• Honour Mandela’s legacy by fighting for equality and justice, says UN chief
• Russia: UN experts call for release of journalist Evan Gershkovich
• Devastating violations against Indigenous Peoples’ rights must stop: Türk

As the deadline to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 approaches, urgent action is needed to accelerate efforts.

The latest report by UNAIDS highlights the critical role of strong political leadership, and a comprehensive response, to address emerging challenges and ensure progress towards achieving this ambitious global goal.

UN News’s Anshu Sharma in India spoke to Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Warning against complacency, he said countries must leverage innovative solutions that are now available, and modernize their response, to target the people most at risk today. 

• Sudan: Thousands may die due to healthcare disruptions: WHO
• Children’s deaths on central Mediterranean route have doubled this year: UNICEF
• 165 million newly impoverished in past three years: UNDP

Fresh allegations of crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur are the latest indication that the world is failing to live up to the promise of “never again” forged in the ashes of the Second World War.

Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, sat down with UN News’s Sandra Miller to warn against risk factors for atrocity crimes in a rising number of countries, including Sudan, as the brutal conflict between rival militaries continues there.

She also described the framework of analysis for atrocity crimes which allows the UN to assess situations and sound the alarm, with hate speech as both a key indicator and trigger of genocide.

A new publication released today by UNAIDS shows that bringing the pandemic to a close by 2030, is possible, provided governments make the right political and financial choices.

The Path that Ends AIDS, contains data and case studies which highlight the way out, and shows that countries and leaders who have committed to the fight, are achieving extraordinary results.

For more insight on the new report and how governments and communities can collaborate to end the disease once and for all, UN News’s Pauline Batista spoke to Dr. Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director for the Programme Branch at UNAIDS. 

• UN chief condemns North Korea missile launch
• Sudan: Türk calls for investigation over at least 87 buried in mass grave in West Darfur 
• Ending AIDS by 2030 a “political and financial choice”: UNAIDS

• ‘Crushing’ debt crisis spells development disaster for billions: UN chief
• Türk: Accountability needed for ‘shocking’ violations by Russian forces in Ukraine
• Sand and dust storms know no borders: global action needed, says UN

• Sudan crisis: Thousands continue to flee Darfurs seeking safety in Chad, warn UN aid teams 

• Financial distress affects eight in 10 of Ukraine’s displaced, warns UN migration agency

• UN rights chief calls for respect as States gather to discuss Quran burning stunt

Average global temperatures reached record levels on land and sea last month, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday.

The WMO announcement follows a report from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declaring record global temperatures that extended into the first week of July, breaking the previous record set in August 2016.

There’s little doubt among UN scientists that higher-than-normal temperatures will come at a cost, with negative impacts expected in fishing grounds and knock-on climate emergencies, such as hurricanes, tropical cyclones, heavy rains and drought. 

For more insight on the global temperature spike and a look ahead to weather trends for the rest of the year, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to Dr. Omar Baddour, who’s Chief of Climate Monitoring at WMO in Geneva. 

• Temperatures off the charts, but more records are to come: WMO
• Ukraine: UN deplores killing of civilians during aid distribution 
• Honduras: UN experts deployed to help lay foundation for anti-corruption body