The major earthquakes that have occurred in Afghanistan this year have worsened the already dire situation in that country. Top news of the day | environment: human rights, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia UN
The main news of the day in the UN and the world: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for using the energy of social movements for transformational reforms, one of the largest humanitarian disasters of our time is unfolding in Afghanistan, amid intense fighting in the front-line regions of Ukraine, the evacuation of civilians continues, the head of the UN began his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Protection of human rights
Human rights are under attack around the world. This was stated by the UN’s chief human rights activist, Volker Türk. He noted that the past year “has been difficult” – against the backdrop of reduced funding for human rights activities, anti-legal movements are receiving more and more resources and increasing their influence. Despite these trends, Turk emphasized, in many countries young people take to the streets and are active on social networks, speaking out against wars, inequality, corruption and repression. Turk called on governments to “use the energy of social movements” as potential for transformation, rather than suppress them.
Security Council on Afghanistan
At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said that one of the largest humanitarian disasters of our time is unfolding in Afghanistan. In 2026, nearly 22 million Afghans will need assistance. More than 2.6 million refugees returned to the country in 2025, mostly from Iran and Pakistan. Most of them are women and children. In addition, the country was rocked by two major earthquakes this year. UN requests $1.7 billion for aid to Afghanistan next year.
UN provides aid to Ukraine
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the evacuation of civilians continues amid intense fighting in Ukraine’s front-line regions. According to the latest report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, the number of civilian casualties increased by 37 percent in both front-line and urban areas between June and November this year – compared with the previous six months. With the support of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations are providing assistance to residents of the affected regions.
UN chief’s visit to Saudi Arabia
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today began his visit to Saudi Arabia. Guterres praised the cooperation between the kingdom and the United Nations. In the capital, Riyadh, he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They discussed a number of regional issues and the current geopolitical situation. The UN chief also plans to meet with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister and Energy Minister.