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Global Issues:
Peace and Security

Explosive ordnance contamination remains a deadly, often hidden threat long after conflicts end, endangering lives, livelihoods and especially curious children. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Sudan and Syria, differing conflicts create the same indiscriminate risks. Communities —often the first to spot dangers—play a vital role in sharing warnings and promoting safe behaviour. Through Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, UNMAS supports people facing layered challenges, strengthening safety and resilience. The exhibition highlights the universal risks of explosive ordnance and showcases how children’s voices and insights help champion safer behaviours.

Mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices active in 57 countries and territories continue to kill and injure thousands, with civilians—especially children—most affected. These weapons are indiscriminate, remain deadly for decades after conflict, and hinder communities striving for sustainable peace. Though cheap to make, they are costly and difficult to clear. The 2026 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action (4 April) underscores that clearing contaminated land and ensuring communities can live free from fear are essential foundations for lasting peace.

US First Lady presides over UN Security Council session

First Lady Melania Trump makes history at the United Nations today as she takes the gavel for the United States during its Security Council presidency, highlighting education’s role in promoting tolerance and global peace. Her appearance marks the first time a sitting US First Lady presides over a Security Council meeting, and the first instance of any first lady or first gentleman doing so. Today’s session addresses education, technology, peace, and security, with Under‑Secretary‑General Rosemary DiCarlo briefing on behalf of the Secretary‑General. Follow the at 3 p.m. New York time.

Islamic Republic of Iran: Emergency Security Council meeting

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and nearly 12 years since the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, the conflict has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and .

After nearly eight years in captivity following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Yurii Shapovalov is rebuilding his life amid Ukraine’s long war.

Over 3 million Sudanese have returned, most are going back to their exact home areas or nearby locations. Nearly three years into the conflict, families are returning to destruction and many return areas have extensive damage to housing, basic services, and critical infrastructure. Teams from the UN migration organization - the IOM - are responding by providing shelter and water among other vital basic services.

10 things you should know about Sudan: an IOM .

Bintou Keita knows instinctively that some moments call for a more human response than words alone can offer. Once, at a ceremony to mark the end of the devastating Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, she found herself hesitating to deliver her pre-prepared statement to a grief-stricken crowd.

“I have my statement, but I can't deliver [it] because there's something else I have to do before. And in that moment, what came to me was humming, so I did it. And at that moment, the tears - my own, the tears in the audience - came out. These people were grieving, were still mourning.”

Bintou has retired after 36 years with the UN, most recently the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and head of the peacekeeping mission there. In this episode, she reflects on times when peacekeepers saved thousands of lives, on how women can lead the way out of devastating conflicts, and shares why she has learned to never say never.

Photo: ©UN Photo/Ilyas Ahmed

As violence and winter grip northern , pregnant and displaced women face life-threatening risks as homes, safety and access to healthcare collapse.

Amid growing global tensions and polarization, human fraternity is increasingly recognized not only as a moral ideal but as a practical foundation for peace and human rights. The International Day of Human Fraternity (4 February) highlights our shared humanity across cultures and beliefs, affirming that all people are equal in dignity and that societies are stronger when respect prevails over suspicion. This year’s theme calls for dialogue over division, encouraging careful listening, responsible speech, and recognition of each other’s humanity, especially in difficult or uncertain times.

Loss and compassion in Ukraine: from the front lines to evacuation routes, Ximena Borrazás, a UN staff member with the Ukraine Humanitarian Coordinator’s Office (), has been — and the quiet dignity of those who endure it.

28 January 2026 marks the first International Day of Peaceful Coexistence. Peace means more than the absence of conflict — it means building societies where diversity thrives, rights are protected, and justice is shared by all. As conflicts intensify worldwide, the international day highlights the power of education, dialogue, and cultural understanding to counter fear and division, while reaffirming the international community’s commitment to the enduring values and principles of the United Nations.

Fleeing , refugees like Nafeesa now seek fragile safety in northern Central African Republic, where UN peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies work to contain violence, ease tensions and protect communities strained by displacement.

After enlisting at 18, Cheryl Pearce battled rigid gender barriers to rise through the military ranks. Now the UN’s Acting Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, the Australian-born Lieutenant General is the highest ranking woman in uniform within the United Nations.

“Peace for me, is seeing communities having food security, having water security, education, knowing, you know, as a mum myself, knowing that my children can grow up to feel like that. They can have a life and a future and fulfill their dreams and goals.”

Lieutenant General Pearce knows what it takes to serve in some of the most difficult places on earth, from East Timor to Afghanistan. In this episode, she reflects on the sources of her mental and physical resilience, on making a robust case for peacekeeping in an age of disinformation, and shares why her family wants her to show her chaotic side once in a while.

“I don't believe in a world without peacekeeping. I truly believe in what we do and that we do make a difference. There is so much good about who we are and what we do.”

Photo: ©CMDR Kylie Robson