Briefing by Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General, and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
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Natalia Gherman, head of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, warned of Da’esh’s exploitation of artificial intelligence. “Da’esh’s use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda demands innovative responses,” she said, while stressing the same tools could help states disrupt terrorist activities.
0:15 This landmark is covered in plastic – Global leaders have been meeting in Geneva to negotiate the world’s first treaty to tackle plastic pollution. As they debate the future of plastic, this sculpture asks a human question: How much longer can we carry this burden?
2:13 Key skills students need in quantum future – Quantum technologies are set to transform industries across the planet. The quantum economy could be worth $2 trillion by 2035. It’s a huge opportunity for those with the right skills.
5:33 Copenhagen set to become ‘sponge city’ – Hundreds of flood mitigation projects are being built across the city to protect against rising seas and heavy rains for the next 100 years. The sponge city concept deploys natural flood-protection measures so urban areas can absorb excess water rather than succumb to flooding.
7:27 Mystery bags tackle food waste in China – Who doesn’t love a lucky dip? This Chinese start-up matches hungry people with surplus food that would otherwise be chucked out by restaurants and retailers.
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The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
During his visit to Japan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. World Expos are not just feel-good exhibitions, “they are invitations to tell our stories,” The UN chief told festival goers on a special day celebrating the global organization.
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Panel Discussion: Deputy Minister Nonceba Mhlauli participates in the 2nd Annual Critical Conversation, In Commemorating Women’s Month, International Youth Day and World Humanitarian Day
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More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today. Famine conditions are projected to spread from Gaza Governorate to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in the coming weeks.
Noon Briefing by Daniela Gross, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General/Gaza
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Secretary-General/Travels
Security Council
Security Council/Libya
Global Health Challenges/Extreme Heat
Senior Personnel Appointment
International Days
SECRETARY-GENERAL/GAZA
In a statement issued early this morning, the Secretary-General said that just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: “famine”. This is not a mystery, he said; it is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself.
The Secretary-General noted that famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival. He pointed out that people are starving, children are dying and those with the duty to act are failing.
The Secretary-General said that as the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law, including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population. He stressed that we cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.
No more excuses, the Secretary-General said, adding that the time for action is not tomorrow, it is now. He emphasized that we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and full, unfettered humanitarian access.
There have been also several other statements on this, including from our Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Agencies and our UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. All of those statements are available online.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Now on the humanitarian side, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remind us, again today, that civilians are bearing the brunt of this war. As strikes continue to intensify across the Strip, casualties are flooding hospitals’ emergency departments.
We and our partners continue to warn of the catastrophic consequences that the intensification of the ongoing offensive in Gaza city would have for civilians. Overnight and into today, multiple strikes were reported in the Jabalya Al Balad and An Nazla neighbourhoods. Our partners monitoring population movements in the Strip say that as a result, about 900 people reportedly left, heading towards the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood and western Gaza city.
Once again, we remind parties to the conflict of their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers and those who cannot or choose not to move. As we have said before, those fleeing must be allowed to do so safely. They must also be allowed to return if they wish to do so, as the situation allows. OCHA reiterates the urgency of ensuring people have access to aid and basic services, whether they leave or stay. Supplies must be allowed to enter Gaza through all available crossings and corridors. We and our humanitarian partners must have safe, predictable and sustained access to deliver aid at scale to people in immense need of assistance.
Our colleagues working on health remind us that nearly half of all hospitals and field hospitals are located in Gaza city and account for 40 per cent of the total inpatient bed capacity in all of the Gaza Strip. Expansion of military operations would further cripple the collapsing healthcare system.
Many medical facilities in the south are operating several times over their bedspace capacity. Partners stress that access to healthcare must be immediately restored to avert more preventable deaths.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=22%20August%202025
It’s Famine in Gaza says Tom Fletcher, the Head of OCHA.
More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today by the United Nations. Briefing journalists on Friday at UN headquarters in Geneva, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said it was a famine that could have been prevented ‘if we had been allowed.’
‘Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel. It is a famine within a few hundred metres of food, in a fertile land’, he added.
@unitednations
▶ https://youtu.be/hRXeJ7IVaYk
When war comes home, with Yacoub El Hillo | United Nations ‘Awake at Night’ podcast teaser
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Yacoub El Hillo spent more than thirty years serving refugees and displaced people in some of the world’s worst conflict zones. But when cataclysmic war erupted in his hometown of Khartoum, Sudan, the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) had to help his own family flee the violence.
“I don’t think there’s any home in Khartoum that was spared … the assumption is that everything is gone.”
Having served in more than 16 duty stations, from Liberia to Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan, Yacoub El Hillo has rarely seen any conflict as devastating as the one currently decimating Sudan.
In this episode, he reflects on the scale of the human suffering there, looks back on a rich and varied career with the UN, and shares why all nations deserve a chance to strive for a brighter future.
The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.
This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.
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