Viet Nam and the UN have joined forces to respond to devastating typhoons, launching a $49.4 million Joint Response Plan for 406,000 of the most vulnerable. Their approach prioritizes long-term resilience — investing in climate-adaptive infrastructure, early warning systems, and inclusive recovery to better prepare for future disasters. 

Full story: https://un-dco.org/stories/building-resilience-viet-nams-path-recovery-and-readiness

Building Resilience: Viet Nam's Path to Recovery and Readiness

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are worsening as storms, cold temperatures, and overcrowded makeshift shelters leave displaced families — especially children — without adequate warmth, sanitation, or protection, while aid remains far below what’s needed. 

Speaking from the Strip's coastal area of Al Mawasi, UNICEF's Jonathan Cricx warns of rising waterborne diseases amid severe shortages.

Audio credit: UN News

CLIP - Storms and cold deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis - UNICEF's Jonathan Cricx

Israeli construction of a new so-called "Settler Road" and barrier in the Jordan Valley is displacing Palestinians, fragmenting the occupied West Bank, and threatening livelihoods, while UN officials warn that attempts to undermine Palestinian refugee status violate international law. Here's Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory speaking to UN News on Thursday, 

Audio credit: UN News

CLIP - Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on Jordan Valley barrier

An escalation in violence in South Kivu province has uprooted more than 200,000 people since 2 December amid attacks since by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23).
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) told UN News on Thursday that this new crisis has forced the agency to suspend its activities across South Kivu.
Here's WFP's Myrline Sanogo Mathieu, Head of communications and Media/Spokesperson for DRC with more details on the humanitarian impact of the emergency.

DR Congo crisis in South Kivu: WFP's Myrline Sanogo Mathieu

Living heritage gives people a sense of meaning and belonging, connecting individuals and communities across generations.  

On Thursday, the UN culture agency, UNESCO’s committee which safeguards living cultural traditions worldwide, added 67 new living heritage elements to UNESCO’s extensive lists. 

UN News’s Anshu Sharma in the Indian capital, New Delhi, spoke to Tim Curtis, Director of the UNESCO office there and the agency’s Representative to India, Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, about the significance of recognising and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. 

Audio credit: Anshu Sharma, UN News

‘We are human beings because we are cultural beings’: UNESCO director

"No one should be forced to endure a storm in a tent": that's the message from the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, amid torrential rain and cold that has swept across Gaza in recent days.

Speaking to UN News, UNRWA's Milina Shahin said that families living in "plastic sheet tents stood no chance against the flooding and freezing temperatures" as their makeshift shelters collapsed. "Exhausted parents could not prepare, children had no protection from the cold, and the most vulnerable are now at even greater risk," she said.

Gaza rain storm collapses makeshift tents - UNRWA

Financing and climate solutions have become an increasingly important focus for the UN’s work worldwide. Taking place this year in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the UN Environment Assembly is advancing sustainable solutions for all.

Richard Munang, Africa climate change coordinator for UN Environment Programme, UNEP, spoke to UN News’s Stella Vuzo about financing in Africa and the significance of the 10th anniversary on Friday of the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

With the continent warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, finding solutions to reduce carbon emissions is an urgent task, he told us.

Audio Credit: Stellar Vuzo, UN News

UN climate change coordinator: Africa is turning climate challenges into opportunities

After more than 22 years at the heart of Iraq’s political transition and post-war recovery, the UN will close its political mission in the country at the end of 2025. 

Established in 2003, the mission (UNAMI) has played a central role in supporting inclusive political dialogue, national reconciliation, credible elections and the protection of human rights. 

UN News’s Reem Abaza spoke to the mission chief and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Mohamed Al Hassan, about what’s been achieved – and the challenges ahead.

Audio credit: Reem Abaza, UN News

UN mission ends mandate as Iraq ‘flips the page to a new chapter’

• Sudan war: Aid teams report agreement reached to access stricken El Fasher, reports World Food Programme, WFP
• Occupied West Bank alert over ‘intense’ Israeli raids, warns UN human rights office, OHCHR
• Sri Lanka's cyclone Ditwah created ‘2.2 million stories of loss and resilience’, says UN migration agency, IOM

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 12 December 2025 - Sudan war, Occupied West Bank, Sri Lanka cyclone

Africa doesn’t have a million problems. It has one: a mindset problem, according to the UN Special Adviser on Africa Cristina Duarte.

Research suggests that nearly two-thirds of Africans believe their countries are currently heading in the wrong direction.

Speaking after the UN Academic Conference on Africa held earlier this month, Ms. Duarte emphasised that by transforming this mindset and recognising the value of African knowledge, the continent’s future could be completely reshaped.

UN News’s Ben Malor sat down with Ms. Duarte and began by asking for her top three takeaways from the thought-provoking gathering.

Audio: Ben Malor, UN News

Africa has one problem, not a million: A mindset problem

• UN Secretary-General condemns deadly attack on Hannukah celebration in Sydney
• Amid “unending atrocities” around world, UN Refugees chief Filippo Grandi reaffirms solidarity with asylum seekers
• Ukraine: Aid teams provide relief after another weekend of Russian strikes on vital infrastructure - OCHA

Audio credit: Charlotte Frantz, UN News

UN News Today 15 December 2025 - attack in Sydney, asylum seekers, Ukraine

Bringing together the United Nations development system to deliver on the Global Goals for people and planet.

Building Resilience: Viet Nam's Path to Recovery and Readiness

UN Sustainable Development Group

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