Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura is a Zimbabwean PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge. Her research interests are centered on autism, mental health and suicide prevention. She is also the Founder and Director of Ndinewe, a mental health organisation in Zimbabwe, which is transforming youth mental health through mental health literacy.
Tanatswa is one of the 17 Young Leaders for the SDGs selected by the UN Youth Office who are leading efforts to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To learn more: https://www.un.org/youthaffairs/en/tanatswa-amanda-chikaura
Translation of Shona by UNIC Harare and Tinashe Mbririmi.
“Our Office has secured vital evidence that will allow us to hold senior contributors to attacks to account,” the International Criminal Court prosecutor told the Security Council.
Briefing the Council members (15 Jul) Nazhat Shameem Khan, Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said that further evidence collected during the reporting period had strengthened earlier findings that both war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed in El-Geneina and El Fasher.
Khan warned that the most serious international crimes may be about to take place in El Obeid. “We cannot say we did not know. We cannot say it could not be expected,” she said, describing a shared assessment with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and calling on the Council and member states to act.
She also acknowledged constraints facing the investigation. “Our resources are limited. We have not been able to access the territory of Darfur, nor interviewed witnesses in a number of other key locations, and the witness protection needs are significant,” Khan said, noting that measures taken against the Court had affected its operations in Darfur.
“The ICC and its proponents seek a standing World Tribunal with near unlimited reach,” said Jeff Bartos, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United States, adding that the Court is overreaching its mandate and encroaching on state sovereignty.
Press Conference by Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He briefed journalists on the high cost of a healthy diet and what to expect from the upcoming State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report 2026, which will be launched on 21 July in Rome.
Máximo Torero Cullen said, “almost one in every three people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”
Under the theme “Understanding and addressing the high cost of a healthy diet,” this year’s report will present the latest global assessment of food security and nutrition and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, as well as the latest updates on the cost and affordability of a healthy diet. The 2026 edition of SOFI examines the persistent challenge posed by the high cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) and its implications for ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
The FAO’s Chief Economist said, “the report shows that the global cost of a healthy diet has increased 25 percent in just five years, reaching 4.28 US dollars purchasing power parity dollars per person per day. As a result, 2.69 billion people, almost one in every three people in the world still cannot afford a healthy diet.”
Torero also said, “the most important finding is that calories are relatively inexpensive, but nutrition is not.”
He explained, “staple food provide about half of the calories we need, yet represent only 13 percent of the cost of a healthy diet. In contrast, fruits and vegetables provide only 5 percent of the calories but account for 16 percent of the cost, so significantly more expensive than cereals. While animal source foods account for almost 30 percent of the cost.”
“The challenge, therefore, is not to produce enough calories. It is making nutrient rich foods more affordable, and that’s what will reduce the cost of this healthy diet,” the economist added.
Torero also said, “between 70 and 75 percent of the cost of a healthy diet is generated after food leaves the farm. So it’s not in the farm, it’s after it leaves the farm. And the biggest bottlenecks are no longer only on the farm. They are in storage, in transport, processing, cost chains and wholesale markets.”
He said, “our analysis shows that the investment in rural roads, cold storage, logistics and efficient value chains for fruits and vegetables generate much larger reduction in the cost of a healthy diet than broad and untargeted investments.”
The report also challenges the conventional policy thinking, “our simulations show that subsidizing staple foods alone can actually increase the relative cost of a healthy diet. So increase rather than reduce.”
FAO official said, “what we need to do is to focus in three priorities: reduce structural cost across the value chain, particularly after the farm gate; repurpose policies and investments towards nutrient dense foods, rather than reinforcing incentives that favor calories over nutrition and strengthen the evidence-based policymaking through better local data, closer coordination across agriculture, health, trade, and social protection.”
He reiterated, “the cost of a healthy diet is not simply another statistic. It is a very important diagnostic that we need to resolve if we want to minimize this enormous amount of hidden costs and the enormous amounts of fatalities that come as a result of overweight and obesity.”
Asked about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Torero said, “the major risk right now that we have in terms of commodities is the lack of sulfur is enormous right now. It’s affecting all phosphates.”
He added, “the situation will continue to be complex, inputs will continue to be high costs. Farmers will continue to face enormous challenges and the possibility that what we are lucky today that we had enough good harvest in the past. That’s why the commodity prices are still not so high, with the exception of rice and durum wheat. That means that in the future that could change.”
Comments to the media by Erik Laursen, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations, and Ambassador Lewis Garseedah Brown II, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the United Nations, on behalf of the Security Council’s International Criminal Court Caucus, following the ICC Deputy Prosecutor’s briefing to the Security Council.
—–
Following the meeting, the Security Council’s ICC Caucus briefed reporters outside the chamber. Denmark’s representative criticized the Rapid Support Forces for its lack of engagement. “The Rapid Support Forces has failed to respond to cooperation requests,” said Erik Laursen, Ambassador of Denmark, calling the group’s non-cooperation with the Council’s accountability mechanism deeply concerning.
Liberia’s envoy stressed that accountability efforts must extend beyond Darfur. “While the ICC’s mandate is currently limited to the situation in Darfur, we emphasize that accountability, action and cooperation pursuant to the Council’s referral is central to preventing this further cycle of atrocity crimes in other regions of Sudan,” said Ambassador Lewis Garseedah Brown II.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Gulf
Senior Personnel Appointment
Pakistan
Sudan
Central African Republic
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Venezuela
Security Council
Cuba
WHO/UNICEF Report
WHO/Dementia
World Youth Skills Day
GULF
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation in the Middle East region. He calls on all parties to take immediate steps for de-escalation and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would exact an intolerable toll on civilians and have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The exercise of navigational rights and freedoms must be respected by all parties in accordance with international law.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General announced today the appointment of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain as Co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group, alongside Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados. The Secretary-General underscored the urgent need to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and welcomed Prime Minister Sánchez’s leadership in advancing sustainable development.
The SDG Advocates are influential leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to keep the promise of the SDGs. The Secretary-General also expressed appreciation to former Co-Chair Justin Trudeau of Canada for his service. Prime Minister Mottley will continue in her role as Co-Chair.
PAKISTAN
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has begun a visit to Pakistan to spotlight the growing humanitarian impacts of the climate crisis and what it means for countries like Pakistan, which are on its front lines.
Earlier today in Islamabad, he met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and they discussed diplomatic efforts underway in the Middle East, the delivery of humanitarian aid through convoys across the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and partnership on global disaster preparedness.
Mr. Fletcher will also hold talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and other senior government officials, as well as with our humanitarian partners.
During his four-day visit, Mr. Fletcher will meet communities affected by floods and melting glaciers to hear directly about their needs, recovery efforts and local solutions. He will also visit community-based flood mitigation and preparedness initiatives.
He will underscore the need for sustained international solidarity, including funding for preparedness and early action ahead of disasters and investment in locally-led climate adaptation.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-15
On Saturday, 18 July 2026, on Nelson Mandela International Day, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council is honoured to present a special conversation with lead actor Keenan Arrison on THE HEART IS A MUSCLE — South Africa’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, and winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Directed by Imran Hamdulay, the film is a portrait of inherited trauma, the slow courage of forgiveness, and what it means to be a father — themes that speak directly to the values at the heart of the United Nations: the protection of human rights, the pursuit of reconciliation, and the belief that vulnerability is not weakness, but strength. As the film reminds us — and as Mandela showed the world — it is in choosing to break the cycle, to forgive, and to rise, that our common humanity is most fully expressed.
Opening remarks will be delivered by H.E. Mr. Mxolisi Nkosi, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations; Mbongiseni Buthelezi, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation; and Ndaba Mandela, Founder and Chairman of the Mandela Institute for Humanity.
Cinema holds the unique power to illuminate the universal ideals enshrined by the United Nations — peace, human rights, cultural dignity, and equal rights for all. Founded at United Nations Headquarters by Brenda Vongova, the UN Movie Society is committed to championing the goals and values of the United Nations through the universal language of motion pictures.
Learn more about Mandela Day at the United Nations:
https://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/
Opening remarks by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the High-level meeting on critical energy transition minerals.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup Final, the United Nations Youth Office announced the launch of a global advocacy campaign on youth mental health and well-being: One World, One Game, One Goal. Through football, the initiative aims to raise awareness, encourage investment in mental health, and empower young people by promoting resilience and a whole-of-society approach to well-being.
Women are driving the energy transition from the frontlines of innovation, policy, investment, and community organizing. Aligned with the 2026 High-Level Political Forum’s theme of transformative, equitable action, this session convenes senior leaders from clean energy entrepreneurship, sustainable finance, and multilateral institutions to explore how diverse leadership accelerates progress on SDG7. Bridging grassroots networks and global institutions, the conversation will highlight the unique impact of women-led approaches, expose where structural barriers persist, and outline how the international community can champion inclusive leadership at every level. Join us to reshape the future of clean energy.
Speakers:
– Ms. Selen İnal, Founder of EcoMuse and Member of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition
– Ms. Rana Ghoneim, Director, Division of Energy and Climate Action at UNIDO
Moderator: Ms. Kathryn Clay, Lead Energy & Climate Analyst at Washington Post Intelligence
