Global Issues

USERRA DAS ALMAS, Brazil, December 29 (IPS) - “The work of collecting seeds saved me from depression,” caused by her daughter’s suicide at the age of 29, said Maria do Desterro Soares, 64, who lives in the poor rural community of Jatobá in northeastern Brazil. Read the full story, “Living with nature, the climate lesson from Brazil’s caatinga”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses environmental accountability in Zambia with Christian-Geraud Neema, Africa editor at the China Global South Project, an independent journalism initiative that covers and follows China’s activities in global south countries. Read the full story, “‘Zambia Has Environmental Laws and Standards on Paper – the Problem Is Their Implementation’”, on globalissues.org →

As the world enters 2026 amid mounting crises, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark but hopeful New Year appeal, urging global leaders to shift resources away from destruction and towards development, peace and people.Read the full story, “UN chief urges world leaders to ‘get priorities straight’ as New Year message calls for peace over war”, on globalissues.org →

The United Nations and the United States on Monday formalized an agreement under which the US committed $2 billion in humanitarian assistance for global relief programmes, a move the UN’s top relief official hailed as a landmark commitment to saving lives amid escalating humanitarian needs worldwide.Read the full story, “UN, US sign $2 billion humanitarian funding agreement for 17 crisis-hit countries”, on globalissues.org →

The UN Security Council meets today to hear a briefing on threats to international peace and security following Israel’s recent recognition of the northern region of Somalia as an independent and sovereign state. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here and go here for all our in-depth meeting coverage.Read the full story, “SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Briefing on threats to international peace and security”, on globalissues.org →

Severe weather conditions have led to further casualties and heightened health risks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reported on Monday.Read the full story, “Gaza battered by heavy rains as humanitarian response continues”, on globalissues.org →

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, December 27 (IPS) - Hours before world leaders gathered in Johannesburg for the 2025 G20 summit in November, hundreds of South African women wearing black lay down in a city park for 15 minutes — one for each woman who loses her life every day to gender-based violence in the country. The striking visual protest was organised by a civil society organisation, Women for Change, which also gathered over a million signatures demanding the government declare gender-based violence (GBV) a national disaster. Hours later, the government acquiesced. Read the full story, “The Fight Against Femicide: Victories and Setbacks in 2025”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses Generation Z-led protests in Bulgaria with Zahari Iankov, senior legal expert at the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, a civil society organisation that advocates for participation and human rights. Read the full story, “‘People Reacted to a System of Governance Shaped by Informal Powers and Personal Interests’”, on globalissues.org →

The UN has urged Sudan’s warring parties to pursue compromise and an immediate ceasefire, even as drone attacks, displacement and the killing of peacekeepers underscore the growing risks to civilians and humanitarians.Read the full story, “UN renews ceasefire push in Sudan”, on globalissues.org →

One United Nations peacekeeper was injured on Friday after heavy machine gunfire from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions south of the Blue Line, following a nearby grenade explosion, impacted close to a UN patrol in southern Lebanon.Read the full story, “UN peacekeeper injured in gunfire near ‘Blue Line’ in south Lebanon”, on globalissues.org →