UN General Assembly: ‘There’s no alternative’ to the diplomatic stage in New York

For over eight decades, the UN General Assembly has served as the world’s most representative forum, bringing nations together to debate some of the defining challenges of the day. When it was founded in 1945, the architects of the UN expected the Security Council to be at the centre of global decision-making. But Cold War tensions soon sowed division – shifting much of the political debate to the assembly. Richard Gowan, Director of UN and Multilateral Diplomacy at the International Crisis Group in New York, tells UN News’s Ana Carmo that, despite repeated predictions of its demise, the assembly remains indispensable.

Rapid advances in technology are fundamentally changing the global crime landscape, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). As its newly-appointed Executive Director, Monica Juma is heading to the 15th UN Crime Congress, taking place in Abu Dhabi from 26 September through 1 October, for the first time in charge of the key agency. In an interview with UN News’s Ezzat El-Ferri in Vienna, Ms. Juma highlighted how criminal groups are making increasing use of digital tools to reach victims across borders almost instantly. She tells us it’s time for governments and institutions to respond more effectively.

Yemen's decade-long conflict between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has dangerously escalated over the past week, reaching a new peak after months of rising tensions. An estimated 46,000 people have been displaced since fighting resumed just over a week ago, with numbers expected to rise further as the situation continues to change "by the hour". Houthi fighters have seized the strategic port of Mokha and reportedly an island in the Red Sea — a major threat to the shipping routes they have been targeting. Speaking to UN News' Khaled Haridy, Abdusattor Esoev, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, explains how the humanitarian crisis is worsening, the UN response to growing needs, and the challenges hampering its work.

Two weeks after a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods in northern Nepal, entire communities remain cut off, homes lie buried under tonnes of rubble, and families are still waiting for news of loved ones. According to latest figures from the UN humanitarian affairs office, 1,267 people have died and some 5,132 remain missing, while the UN estimates the disaster created at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris. The regional director for UN field operations arm UNOPS, Sara Netzer, was on the ground following the floods that affected around 84,000 people. In an interview with UN News’s Nancy Sarkis, she says the scale of destruction is unlike anything she saw after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, and that rebuilding will take time.

As a new school year begins, classrooms are reopening and children are returning to their studies – but that’s not the case for many young Palestinians. For many in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, have provided a pathway to opportunity for generations, with some 2.5 million students graduating. However, financial constraints and conflict have disrupted or shattered their progress, threatening to further derail their prospects for the future. In an interview with UN News’s Reem Abaza, UNRWA Director of Education Julia Dicon discusses what education means to Palestine refugee children and why sustained support is critical.

Despite increasingly difficult conditions, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to operate on the ground, remaining a vital lifeline and providing education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and social protection in Gaza and the West Bank. Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, spoke to UN News’ Reem Abaza and stressed that the issue goes beyond the agency itself, saying the “restoration of respect for the United Nations at large and for UNRWA as an agency mandated by the General Assembly” is essential. He warned that shrinking humanitarian space and displacement are dangerous trends and underlined that urgency of returning to a credible pathway towards the two-State solution and eventually a situation where UNRWA as an agency “does not have to do its work anymore because the conflict is moving towards a solution”.

When an emergency strikes, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, aims to get life-saving supplies moving within 72 hours. UNICEF’s emergency response includes health, water and sanitation, education and recreation kits, as well as critical support for vaccine cold chains. At its major humanitarian supply hub in Copenhagen, Denmark, emergency kits are pre-positioned and ready to be dispatched to countries affected by conflict or natural disasters. Erika Abs, UNICEF Emergency Supply and Logistics Coordinator, spoke to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho and explained why much of the most important work happens before emergencies even begin.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to support agriculture across Africa, helping farmers access weather, crop and market information. But the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says better connectivity, reliable infrastructure, relevant data and digital skills are needed to ensure smallholder farmers can benefit from these technologies. Meshack Malo, FAO’s Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, told UN News’s Feissal Kirwa that fewer than 10 per cent of farmers are currently benefiting from digital agriculture services, with rural communities particularly affected by limited connectivity.

Acts of terrorism driven by hateful ideologies continue to injure, harm and kill thousands of innocent people each year. For Hassan Ndugwa – a survivor of the 2010 terrorist attack targeting a screening of the football World Cup Final in Kampala, Uganda – the experience became a call for action. Angered by the misrepresentation of Islam in the aftermath of the attacks, Mr. Ndugwa and a fellow survivor founded the Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum to prevent violent extremism and promote peace through religious and community engagement. In an interview with UN News’s Assumpta Massoi, he emphasised the importance of survivor voices and the role of remembrance in healing.

When a major disaster strikes, the first hours are critical. Within 48 hours of receiving a formal request from an affected country, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system can deploy a team of experts to support national emergency response. The teams, managed and trained by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), bring together specialists from different countries and organisations, based on the specific needs identified on the ground. Sérgio da Silva, leader of the UNDAC team, explained to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho how this global network is mobilised in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other environmental or man-made disasters.