What's New

The General Assembly wrapped up the main part of its 79th session on Tuesday, approving a $3.72 billion budget for the United Nations for 2025 and adopting a new programme to support landlocked developing countries.

The approved $3.72 billion regular budget (RB) for 2025 represents an increase of about $1 million over the Secretary-General’s October proposal to the Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which oversees administrative and budgetary matters.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted today a new convention to prevent and combat cybercrime, concluding a five-year negotiation process. 

The UN Convention against Cybercrime aims to prevent and combat cybercrime more efficiently and effectively, including by strengthening international cooperation and by providing technical assistance and capacity-building support, particularly for developing countries. 

In a landmark mission to Syria, the UN probe into the most serious rights violations committed in the country since 2011 has called on caretaker authorities to take immediate measures to protect mass grave sites and preserve critical evidence.

The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria concluded talks in Damascus on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the fall of the Assad regime could mark the start of a peaceful and democratic transition for the shattered country, while acknowledging challenges remain.

“It’s early days,” Geir Pedersen said referring to the dramatic events of less than two weeks ago that ended decades of dictatorship.

“But I think it is important to say that there is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria.”

“Together, we can show the world we are not just survivors but also leaders in times of crisis” (Samira)

Today, December 3, as we mark the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations in Lebanon celebrates the extraordinary stories of resilience, leadership, and empowerment in times of crisis, exemplified by the ‘Access Kitchen’ initiative in Lebanon.

A new assessment from UN-Habitat Lebanon, the University of Balamand, and the Center for Environmental Research of the Eastern Mediterranean (CREEMO) at Saint Joseph University has released findings from a remote assessment of building destruction and debris quantities in areas affected by the recent conflict impacting Lebanon since October 2023. The assessment focuses on seven districts across the South and Nabatiyeh governorates, offering satellite imagery analysis of the scale of the conflict’s impact on aspects of the built environment.

The United Nations has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres expressed hope that the agreement “can put an end to the violence, destruction and suffering the people of both countries have been experiencing.”

After two weeks of intense negotiations, delegates at COP29, formally the 29th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agreed to provide this funding annually, with an overall climate financing target to reach “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”.

Since 7 October 2023, 47% of attacks on health care – 65 out of 137 – have proven fatal to at least one health worker or patient in Lebanon, as of 21 November 2024.

This is a higher percentage than in any active conflict today across the globe – with nearly half of all attacks on health causing the death of a health worker.