Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
National Dialogue Steering Committee Induction Programme
South Africa: Minister of Transport Ms Barbara Creecy releases the road safety report for 2025/2026 festive season
Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements)
Minister of Transport Ms Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mr Mkhuleko Hlengwa release the road saftey report for 2025/2026 festive season.
World Economic Outlook Update, January 2026
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
How resilient is the global economy and what’s next?
Find out in the January 2026 WEO Update with IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas and team.
Monday, January 19 | 4:30 AM ET (10:30 AM CET).
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/01/19/world-economic-outlook-update-january-2026
ICC [FUR] In the Courtroom: Abd-Al-Rahman case: Sentencing Judgement, 9 December 2025
Source: International Criminal Court (video statements)
[FUR] In the Courtroom: Abd-Al-Rahman case: Sentencing Judgement, 9 December 2025
How to lead forces for peace, w/Cheryl Pearce |Department of Peacekeeping Operations |Awake at Night
Source: United Nations (video statements)
After enlisting at 18, Cheryl Pearce battled rigid gender barriers to rise through the military ranks. Now the UN’s Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, the Australian-born Lieutenant General is the highest ranking woman in uniform within the United Nations.
“Peace for me, is seeing communities having food security, having water security, education, knowing, you know, as a mum myself, knowing that my children can grow up to feel like that. They can have a life and a future and fulfill their dreams and goals.”
Lieutenant General Pearce knows what it takes to serve in some of the most difficult places on earth, from East Timor to Afghanistan. In this episode, she reflects on the sources of her mental and physical resilience, on making a robust case for peacekeeping in an age of disinformation, and shares why her family wants her to show her chaotic side once in a while.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:05] Advising global missions and supporting peacekeepers worldwide
[03:46] Service, sacrifice, and belief in the UN’s purpose
[04:32] Peacekeeping in a more dangerous world
[08:51] Redefining peace
[09:34] What keeps Cheryl awake at night
[10:49] Why invest in peacekeeping?
[11:57] The dangers of misinformation and disinformation
[13:52] Navigating gender barriers in a male-dominated space
[17:35] Perseverance over fear of failure
[19:06] A single moment of belief that changed everything
[22:08] Leadership, vulnerability, and letting go of perfection
[25:55] Motherhood, career, and community
[27:58] Deploying while raising a family
[30:40] Staying grounded under pressure
[34:19] Closing remarks
Listen to more Awake at Night episodes https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #UnitedNations #awakeatnight #peacekeeping #women
About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.
Gaza , Iran, Venezuela & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (16 January 2026) | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Secretary-General Travels
BBNJ
Gaza
UNRWA
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Iran
Syria
Sudan/Chad
Ukraine
Venezuela
Honour Roll
SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
The Secretary-General arrived in London earlier today in advance of his participation of the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly in London in 1946.
Today, the Secretary-General just met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The Secretary-General thanked the Prime Minister for the UK’s continued support to multilateralism. They discussed the war in Ukraine. Among other topics, they discussed Sudan and UN reform.
Earlier today, the Secretary-General met with Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London. They discussed the role of cities in dealing with climate change.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address at the UNA-UK conference, entitled, “UNGA at 80: From 1946 to Our Future”. This will take place at Methodist Central Hall in London, where the first meeting of the General Assembly took place in 1946.
In his remarks the Secretary-General is expected to say that as we wish to make the world fairer, it is critical that the international system reflects today’s reality, including the drive to update the Security Council and to reform the unjust and unfair international financial architecture. He will say that at a time when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, the world needs civil society movements everywhere that are fearless and persistent and that make it impossible for leaders to look away.
BBNJ
Tomorrow, the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, known as the BBNJ Agreement, will enter into force, after receiving the necessary ratifications from Member States.
In a video message, the Secretary-General will say that the day marks a watershed moment for the ocean. He will say that this is a historic achievement – for people and planet; for international cooperation and the United Nations.
This treaty establishes the first legal framework for conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity in the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national borders.
The Secretary-General will commend the Parties to the Agreement and will urge all States to join.
GAZA
In a statement we issued yesterday, we said that the announcement on 14 January of the launch of Phase Two of President Trump’s 20-point plan — including the establishment of a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza and of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — is an important step.
Any initiative that contributes to alleviating the suffering of civilians, supporting recovery and reconstruction, and advancing a credible political horizon is a positive development.
The Secretary-General recalls Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) and underscores that all efforts must be guided by relevant United Nations resolutions and international law.
UNRWA
In a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the Israeli authorities’ unlawful entry on 12 January 2026 into a United Nations property in occupied East Jerusalem, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Jerusalem Health Centre, and the order of its temporary closure.
The Secretary-General is also deeply concerned that UNRWA has been informed that utility providers will soon cease supplying electricity and water services to multiple UNRWA facilities in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Secretary-General deeply regrets that the Israeli authorities have continued to take further action inconsistent with its obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General urges the Government of Israel to immediately take steps to return and restore the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound and the UNRWA Jerusalem Health Centre, and to ensure that essential utilities to UNRWA premises are maintained.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-01-16
Ukraine in survival mode | United Nations
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Families across Ukraine are in ‘constant survival mode’ amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to deadly lows, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Ukraine in survival mode
Source: United Nations (video statements)
Families across Ukraine are in ‘constant survival mode’ amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to deadly lows, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Sudanese refugees in #Chad
Source: United Nations (video statements)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, visited Chad this 14 and 15 January, where he underscored the need for urgent humanitarian assistance and protection for people fleeing the brutal war in Sudan, and for greater support for refugees to rebuild their lives with dignity.
During his first official overseas trip as High Commissioner, Salih met Sudanese refugee families who had fled the vicious fighting in Darfur only days earlier; many had been displaced multiple times since the conflict began.
Statistical Genetics and the Mechanisms of Probabilistic Genotyping
Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)
Probabilistic genotyping is a tool that uses computing power to aid in the identification of possible genotype sets within DNA typing results and to calculate likelihood ratios to estimate evidentiary weight. In this installment of Probabilistic Genotyping of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results, we will detail the background and principles of biostatistical analysis, to include match probabilities, likelihood ratios and other specific topics aimed at furthering understanding of the statistical basis of probabilistic genotyping.
This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 18, 2019, as part of the Probabilistic Genotyping Of Evidentiary DNA Typing Results Webinar Series.
(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)