Armed Conflicts

Scarcity of Treatment Makes Syrians More Vulnerable to Mental Health Crisis

By Sonia Al Ali
The protracted years of conflict in Syria have inflicted profound scars that transcend physical destruction, permeating the psychological well-being of millions.

The Iran War Exposes the Fragility of Our Fuel-Dependent Food System

By Lulseged Desta and Jonathan Mockshell
Sharp surges in energy, fertilizer, and food prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf strikingly illustrate the deep interconnections between geopolitical conflict, food insecurity, and the fragility of fossil fuel–dependent food systems.

The 3Ds for a Credible Post-2030 Development Agenda

By Silla Ristimäki, Miguel Santibañez, Emeline Siale Ilolahia and Aoi Horiuchi
Just four years of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development remain. What comes after 2030 is already a political battleground.

Stop the Madness: Civil Society Cannot Thrive on Burnout

By Hannah Wheatley, Joanna Makhlouf and Taís Siqueira
In an era when civil society funding is in decline, it’s time to rebel against a broken system.

Civilian Casualties Grow Amid Russian and Ukrainian Drone Strikes

By Oritro Karim
Four years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, 2026 has marked a significant escalation in hostilities, with intensified bombardments from both sides causing immense destruction across the region, complicating humanitarian operations, and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis. As exchanges of attacks have intensified in recent days, the United Nations (UN) warns that women and girls will be disproportionately impacted as violence disrupts access to basic, lifesaving services.

Building Resilient Food Systems in an Age of Disruption

By Neena Joshi
The latest shock to global food systems, triggered by conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, has once again exposed a fragile truth: the world’s food systems remain highly vulnerable to external shocks.

The Global Epidemic of Violence in an Age of Impunity

By Alon Ben-Meir
Violence has metastasized into humanity's baseline condition. Yet international institutions remain paralyzed by vetoes and rivalry, offering hollow declarations while dehumanization becomes normalized. Coordinated action, not gestures, is desperately needed.

Ambitious Great Green Wall Shows Slow, Steady Progress in Strengthening Landscapes, Improving Livelihoods

By Promise Eze
In 2021, Gadeja Shehu and about a hundred farmers in Garbadu village, Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria, were invited by officials of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall to plant trees across a large stretch of land in their community.

The Iran War Is Costing Children’s Lives in Somalia

By Mohamed Omar
When war erupted in the Middle East in late February, the most visible consequences were playing out in the Persian Gulf, with smoke rising from Dubai's Jebel Ali port and shipping traffic across one of the world's most critical maritime routes grinding to a near halt.

Gaza’s Deepening Health Crisis Leaves Hospitals Overwhelmed

By Oritro Karim
Despite the implementation of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel last October, Israeli forces continue to launch airstrikes into the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This has resulted in extensive destruction of infrastructure, loss of human life and exacerbating immense health needs amid an increasingly strained health system in Gaza.

‘Nuclear Weapons Are Not Just Tools of War. They Are Weapons of Mass Suffering.’

By Naureen Hossain
"We choose hope because despair is a form of surrender that we cannot accept,” UN Ambassador to the Philippines, Enrique Manolo, told civil society representatives and the diplomatic community, considering the question of whether to pursue nuclear disarmament in a world that is becoming more polarized on the issue.

The War in Iran Isn’t Just Raising Food Prices — It’s Revealing Who Really Sets Them

By Mihaela Siritanu
As the United States and Israel’s 2026 attack on Iran remains on pause, most eyes have fixed on oil. Tankers reroute around the Strait of Hormuz, oil benchmarks climb, and insurance costs spike. But while the headlines focus on energy, warning signs are already flashing from the food commodities markets.

Rivalry Within Limits

By Sebastian Sons
While the world watches the Strait of Hormuz and the discord in negotiations between Iran and the United States, the role of the Gulf states is fading into the background. Iran’s attacks on the Arab Gulf states have triggered a threefold shock.

Addressing the Mental Health of Ukrainian Children living on Frontlines of War

By Ed Holt
“What’s important is to make sure that you can immerse yourself in an environment that is positive for your mental health and wellbeing,” says Olena*.

American-Israeli War on Iran Risks Fuelling the very Nuclear Proliferation it Claims to Prevent

By HMGS Palihakkara
As delegates from 191 countries, including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, gathered Monday at UN headquarters for a month of diplomacy at the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the stakes could hardly be higher.

US Military Strategy Document Misleads. Deliberately?

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Nurina Malek
The January 2026 US National Defense Strategy (NDS) departs significantly from those preceding it, including from Trump’s first term. Is it deliberately misleading? Or is actual policy, including war, being driven by other considerations?

Indonesia’s Genocide Case Shines the Spotlight on Myanmar Atrocities

By Andrew Firmin
Yasmin Ullah, from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority, is determined to see justice. On 13 April, she filed a complaint alleging genocide against Myanmar’s president, Min Aung Hlaing, to Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office. Min Aung Hlaing led the 2021 coup that ousted a democratically elected government and this month was named president following a sham election held amid intense repression, rubber stamping the army’s continuing grip on power. However secure he appears in his position, Yasmin Ullah’s legal action offers hope his impunity may not be guaranteed.

African Institutions in Plan to Stabilise Food, Fuel and Fertiliser Amid Mideast War

By Busani Bafana
Fearing the Middle East war could drive millions into hunger and cripple economies, Africa’s leading institutions are drafting a strategy to mobilise domestic and "innovative" finance and harness national competitiveness to stabilise food, fuel, and fertiliser supplies.

Feminist Governance and Democratic Change in Armenia

By Sania Farooqui
The period after Armenia's 2018 "Velvet Revolution" maintains a fragile status which presents both substantial democratic and feminist achievements and rising internal and external international pressures.

The Impact of the Middle East Crisis on Women and Girls

By UN Population Fund
Six weeks into the 2026 Middle East military escalation, UNFPA Arab States Regional Office warns that its impact on 161 million women and girls living in conflict-affected areas across the region remain largely invisible in conflict analysis, humanitarian response, and funding priorities.

Trump’s Apocalyptic Rhetoric Echoes Nuclear Annihilation

By Alon Ben-Meir
It is hard to exaggerate the dire implications of Trump’s April 7 post on Truth Social, stating that a civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if no deal is reached with Iran. Such a damning statement implies that he would use ‘weapons of mass destruction,’ i.e., nuclear, to execute his threat.
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