The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda – launched 25 years ago through Security Council resolution 1325 – recognized women are affected by wars in specific ways and must also play a distinct role in resolving them.

Mexico, Chile and Colombia have all adopted foreign policies which emphasise gender equality in diplomacy, peacebuilding and development – but more needs to be done for women to be meaningfully included in peace processes and conflict resolution. 

UN News’s Ileana Exaras spoke to Laura Flores, Director of the Americas Division in the UN’s political affairs and peacebuilding department, about the progress and challenges that continue to affect women in politics across Latin America.

Audio credit: Ileana Exaras, UN News

Latin America, Caribbean, take the lead in women MPs

DSG applauds statisticians

Aid teams in Afghanistan breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after initial assessments of last night's earthquake in northern provinces indicated far less damage than had been feared at first.
Just two months a massive quake devastated the east of the country. 
"There has been very localized damage and there has been tragically loss of life and injury," said Richard Trenchard from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and top UN aid official in Afghanistan ad interim. "But as compared to the devastating scenes we saw in Kunar just a few weeks ago, where whole villages have been swept off roadsides, roads were blocked and there was massive traffic jams...the initial reports are far less concerning than we were both expecting and that we've seen in the past with the large earthquakes here." 

New quake rocks northern Afghanistan

In this A Matter of Interest archive feature for Remembrance Day, World War II veterans share vivid memories of their time in service — why they chose to enlist, what they experienced, and how those moments shaped their lives and our nation’s story.

🎥 Watch the full programme here: https://youtu.be/SogGTlTZMnw?si=tmTjzbH1y22qIZUe



HOW WE REMEMBER

• Afghans wake up to another deadly quake: OCHA, FAO
• Gaza: dozens of newly trained midwives deploy in shattered enclave: UNFPA
• WHO urges urgent action as global health funding plunges up to 40 per cent

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 03 November 2025 - Afghanistan, Gaza, global health


Bringing aid to remote communities affected by a category 5 hurricane which swept across Jamaica last week remains the priority according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the west of the Caribbean island nation, bringing rain, storm surges and catastrophic flooding which has caused widespread devastation. 

UN News’s Charlotte Frantz, spoke to WFP’s Alexis Masciarelli who is currently in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, and began by asking him about the immediate needs of people in the hurricane’s path.

Audio credit: Charlotte Frantz, UN News

Bringing aid to remote communities in hurricane-affected Jamaica remains the priority

Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs reflects on the importance of the Doha World Summit for Social Development from the humanitarian perspective. 

Audio credit: Abdelmonem Makki, UN News

CLIP – ‘Hope is the currency of humanitarian work’, UNOCHA’s Joyce Msuya

Thirty years after the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen, global leaders have reconvened in Doha to assess progress and chart a path forward on poverty eradication and social development. 

Over the past three decades, 1.5 billion people have been lifted out of poverty, and global life expectancy has increased by nearly seven years.

However, significant challenges remain, with an estimated 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

Speaking on the role of the UN and on the actions that governments must take to make social development more resilient and sustainable, UNDP’s acting administrator Haoling Xu underscored the importance of rebuilding global trust and solidarity. 

He spoke to UN News’ Abdelmonem Makki following the political declaration adoption at the World Summit for Social Development on Tuesday.

UN News continues to provide on-the-ground coverage from Doha.

Audio credit: Abdelmonem Makki, UN News
Photo: © WHO/Anna Kari

Doha Social Summit: renewed commitment to end poverty

• Sudan: UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire 
• Gaza: Hunger and exhaustion continue to delay enclave’s recovery 
• Syria healthcare hit by dire funding shortages  

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 04 November 2025 - Sudan, Gaza, Syria healthcare

The Barbados Government Information Service has been established since 1958 as the Barbados Government's public relations and information arm.   This dynamic channel profiles Barbadian people, places and programmes which make up this Caribbean island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.  We want to hear from you.

HOW WE REMEMBER

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