UN / UKRAINE

Secretary-General António Guterres called for translating the promises made in Sevilla into concrete progress and said governments “are spending more on the instruments of death than the foundations of development and peace,” while the global financial system “is struggling to meet the needs of developing countries.” UNIFEED

UN Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo James Swan began his first field visit to eastern DRC since taking office. MONUSCO

A new UN report warned that the Asia-Pacific region’s economic outlook is under pressure from rising tensions and prices. UNIFEED

Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council that “five years in, the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues to test international law, drive deepening divisions, and undermine the broader rules-based multilateral order.” UNIFEED

The Secretary-General welcomed the renewed dialogue and cooperation efforts between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including the 17 April joint declaration and their decision by both to partially reopen their airspace, a UN Spokesperson said. UNIFEED

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon paid tribute to Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio, the UNIFIL peacekeeper who passed away in a tragic incident in Ghanduriyah. UNIFIL

A relatively strong start to the year gave way to a more uncertain outlook for the Western Hemisphere as war in the Middle East introduced new risks for growth, inflation, and vulnerable economies. IMF

With new data showing more than half of all Haitians continue to face acute food insecurity, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently calling for support to protect recent fragile gains in the fight against hunger and to foster stability in the struggling Caribbean nation. WFP

The unfolding war in the Middle East has delivered a severe and multifaceted shock to one of the world’s most critical economic corridors, as detailed in the Internal Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Regional Economic Outlook, presented at the 2026 Spring Meetings. IMF

Since the Middle East war started on 28 February, several sites of major cultural significance have come under attack in Israel, Iran and Lebanon. Ensuring their protection is the task of the UN agency for education, science and culture, UNESCO. UNTV CH