Global Issues News Headlines

The race to build a pandemic-proof world

2026-09-19T05:00:00-07:00

Six years after COVID-19 killed millions, battered health systems, disrupted lives and brought the global economy to a virtual standstill, the world is still grappling with how we can prepare better for the next pandemic.

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Why the UN General Assembly still matters

2026-09-19T05:00:00-07:00

More than eight decades on, the UN General Assembly remains the place where the UN’s 193 Member States come together to debate the defining challenges of the day, from war and peace – to development, climate change and human rights.

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The Connection Between Urbanization and Poverty: How Cities Can Reduce Poverty – Or Deepen It

2026-09-18T16:44:44-07:00

UNITED NATIONS, September 18 (IPS) - Urbanization can help concentrate jobs, services, and investments; however, it can also concentrate unaffordable housing, insecure employment, and unequal exposure to contamination and environmental threats. A recent report from the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, argues that the difference is not urbanization itself, but how cities are planned, governed, and financed.

Read the full story, “The Connection Between Urbanization and Poverty: How Cities Can Reduce Poverty – Or Deepen It”, on globalissues.org →

Outpacing Foreign Aid, Migrant Remittances Are a Lifeline Ensuring Families Are Fed and Healthy, Says IFAD

2026-09-18T08:11:47-07:00

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, September 18 (IPS) - Migrants now send home more money than foreign aid, and this is pulling rural families out of poverty, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Read the full story, “Outpacing Foreign Aid, Migrant Remittances Are a Lifeline Ensuring Families Are Fed and Healthy, Says IFAD”, on globalissues.org →

WHO Launches New Global Health Strategy for Childhood Cancer Medications

2026-09-18T05:12:30-07:00

UNITED NATIONS, September 18 (IPS) - When a child is diagnosed with cancer, their chances of survival should not depend on where they live, yet according to the WHO, more than 80 percent of children with cancer in high-income countries are cured, compared with fewer than 30 percent in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Read the full story, “WHO Launches New Global Health Strategy for Childhood Cancer Medications”, on globalissues.org →

UN Crime Congress: Technology is transforming crime – and the response to it

2026-09-18T05:00:00-07:00

Sitting in her Vienna office ahead of a pivotal UN gathering in Abu Dhabi, Monica Juma is focused on a simple reality: crime has evolved faster than many of the institutions designed to combat it.

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Security Council LIVE: UN peacekeeping under pressure

2026-09-18T05:00:00-07:00

UN peacekeepers have increasingly been sent into places where there is no peace to keep – under resourced, outgunned and exposed to violence they are not equipped to counter. The Security Council meets this afternoon in New York to confront that problem, with Secretary-General António Guterres briefing ambassadors on how to close the gap.

Read the full story, “Security Council LIVE: UN peacekeeping under pressure”, on globalissues.org →

‘Violence will only defer a problem’: UN Assembly President on trust, AI and lessons from the Rohingya crisis

2026-09-18T05:00:00-07:00

Khalilur Rahman took the gavel as President of the UN General Assembly's 81st session amid what he calls a crisis of confidence in the organization he has served – in one capacity or another – for 35 years.

Read the full story, “‘Violence will only defer a problem’: UN Assembly President on trust, AI and lessons from the Rohingya crisis”, on globalissues.org →

Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’

2026-09-18T05:00:00-07:00

Over 1,000 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine have been documented from the start of Russia’s invasion to the end of July this year.

Read the full story, “Sexual violence against civilians and POW’s in Ukraine widespread and ‘abhorrent’”, on globalissues.org →

Less than 4 years from development goals deadline, progress shows what’s possible

2026-09-18T05:00:00-07:00

For Benin, making progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has meant finding new ways to finance development.

Read the full story, “Less than 4 years from development goals deadline, progress shows what’s possible”, on globalissues.org →