EDITH M. LEDERER

UN given green light to monitor peace deal between Colombia’s government and its largest rebel group
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously authorized the U.N. political mission in Colombia to help verify implementation of the recent peace agreement between the government and its largest remaining guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army.
 
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States ambassador to the United Nations speaks during the UN Security Council meeting to discuss the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
US will put forward a UN resolution to authorize a Kenyan-led police mission to fight gangs in Haiti
The United States says it will draft a UN Security Council resolution that will authorize Kenya to lead a multinational police force to help combat gangs that control much of Haiti’s capital and are spreading through the Caribbean nation. U.S.
 
An apartment building after it was hit during a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)
The $3.9 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is only 30% funded, UN aid official says
The $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal for war-torn Ukraine is less than 30% funded as the country starts preparing for a second winter with more residential buildings damaged and destroyed and thousands of people homeless following the collapse of the Kakhovka dam.
 
National Police patrol during an anti-gang operation in the Tabare neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
UN chief welcomes Kenya’s offer to `positively consider’ leading police force to combat Haiti gangs
The United Nations chief has welcomed Kenya’s offer to “positively consider” leading a multinational police force to help combat Haiti’s gangs and improve security in the violence-wracked Caribbean nation.
 
FILE - Afghan women wait to receive cash at a money distribution point organized by the World Food Program, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 20, 2021. The United Nations has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in many countries because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels, a top official said Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
UN says it’s forced to cut food aid to millions globally because of a funding crisis
The United Nations says it has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in many countries because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels.
 
UN lifts last restriction on arms for Central African Republic government, but not for mercenaries
The U.N. Security Council has lifted a requirement that the Central African Republic get advance U.N. approval for arms purchases and transfers for its security forces.
 
A church personnel inspects damages inside the Odesa Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine, Sunday, July 23, 2023, following Russian missile attacks. In just a week, Russia has fired more than 125 missiles and drones at the Odesa region, hitting the historic city center that had been largely spared since the beginning of the war. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Angry Russia refuses to speak at UN meeting on its attacks on Ukraine’s key port city of Odesa
In an escalation of Russia’s anger at Ukraine and its Western backers, Russia refused to speak at a U.N. Security Council meeting called to discuss Moscow’s recent attacks on Odesa.
 
West Africa recorded over 1,800 terrorist attack in first six months of 2023, regional official says
West Africa has recorded over 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths with dire humanitarian consequences.
 
FILE - Trucks loaded with United Nations humanitarian aid for Syria following a devastating earthquake are parked at Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Syria's Idlib province, on Feb. 10, 2023. On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, the U.N. Security Council failed to renew the Bab al-Hawa border crossing into opposition-held northwestern Syria from Turkey. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File)
US and major donors demand independent UN aid operation in Syria’s rebel-held northwest
The United States says it has joined major donors in demanding that the United Nations be able to deliver aid through a key crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest independently and to everyone in need.
 
The UN Security Council meets to discuss the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, Friday, July 21, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Russia comes under pressure at UN to avoid global food crisis and revive Ukrainian grain shipments
Russia came under pressure at the United Nations Security Council from its ally China and developing countries as well as Western nations to avert a global food crisis and quickly revive Ukrainian grain shipments.
 
FILE - U.N secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the media during a visit to the U.N. office in the capital Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Antonio Guterres says Sudan is on the brink of a “full-scale civil war,” as fierce clashes between rival generals continued unabated Sunday in the capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi, File)
UN chief says the world is in a new era marked by the highest major power competition in decades
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the post-Cold War period is over and the world is moving toward a new multipolar era already marked by the highest level of geopolitical tensions and major power competition in decades.
 
In this photo provided by the United Nations Photo, Jack Clark shown on screen, co-founder of Anthropic, briefs the first ever Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence (AI), Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at U.N. headquarters. This meeting, convened by the United Kingdom, addresses the topic "Artificial intelligence: opportunities and risks for international peace and security." The Secretary-General delivered remarks during the debate stating, "I urge the Council to approach this technology with a sense of urgency, a global lens, and a learner's mindset." (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo via AP)
Exec tells first UN council meeting that big tech can’t be trusted to guarantee AI safety
An artificial intelligence company executive told the first U.N. Security Council meeting on AI’s threats to global peace that the handful of big tech companies leading the race to commercialize AI can’t be trusted to guarantee the safety of systems we don’t yet understand and that are prone to “cha
 
A girl walks through a ravine filled with garbage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
Security Council gives UN chief 30 days to come up with options on how to fight Haiti’s armed gangs
The U.N. Security Council has asked the secretary-general to come up within 30 days with options to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs and restore security in the conflict-torn nation.
 
North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song addresses a Security Council meeting on Non-proliferation/North Korea, Thursday, July 13, 2023 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
North Korea’s ambassador blames US for regional tensions in a rare appearance at UN Security Council
North Korea’s U.N. ambassador has defended his country’s recent long-range missile launch in a rare appearance at the U.N. Security Council. Kim Song told the council the test-flight of the Hwasong-18 was a legitimate exercise of self-defense.
 
FILE - Trucks loaded with United Nations humanitarian aid for Syria following a devastating earthquake are parked at Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Syria's Idlib province, on Feb. 10, 2023. The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday July 11, 2023, failed to renew authorization of the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey, officially ending a U.N. operation that had been vital to helping a region of 4.1 million people. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File)
Syria gives green light to reopen key crossing to rebel-held northwest from Turkey— with caveats
The Syrian government has given a green light for the United Nations to use a key crossing from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest that was closed earlier this week.
 
Karim Khan, Prosecutor of International Criminal Court, addresses a Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan, Thursday, July 13, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
ICC prosecutor says he is investigating alleged new war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region
The International Criminal Court prosecutor says he is investigating alleged new war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western Darfur region during the current conflict that has killed over 3,000 and displaced more than 3 million.
 
More people can’t afford nutritious food and 148 million children are stunted by hunger, UN says
The U.N. has delivered grim news on global food security: 2.4 billion people didn’t have constant access to food last year, as many as 783 million faced hunger, and 148 million children suffered from stunted growth.
 
FILE - Tunisian health workers attend a protest as part of a general strike by public servants organized by labor unions, demanding pay raises and more government support in Tunis, on June 18, 2020. Some 3.3 billion people – almost half of humanity – now live in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health, according to a new U.N. report released Wednesday July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, File)
3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt interest than education, UN says
A new U.N. report says some 3.3 billion people – almost half of humanity – now live in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health. Launching the report, U.N.
 
FILE - Trucks loaded with United Nations humanitarian aid for Syria following a devastating earthquake are parked at Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Syria's Idlib province, on Feb. 10, 2023. The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday July 11, 2023, failed to renew authorization of the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey, officially ending a U.N. operation that had been vital to helping a region of 4.1 million people. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File)
UN ends aid to northwest Syria from Turkey after Security Council fails to renew approval
The U.N. Security Council has failed to approve either of two rival resolutions authorizing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey, officially ending the U.N. cross-border operation which had been vital to helping 4.1 million people.
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the diplomatic lounge in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, July 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
UN warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble and 575 million people will remain very poor
In a grim report, the U.N. is warning that at the current rate of global progress 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children won’t be going to school in 2030 – and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women.
 
This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)
Yemen’s rivals are not only clashing on the ground but battling economically for revenue from ports
A U.N. envoy says sporadic armed clashes between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and government forces are straining peace efforts, and the rivals are now also battling over revenue from ports, trade, banking and natural resources.
 
FILE - Trucks loaded with United Nations humanitarian aid for Syria following a devastating earthquake are parked at Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Syria's Idlib province, on Feb. 10, 2023. The U.N. secretary general is hoping that the Security Council will vote later this month to keep a key border crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest open for critical aid deliveries for a period of one year instead of six months. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File)
Aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from Turkey certain to continue — but for 6 or 12 months?
The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey is virtually certain to get a green light to continue from the U.N. Security Council. But the big question is for how long.
 
FILE - Trucks loaded with United Nations humanitarian aid for Syria following a devastating earthquake are parked at Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in Syria's Idlib province, on Feb. 10, 2023. The U.N. secretary general is hoping that the Security Council will vote later this month to keep a key border crossing from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest open for critical aid deliveries for a period of one year instead of six months. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed, File)
UN to vote Monday on aid deliveries from Turkey to northwest Syria -- either for 6 months or 1 year
The U.N. Security Council plans to vote Monday on extending aid deliveries from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest.
 
Palestinians walk on a damaged road following two days of Israeli military raid on the militant stronghold of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. The Israeli military says it has withdrawn its troops from the refugee camp. The pullout Wednesday morning ended an intense two-day operation that killed at least 13 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes and left a wide swath of damage in its wake. One Israeli soldier was also killed. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
The UN refuses to retract its condemnation of Israel over the Jenin military operation
Israel’s United Nations ambassador is calling on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to retract his condemnation of the country for its attack on the Jenin refugee camp.
 
UN to keep pushing for extension of food and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine
Top U.N. officials say they will keep pushing for an extension of the deal that allows food and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine despite their war.
 
This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)
West clashes with Russia and Iran at UN over Tehran’s uranium enrichment and drones for Russia
The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and Iran at the U.N. Security Council over Tehran’s advancing uranium enrichment and its reported supply of combat drones to Moscow used to attack Ukraine.
 
The UN chief issues a rare condemnation of excessive force by Israel in its Jenin raid
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is condemning Israel’s excessive use of force in its largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades, citing its airstrikes and ground operations in a refugee camp crowded with civilians.
 
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the diplomatic lounge in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, July 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
The UN chief calls for a robust international police force to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for a robust international force to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs and restore security in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
 
FILE - In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, flags fly in front of the tents of Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, on April 18, 2019. For the first time since the facility in Cuba opened in 2002, a U.S. president had allowed a United Nations independent investigator, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, to visit. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Guantanamo detainees tell first independent visitor about scars from torture and hopes to leave
At the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, the aging men known by their serial numbers arrived at the meeting shackled.
 
FILE - Hadiiq Abdulle Mohamed eats with her children as she speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at an internally displaced people camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, March 24, 2023. Children experienced the highest number of grave violations in conflicts ever verified by the United Nations in 2022, with the conflicts between Israeli and Palestinians and in Congo and Somalia putting the most in peril, the U.N. children's agency said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
UN records the highest number of ‘grave violations’ against children in conflicts
The U.N. children’s agency says last year children experienced the highest number of “grave violations” in conflicts verified by the group.
 
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