IPS Inter Press Service

Will Palestine Preside Over the Next UN General Assembly? The 193-member General Assembly, the highest-ranking policy-making body at the United Nations, is most likely to elect Palestine as its next President in an unprecedented move voting for a “non-member...

The 193-member General Assembly, the highest-ranking policy-making body at the United Nations, is most likely to elect Palestine as its next President in an unprecedented move voting for a “non-member observer state”—a state deprived of a country to represent www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/will...

'Nothing Compares to Human Lives Lost' - Reflections on Ukraine War “We have a saying here in Ukraine now – ‘young people meet at their friends’ funerals rather than at weddings.' It’s sad, but very true.”

We have a saying here in Ukraine now – ‘young people meet at their friends’ funerals rather than at weddings.’ As Russia’s full-scale invasion of her country enters its fifth year, Iryna Yakova, 29, is looking back at how her life has changed over the past four years www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/ukra...

High Seas Treaty Will Transform Our Fragile Ocean for the Better “The ocean’s health is humanity’s health”, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in September 2025. He was commenting after the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) [1] finally achieved ratification, going o...

The #HighSeasTreaty’s entry into force is a transformative moment for ocean governance.

@ipsnews.net lists the key expected outcomes and impacts the Treaty will have on ocean protection, transparency and human activities in the High Seas.

As Biodiversity Loss Grows, Rome Talks Urge Nations to Step Up Action Governments meeting in Rome last week acknowledged that global efforts to protect nature are still not moving fast enough.

Governments meeting in Rome #SBI6
@unbiodiversity.bsky.social acknowledge that global efforts to protect nature are still not moving fast enough, even as biodiversity loss continues to affect ecosystems, livelihoods, and economies worldwide www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/as-b...

Extreme Heat Undermines Decent Work in North Eastern Kenya For Hawa Hussein Farah, who runs a fruit and vegetable stall in an open-air market in Garissa town, the excessive heat means smaller profits.

Extreme heat is taking a growing toll on workers in north eastern Kenya, undermining livelihoods, productivity and the prospect of decent work in one of the country’s most climate vulnerable regions www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/extr...

'Worrying' War on Drugs Rhetoric Comes with Human, Financial Costs Drug reform campaigners have called for an overhaul of global drug controls amid an increasingly complex and deadly drug situation.

Drug reform campaigners are urging an overhaul of global drug controls, amid an increasingly complex and deadly global drug situation, warning that hardline approaches are increasingly being used to justify repression of civil society and human rights defenders www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/worr...

The global struggle for equality for women and girls has been ongoing for centuries, with no single country having achieved full equality, writes demographer Joseph Chamie www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/the-...

The Veto May be the Weapon of Elimination in the Election of Next UN Chief As the campaign for the next Secretary-General gathers momentum – at a relatively slow pace – there is widespread speculation that any candidate running for the post of UN chief will have to abide by ...

I talk to @ipsnews.net about the race to be next UNSG.
www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/the-...

The Veto May be the Weapon of Elimination in the Election of Next UN Chief As the campaign for the next Secretary-General gathers momentum – at a relatively slow pace – there is widespread speculation that any candidate running for the post of UN chief will have to abide by ...

As the campaign for the next UN Secretary-General takes shape, there is widespread speculation that any candidate running for the post of UN chief will have to abide by the dictates of a politically hostile White House or face a veto in the Security Council www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/the-...

As Glaciers Melt, the World’s Hidden Water Banks Are at Risk As glaciers shrink and vanish, changes in water flows pose a growing risk to the water, food and livelihood security of billions of people.

As glaciers shrink and vanish, changes in water flows pose a growing risk to the water, food and livelihood security of billions of people, warns QU Dongyu, @fao.org www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/as-g...

As Landmark Treaty Expires, No Binding Limits on US-Russia Nuclear Arsenals When the nuclear Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the US and Russia expired last week, it ended a historic era— but triggered widespread speculation about the future. UN Secretary-Gener...

When the nuclear Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the US and Russia expired last week, it ended a historic era— but triggered widespread speculation about the future www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/as-l...

Bridging the Capital Gap: Strategic Public-Private Partnerships Invest in Young Agri-entrepreneurs With 1.3 billion young people in the world today, nearly half in rural areas, investing in their entrepreneurial potential is key.

Investing in young entrepreneurs and women farmers unlocks new pathways for employment and ensures that rural areas become thriving engines of stability, prosperity and sustainable growth, says Alvaro Lario, @ifad.org www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/brid...

“Deepfake Abuse Is Abuse”: UNICEF Sounds Alarm as AI Fuels a New Global Child-Exploitation Crisis New findings from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveal that millions of children are having their images manipulated into sexualized content through the use of generative artificial inte...

Millions of children are having their images manipulated into sexualized content through the use of generative artificial intelligence, fueling a fast-growing and deeply harmful form of online abuse, new findings from @unicef.org reveal www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/deep...

A Business Necessity: Align With Nature or Risk Collapse, IPBES Report Warns Business can remain profitable while protecting the environment but invest in nature-positive operations, says a landmark report by IPBES.

A Business Necessity: Align With Nature or Risk Collapse, IPBES Report Warns
www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/a-bu...

@ipbes.net #IPBES12 @busanibafana.bsky.social #ForNature @cicirussell.bsky.social

Is the US Planning to Throw a Lifeline to a Sinking UN? The current UN financial crisis, described as the worst in the 80-year-old history of the world body, triggers the question: is the US using its financial clout defaulting in its arrears and its asses...

The current UN financial crisis, described as the worst in the 80-year-old history of the world body, triggers the question: is the US using its financial clout defaulting in its arrears and its assessed contributions to precipitate the collapse of the UN? www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/is-t...

Humanitarian Access Collapses as Yemen’s Political and Security Crisis Deepens In recent weeks, Yemen’s humanitarian crisis has sharply worsened, as escalating food insecurity and brutal clashes between armed actors have prompted United Nations (UN) officials to warn that the co...

In recent weeks, Yemen’s humanitarian crisis has sharply worsened, as escalating food insecurity and brutal clashes between armed actors have prompted United Nations officials to warn that the country is approaching a critical breaking point

www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/huma...

Support Science in Halting Global Biodiversity Crisis—King Charles King Charles says science is the solution to protecting nature and halting global biodiversity loss, which is threatening humanity’s survival.

Support Science in Halting Global Biodiversity Crisis—King Charles
www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/supp... #IPBES12 @busanibafana.bsky.social @ipbes.net @ipbesfr.bsky.social

@cicirussell.bsky.social

Explainer: Why Nature Is Everyone’s Business Our food, fuel, and fortunes come from nature, but as these resources are turned into profits, the balance between exploiting and replenishing the planet is ever more precarious. Global businesses imp...

Explainer: Why Nature Is Everyone’s Business
www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/expl... @ipbes.net #biodiversity #nature

Group of 77—Representing 134 Nations, Plus China-- Protest Funding Cuts for South-South Cooperation A sharp cut in funding for “South-South Cooperation” (UNOSSC) has triggered a strong protest from the 134-member Group of 77 (G-77), described as the largest intergovernmental organization of developi...

A sharp cut in funding for “South-South Cooperation” has triggered a strong protest from the 134-member Group of 77 (G-77), described as the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries within the United Nations www.ipsnews.net/2026/02/grou...

The UN is Being Undermined by the 'Law of the Jungle' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was dead on target when he told the Security Council last week that the rule of law worldwide is being replaced by the law of the jungle. “We see flagrant violati...

We see flagrant violations of international law and brazen disregard for the UN Charter. From Gaza to Ukraine, and around the world, the rule of law is being treated as an à la carte menu, warns UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as mass killings continue www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/the-...

Gambia's Supreme Court to Decide on FGM Ban Gambia’s Supreme Court weighs the future of the ban on female genital mutilation, a practice causing harm to women and girls across the country

Gambia’s Supreme Court is considering whether the ban on female genital mutilation is unconstitutional, a decision that could strip protections for women and girls. FGM constitutes torture under international human rights law, writes Juliana Nnoko, @hrw.org www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/gamb...

Haiti at a Crossroads: Political Uncertainty and Gang Control Push Nation Toward Collapse Political Uncertainty and Gang Control Push Haiti Toward Collapse

As Haiti’s Transitional President Council approaches its February 7 expiration date and the country remains without a newly elected president, humanitarian experts warn the nation risks further sliding into insecurity, raising fears of broader collapse www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/hait...

Is the US Board of Peace Aimed at Undermining the UN? Judging by the mixed signals coming out of the White House, is the Board of Peace, a creation of President Donald Trump, eventually aimed at replacing the UN Security Council or the United Nations its...

Judging by the mixed signals coming out of the White House, is the Board of Peace, a creation of President Donald Trump, eventually aimed at replacing the UN Security Council or the United Nations itself? www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/is-t...

World’s Oceans Hit Record Heat in 2025, at Great Economic and Social Costs In 2025, global ocean temperatures rose to some of the highest levels ever recorded, signaling a continued accumulation of heat within the Earth’s climate system and raising deep concern among climate...

Global temperatures have reached record highs over the past 11 years, with ocean heating continuing at an alarming pace. Despite the cooling influence of La Niña, 2025 became the third hottest year ever recorded, finds @wmo-global.bsky.social www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/worl...

Thousands of Kenya's Smallholder Coffee Farmers Risk Losing EU Market as Deforestation Law Takes Effect As the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) takes effect, smallholder coffee farmers in Kenya face an existential threat.

Smallholder farmers produce 70% of Kenya’s coffee, accounting for 30% of agricultural labor, and it is projected to reach US$2.4 billion by 2033. But non-compliance with EU deforestation rules could cost the country US$ 695m over five years www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/thou...

World Living Beyond Its Means: Warns UN’s Global Water Bankruptcy Report The world has entered an era of Global Water Bankruptcy, a condition where humanity has overspent the planet’s water.

The world has entered an era of Global Water Bankruptcy, UN researchers warn, a condition where humanity has irreversibly overspent the planet’s water resources, leaving ecosystems, economies, and communities unable to recover to previous levels www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/worl...

How Extreme Weather is Testing Tanzania’s $2 Billion Electric Railway Dream Less than two years after the launch of Tanzania's SGR, the initial optimism has collided with the harsher reality of extreme weather.

Railways are widely seen as pillars of climate action, with electric trains emitting less than road or air transport. But Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway shows a paradox: infrastructure designed to be climate-friendly is itself increasingly exposed to climate shocks www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/how-...

ICJ Begins Proceedings for Rohingya Genocide Allegations Case Against Myanmar On January 12, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), opened landmark hearings in a case brought by the Republic of The Gambia, alleging that Myanmar’s military committed acts of brutal genocide ag...

The International Court of Justice has opened landmark hearings in a case brought by The Gambia, alleging Myanmar’s military committed genocide against the Rohingya during its 2017 crackdown. Judges will review evidence over three weeks www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/icj-...

Gaza: Physicians Call For Unimpeded Aid To Restore Reproductive Healthcare Two reports released today document how maternal and reproductive healthcare have been all but destroyed in the country.

Israel must lift all restrictions on medicine, food and aid coming into Gaza, rights groups have demanded, as two new reports document how maternal and reproductive healthcare have been all but destroyed in the country www.ipsnews.net/2026/01/gaza...