Global Issues

PORTLAND, USA, March 23 (IPS) - On planet Earth, world population in 2026 is 8.3 billion people, which is four times larger than it was a hundred years ago.Despite this record number of humans living on the planet, world population is expected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century, significantly impacting planetary sustainability. Read the full story, “Planet Earth’s Increasing Population of 8 Billion”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses Nepal’s upcoming election with youth activist Anusha Khanal of the Gen Z Movement Alliance, a youth-led civil society coalition mobilising for democratic accountability and governance reform in Nepal.Read the full story, “‘The Political System Only Moves When Threatened Directly’”, on globalissues.org →

SAO PAULO, Brazil, March 23 (IPS) - The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) (March 9-19), held at the United Nations headquarters, brought together governments, decision makers, civil society, and international organizations to address a central issue: access to justice for women and girls. Read the full story, “Gender Equality: A Global Priority or a Global Consensus?”, on globalissues.org →

GENEVA, Switzerland & SRINAGAR, India, March 23 (IPS) - The global climate system continued its alarming trajectory in 2025, with multiple indicators reaching record or near-record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its cascading impacts on ecosystems and human societies, according to the latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Read the full story, “World Heating Faster Than Expected, Scientists Sound Alarm in latest UN Report”, on globalissues.org →

Born from the ashes of the Second World War, the dream of a more peaceful and fairer world drew nations together in 1945 under a new vision for humanity: the United Nations.Read the full story, “A city opens its doors to the world: New York and the United Nations”, on globalissues.org →

All-time high greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere continue to drive heat records on land and sea, with long-lasting consequences for humanity, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Monday.Read the full story, “UN weather agency warns of record ‘climate imbalance’ as planetary warming accelerates”, on globalissues.org →

The war in the Middle East is well into its fourth week and the humanitarian emergency it has sparked continues to be the focus of international attention, along with the energy crisis caused by attacks on shipping in key Strait of Hormuz and other oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf region. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.Read the full story, “MIDDLE EAST LIVE 23 March: Civilians bear brunt of ongoing war”, on globalissues.org →

Since the outbreak of war on 28 February, several unique sites of cultural significance have been damaged in Iran, Israel and Lebanon, alongside immense suffering, displacement and death.Read the full story, “War in the Middle East: Cultural treasures damaged, with more at risk”, on globalissues.org →

Domestic violence was not something people spoke about openly in Kyrgyzstan in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but after a long road of dedicated efforts, there are now laws addressing family abuse, crisis centres and hotlines while human rights defenders tackle such new challenges as sexual slavery.Read the full story, “How Kyrgyzstan built a system to support domestic violence survivors”, on globalissues.org →

The World Health Organization (WHO) verified on Saturday a hospital attack in war-torn Sudan that killed 64 people.Read the full story, “WHO verifies deadly hospital attack in war-torn Sudan”, on globalissues.org →