’s rights inseparable from peace, security, and sustainable development.In an interview with UN News’s Anshu Sharma during her official visit to India, Ms. Baerbock also reflected on the broader challenges facing multilateralism, the need for reform, and the importance of standing together to uphold the values of the UN Charter.

Afghanistan is seeing a sharp rise in refugees heading home, with more than 2.8 million people coming back from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone, according to UN estimates.That brings the total number of returnees since September 2023 to over three million. The surge has seen the population rise by more than 10 per cent, adding pressure to already limited infrastructure and fragile public services.UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to Stephanie Loose, Country Programme Manager at UN-Habitat Afghanistan, about why sustainable reintegration depends on better access to housing and essential services.

Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific island nation, is on the frontline of the climate crisis, with rising sea levels threatening to submerge much of its territory by the end of the century.Many of its citizens are already planning for an uncertain future. In 2025, more than 90 per cent applied for a visa pathway offering residency in Australia. Earlier, in 2022, the government launched a “digital nation” initiative in the metaverse to help preserve Tuvalu’s statehood, identity and culture if its land is lost.Backed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and partners, Tuvalu’s government is trying to protect its most heavily populated islands by creating raised land banks.UN News’s Edouard de Bray asked Tuya Altangerel, a senior UNDP official in the Pacific region,  how rising sea levels are already affecting communities. 

Unless a solution can be found immediately to allow fertilizers through the Strait of Hormuz in time for planting season, there’s going to be a “very significant and severe” food crisis which will hit the poorest countries and their citizens hardest.That’s according to Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services around the world.He told Reem Abaza of UN News that the UN task force he is leading will be able to get its “one stop platform” up and running in just seven days, if combatants blocking the strait allow fertilizers and other raw material through, to benefit the world’s most vulnerable.

Since the outbreak of the Middle East war on 28 February, sites of major cultural importance across Israel, Iran and Lebanon have come under threat.At the request of the Lebanese Government, the UN education and cultural agency, UNESCO, has placed 39 World Heritage sites under so-called “enhanced protection”- a special status aimed at safeguarding cultural heritage during times of conflict.To explain what this means in practice, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to Krista Pikkat, who leads UNESCO’s Culture and Emergencies Unit.

Syria has made “remarkable progress” on transitional justice in just one year, says one UN legal expert, raising hope, while also warning that powerful social stigma continues to prevent many survivors of conflict-related sexual violence from coming forward.Sofia Candeias, from the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict, told UN News that new institutions and reforms mark a significant step forward following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.But the true scale of abuse may never be known, as stigma at personal, community and societal levels remains “the largest obstacle” to reporting and access to support.Calling on the international community to step up, Ms. Candeias told UN News’s Ana Carmo that sustained support is critical to ensure survivors can safely access justice and care.

A massive wave of Israeli airstrikes struck Lebanon on Wednesday – despite the US-Iran ceasefire declared hours earlier – killing 254 people and injuring 1,165 others, according to local authorities. Strikes hit densely populated areas, including Beirut, with no warning, leaving many still trapped under rubble. Hospitals are overwhelmed, facing mass casualties and critical shortages of supplies. The UN World Health Organization is working tirelessly to provide support across the country, while dozens of medical workers have been killed and injured in recent weeks. UN News’ Nancy Sarkis spoke on Thursday to the WHO’s Representative in Lebanon, Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, who witnessed 10 different strikes on Beirut during the horrifying bombardment.  

The ceasefire between the US and Iran has brought no respite to civilians in Lebanon, where deadly Israeli strikes intensified across the country on Wednesday, dramatically worsening the humanitarian situation. Repeated escalations in violence over recent weeks have significantly increased humanitarian needs, raising concerns about whether aid agencies can keep up with demand.Blerta Aliko, the senior UN Development Programme official in Lebanon, was in the middle of updating UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri, when heavy bombing began near her location in Beirut.Later, speaking from the safety of the basement at UN House, Ms. Aliko said the situation had now become critical.