UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (IPS) - Today, as millions of children and families celebrate their mothers, my thoughts turn to the pregnant women and new mothers our teams at UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, support in more than 130 countries around the world. And I hold in my heart all those who, tragically, will never live to see their newborns. Read the full story, “The World Must Not Abandon the Mothers of Gaza”, on globalissues.org ..read more

The first-ever UN civil society conference held in Africa wrapped up in Nairobi on Friday hearing calls for “bold and honest” conversations among governments and civil society to drive forward shared vision for reinvigorated multilateralism, a better world and a brighter future for all. Read the full story, “‘Keep working with us to build a better world,’ Guterres says, as major UN civil society forum closes in Kenya”, on globalissues.org ..read more

A UN independent human rights expert warned on Friday that the recent increase in student protest attacks across campuses in the United States indicates an “erosion of intellectual freedom and democratic principles within educational settings.” Read the full story, “UN expert raises alarm over unfair treatment of pro-Palestinian student protesters in US”, on globalissues.org ..read more

Two arson attacks and growing protests forced UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA to temporarily close its office in East Jerusalem this week, but its vital work will continue as war rages in Gaza and violence rises in the West Bank, Senior Communications Manager Jonathan Fowler told UN News on Friday. Read the full story, “UNRWA staff ‘not going anywhere’ despite forced closure of East Jerusalem compound”, on globalissues.org ..read more

With no let-up in the Israeli military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah into Friday, UN humanitarians issued renewed calls for a ceasefire as “the only hope” to avert further bloodshed and restore desperately needed aid deliveries. Read the full story, “Gaza: As exodus from Rafah continues, UN urges reopening of aid lines”, on globalissues.org ..read more

The UN General Assembly is set to convene again at 10:00 AM New York time for an emergency special session on the Gaza crisis with the fate hundreds of thousands of civilians in Rafah hanging in the balance as Israeli forces continue their advance on the southern city. Read the full story, “UPDATING LIVE: General Assembly to hold emergency session on Israel-Palestine crisis”, on globalissues.org ..read more

With the situation in Rafah “on a knife’s edge”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed again on Friday for Israeli and Hamas leaders “to demonstrate political courage and spare no effort” in reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza and free all hostages. Read the full story, “In Nairobi, Guterres reiterates appeal for end to Gaza war”, on globalissues.org ..read more

SAN FRANCISCO, USA, May 10 (IPS) - While some Palestine defenders on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's threat to withhold bombs and artillery shells from Israel if it launches a major invasion of Rafah, critics noted that an invasion is already underway and accused the American leader of walking back a previous "red line" warning against an Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city. Read the full story, “Biden 'Moving the Goal Post' With Threat to Withhold Bombs from Israel”, on globalissues.org ..read more

DOMINICA, May 10 (IPS) - The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report documents the Region’s struggles with the devastating impacts of climate change, and urges action to reduce the burden of disasters.Every year for the last four years, a collaborative effort involving scientists and other experts has assessed the state of the climate in Latin America and the Caribbean. The findings have revealed increasingly alarming trends for the world’s second-most disaster-prone region. Read the full story, “Latin America and the Caribbean Hit wi ..read more

NAIROBI, May 09 (IPS) - The world is neither on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) nor is it leveraging emerging opportunities to effectively address global concerns such as extreme hunger, poverty, conflict, and climate change. Global concerns have outpaced existing structures for international cooperation and coping. Read the full story, “Inclusivity, Impact, and Innovation Needed to Meet SDGs, UN Civil Society Conference Hears”, on globalissues.org ..read more