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November 19, 2025 Healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that gonorrhea, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide, is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics. New data from the global EGASP program show that conventional treatments are losing their effectiveness, and the infection is spreading faster and more widely.

Growing Resilience and the Geography of the Problem

Between 2022 and 2024, resistance to key gonorrhea treatments—ceftriaxone and cefixime—increased severalfold. Previously, isolated cases were reported, but now the rates have reached five and 11 percent, respectively. Particularly alarming data has emerged from Cambodia and Vietnam, where the highest resistance rates are being recorded.

Global cooperation and new challenges

The WHO emphasizes that the expansion of the number of countries participating in the EGASP program in recent years is a positive step. This international initiative, launched by the WHO in 2015, collects laboratory and clinical data from surveillance centers worldwide for global analysis and the development of treatment recommendations.

In 2024, 12 countries, including Brazil, India, South Africa, and Sweden, provided their national data. These countries recorded more than 3,500 cases of gonorrhea, half of which were in the Western Pacific region.

Who is at risk?

The average age of patients was 27, but ranged from teenagers to the elderly. One in five cases involved men who have sex with men, and almost half of the patients reported multiple sexual partners in the past month. Additional risk factors included recent antibiotic use and international travel.

Why is this important?

The WHO warns that if antibiotic resistance continues to grow, the world could face a situation where conventional treatments no longer work. This would make gonorrhea one of the most dangerous infections of the 21st century. The organization calls on countries to strengthen surveillance, develop diagnostics, and ensure access to new treatments to stop the spread of the disease.

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November 19, 2025 Women

Almost one in three women worldwide has experienced partner violence or sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. This figure has remained virtually unchanged since 2000.

Violence against women remains one of the most serious human rights issues, according to a report published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners.

Violence rates are declining very slowly

The number of women experiencing partner violence or sexual violence reaches 840 million. In the past 12 months alone, 316 million women—11 percent of all women over 15—experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Progress in reducing such cases has been extremely slow: over the past 20 years, this rate has decreased by only 0.2 percent per year.

For the first time, the report includes figures for violence perpetrated by non-partners. According to the study, 263 million women over the age of 15 have experienced such violence. However, experts emphasize that the actual figures are significantly higher, as stigma and fear hinder the detection of such crimes.

"No society can consider itself just, safe, or healthy while half its population lives in fear. Ending violence is not just a matter of politics; it is a matter of dignity, equality, and human rights. Behind every number is a woman or girl whose life has been forever changed," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Women's empowerment is not an option, but a prerequisite for peace, development and health," he added.

Cuts in funding for anti-violence programs

A new report, published ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, celebrated on November 25, is the largest study yet on intimate partner violence and sexual violence. The document analyzes data from 168 countries for the period 2000–2023.

Despite growing evidence of the effectiveness of violence prevention programs, the report warns that funding for such initiatives is declining. Meanwhile, humanitarian crises, technological change, and socioeconomic inequality are increasing the risks for millions of women and girls. For example, in 2022, only 0.2 percent of all international development assistance was allocated to violence prevention programs, and funding will decline significantly in 2025.

UN Women / K. Rivera

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is observed on November 25. This day marks the launch of the annual "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence" campaign. Orange is the campaign's official color.

New technologies contribute to the spread of violence

UN Women, an organization that also contributed to the new report, notes that new technologies can contribute to the spread of violence against women.

One global study found that 38 percent of women had personally experienced online violence, and 85 percent of women had witnessed digital violence against others.

However, this is not just about online violence: technology is blurring the boundaries between virtual space and reality, and online violence can spill over into everyday life.

For example, the distribution of deepfake pornographic videos can negatively impact a woman's emotional well-being and career, while online harassment, insults, and the disclosure of a woman's personal information can lead to threats and bullying in real life.

The effects of violence are felt throughout life.

Intimate partner violence and sexual assault can result in serious injuries, unwanted pregnancies, infections, and depression. Sexual, reproductive, and mental health services play a vital role in supporting victims.

Violence exists in every country, but women in the least developed countries, as well as those affected by conflict and regularly experiencing natural disasters, suffer significantly more. For example, in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), the prevalence rate of partner violence in the past year was 38 percent, more than triple the global average of 11 percent.

The problem can be solved

Today, more countries than ever before are collecting data to inform policy on violence against women, but significant gaps remain – particularly regarding non-partner sexual violence and data on marginalized groups such as indigenous peoples, migrants, women with disabilities, and women living in fragile settings.

The report also highlights successful examples of women's protection programs. For example, Cambodia is implementing a project to update domestic violence legislation, improve the quality and accessibility of services for women, modernize shelters, and introduce digital solutions in schools to prevent violence, particularly among adolescents.

Ecuador, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda have developed national action plans. Legislative measures adopted in these countries have helped secure domestic financial resources to address the problem of violence.

The report calls on governments to fund proven prevention programmes and survivor-focused health, legal and social services, invest in data collection systems and ensure strict enforcement of laws that empower women and girls.

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November 19, 2025 Peace and security

After five decades of dictatorship and fourteen years of war, Syria is striving for renewal. UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Roshdi stated this in her address to the Security Council on Wednesday. According to her, the situation for many civilians in the country remains dire.

Roshdi recently completed a trip to Syria. In Damascus, she met with representatives of the new government, as well as Syrians "from all regions and walks of life." Roshdi emphasized that what she saw during the visit "reminded us of the scale of the challenges and the need for a truly inclusive political transition."

The Deputy Special Envoy welcomed the adoption of Security Council resolution 2799, which removed from the terrorist list Syria's acting president and interior minister, Roshdi, called this "an important step toward Syria's reintegration into the international community" and also called for the lifting of mandatory secondary sanctions, calling them "a key obstacle to economic recovery."

Israeli operations in Syria

Addressing the Security Council, the UN representative emphasized that in Resolution 2799 The Council "reaffirmed full respect for the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Syria." However, she noted, "Israeli military operations and incursions into Syrian territory continue, in serious violation of Syrian sovereignty and international law." She added that they endanger the safety of civilians, undermine the fragile peace, and threaten the political transition.

Ongoing tensions

Roshdi notedongoing tensions, lawlessness, and outbreaks of violence in several areas, including Deir ez-Zor and the outskirts of As-Suwayda. She emphasized that the continued presence of terrorist groups and foreign fighters remains alarming.

According to the rapporteur, peace in Syria depends on comprehensive security sector reform and credible disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes.

Transitional justice and the political process

The Deputy Special Envoy stated that progress in the areas of accountability and transitional justice is equally important. The UN stands ready to support the work of Syria's national commissions on these issues.

Speaking about the stages of transition, Roshdi noted that drafting a permanent constitution is a “fundamental task” and that free and fair elections will require “significant advance planning” and the rebuilding of institutions and infrastructure.

Humanitarian situation

Lisa Doughten, a spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), speaking at the Security Council meeting on behalf of UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, reported that more than 16 million people across Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance. Specifically, more than 180,000 people are unable to return to their homes in As-Suwayda and surrounding areas.

Unexploded ordnance

An OCHA spokeswoman stressed that explosive remnants of war remain a serious threat: last week, she said, six people, including a child, were killed and 11 others were injured in six provinces of Syria.

Since December last year, more than 570 people have lost their lives and another 960 have been injured in this way, with most incidents occurring on farmland.

More than 3 million have returned home

Doughten noted that despite the difficulties, hope for a better future is reflected in the growing number of people returning home. Since last December, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees have returned from neighboring countries, and more than 1.9 million internally displaced persons have also returned to their homes.

However, most of them still need support. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 70 percent of returnees face food shortages, and many report destroyed homes, a lack of income, and the need to renew their documents.

More than 400 camps and other facilities housing displaced people in northern Syria have been closed, but more than 1.2 million people – three-quarters of them women and children – continue to live in such conditions.

Achievements of the humanitarian operation

The UN and partners are helping 3.4 million people every month, a 24 percent increase over last year, despite funding cuts, Doughten said.

Efforts to vaccinate children, expand nutrition programs, and conduct the first national needs assessment continue. However, the current humanitarian operations plan is only 26 percent funded.

Doughten called on the international community to allocate more funds to meet the needs of Syrians and to invest in the country's development and reconstruction. She added that Syrians "don't want to be dependent on emergency aid," but they need support to get back on their feet.

The speaker noted that steps to ease sanctions and interest from regional partners create opportunities, but “the international community must act decisively to turn this opportunity into real support.”

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November 19, 2025 Peace and security

"On the night of November 19, further strikes by the Russian Armed Forces killed at least 20 civilians and wounded more than a hundred, including children," according to a statement from the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale strongly condemned the attacks. According to OCHA, homes and critical civilian infrastructure, including medical and educational facilities, were severely damaged across the country.

From Kharkiv in the east to Ternopil and the Ivano-Frankivsk region in western Ukraine, families have lost loved ones, been injured, and lost their homes. At least a dozen children are reportedly among the victims. "Their suffering is inexcusable," noted the OCHA's Ukrainian office.

The strikes also damaged energy infrastructure, causing power outages and exacerbating the impact of previous attacks. With temperatures already below freezing in some regions of Ukraine, these outages pose a serious threat to millions of people.

"Such ongoing harm to civilians and the continued destruction of critical civilian infrastructure is absolutely unacceptable," the statement emphasized. "The targeting of civilians and objects essential to their survival is prohibited by international humanitarian law."

The UN calls for all efforts to protect the Ukrainian population and reminds that civilians "should never be targeted."

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November 19, 2025 Humanitarian aid

Over the past year, more than 250,000 people have fled Ukraine's Donetsk region. Evacuations are also ongoing in neighboring regions – Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. The front line continues to shift, forcing people to flee their homes. UNHCR staff are providing support to both those evacuated and those remaining in frontline areas.

Federico Sersale, head of the UNHCR office in Dnipro, told the UN News Service that most of those remaining are elderly or people with disabilities. Some refuse to leave because they fear they will never return home. Others are simply unable to evacuate on their own and require assistance.

A difficult choice

Life in frontline areas is extremely harsh: constant shelling, interruptions in electricity, heat, and water, and the impossibility of free movement. But despite all this, convincing those remaining there to leave can be extremely difficult.

"I think the most important thing is to remember that it's their choice: to leave or to stay. We try to provide them with as much information as possible so that they can make an informed decision," Sersale noted.

UNHCR support

UNHCR and partner organizations continue to provide essential assistance to those who choose to remain.

"When we have access to these areas, we provide various types of support – from basic items like warm blankets to materials for repairing homes damaged by shelling. We also provide psychosocial support and legal assistance."

The most vulnerable of those evacuated are usually taken to transit centers – government-run facilities where they can spend a few days in safety, receive basic services, and then continue on their way.

"46 percent of people passing through these centers are elderly or people with limited mobility. This is a new trend," Sersale said.

"We help set up these centers, providing them with everything they need: beds, blankets, washing machines—everything they need to operate. We also provide people with services, including psychosocial and legal support, as well as financial assistance to cover basic expenses. Everything depends on the needs," he said.

"Eyes full of hope and strength"

Svitlana, an elderly resident of a frontline district in the Zaporizhzhia region who uses a wheelchair, ended up in one of these transit centers, located south of the Dnipro River. She and her husband had long refused to leave and lived in dire conditions: there was no electricity in their house, and drones regularly flew nearby. A few weeks ago, when the situation in the region worsened, Svitlana finally decided to leave.

She spent several days in the transit center and received the assistance she needed, including financial support. She was later transferred to the UNHCR-supported Ocean of Kindness center in Dnipro. The organization provides temporary housing for displaced people, including people with disabilities like Svetlana.

UNHCR

Several weeks ago, Svetlana decided to leave the frontline region of the Zaporizhzhia region.

"That's where I met her. It's a temporary solution. Now she's waiting for the opportunity to move into more permanent housing," Federico Sersale said.

"When I saw her, I was struck by her energy. Despite everything she'd been through, there was still hope and vitality in her eyes," he added.

Long-term solutions

One of the most serious challenges for internally displaced persons like Svetlana remains finding long-term solutions – housing and comprehensive, systemic support.

“This could be living in a nursing home, receiving home care, or being able to stay in your own home while still receiving the services you need,” Sersale explained.

"Housing for internally displaced people is one of the key issues," he emphasized. "We are actively working in this direction."

While Svetlana decides where she can live in the future, UNHCR continues to support her and other displaced people.

"I think her story perfectly captures what life is like on the front lines: having to make the agonizingly difficult decision of whether to leave or stay, and then finding the strength to start over again."

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Felipe de Carvalho, Belém

November 18, 2025 Climate and environment

Kombu Island rises like a green wall above the Guama River in Brazil. Local communities have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. Here, cupuaçu, tapereba, pupunha, arazá, and cacao are more than just fruits. They are inextricably linked to local identity, culture, and economy.

But today, Kombu's natural wealth is in danger. To protect the world's forests, the UN emphasizes, we must first support those who preserve them.

Chocolate in harmony with nature

Kombu is just 30 minutes by boat from Belém, the gateway to the Amazon, the city currently hosting UN Climate Change Conference (COP30)The association "Daughter of Combu" (Filha do Combu), founded by businesswoman Izete Costa, better known as Dona Nena, operates here. Her project demonstrates that community-led movements can influence global action to combat climate change.

What began as a modest attempt to turn tradition into a source of income has blossomed into a thriving enterprise. Dona Nena began by producing chocolate from Amazonian cacao and selling it at local fairs, then underwent professional training to expand her business.

UN News Service/F. de Carvalho

Today, she runs a small factory and a tour program where participants can see how chocolate is made in the rainforest. Of the 20 employees, 16 are women.

The production is based on agroecological principles, including the use of only locally grown plants.

"I try to enrich the forest with what grows well," says Dona Nena. "We don't cut down trees to plant anything. We work with the existing forest and plant trees where there's natural decline."

Solar energy and plans for the future

The factory, whose products are sold throughout Brazil, operates eight hours a day on solar power. One of the main challenges is power outages. When trees fall or power lines are damaged, machines are idle for days. Dona Nena hopes to double her solar capacity to ensure stable production.

In addition to problems with the power grid, Kombu is feeling the effects of climate change. Cocoa harvests are declining, and fruits and trees are drying up and becoming deformed. Furthermore, the island is facing problems with drinking water: despite the start of the rainy season, Kombu has not seen rain for over 15 days.

Local solutions with global impact

Last Sunday, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, visited Komba for the second time – she first met Dona Nena while still serving as German Foreign Minister.

"I am pleased to see the project thriving and creating value chains in the heart of regional communities – benefiting indigenous peoples and local residents," Baerbock told UN News Service.

UN News Service/F. de Carvalho

According to her, the initiative proves that real solutions already exist. They combine economic growth, sustainable development, and the fight against the climate crisis. Scaling up such models is necessary to keep global temperature rise within two degrees Celsius—ideally, 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"Destroying forests is destroying humanity's safety net," Baerbock warned.

"COP30 must show the world that even in geopolitically challenging times, countries, businesses and financial institutions are uniting to combat the climate crisis and ensure sustainable growth for all," she added.

Lessons from the Forests

After tasting Amazonian fruits and local chocolates, Dona Nena led Berbock along a forest trail where they had met women who produce cocoa two years earlier.

They discussed how the project helps expand the economic opportunities of local women. Dona Nena emphasized that women bring a special energy of care and devotion, which is reflected in the quality of the chocolate.

Read also:

Chinamperos have been supplying Mexico City with food for centuries. What is their future?

Along the way, Nena and Baerbok saw a tapereba tree dying under the grip of a parasitic vine. "When the tree dies, the vine will die too, deprived of its food source," Dona Nena explained. Baerbok noted that this was a "hidden lesson" that reminded them of the global emissions destroying the planet.

But the forest also holds hope. They stopped before a sumauma tree, an Amazonian giant over 280 years old. These trees, members of the baobab family, may survive for centuries to come—if the COP30 participants achieve the necessary results.

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November 18, 2025 UN

Top news from the UN and around the world: The UN Secretary-General welcomes the Security Council's adoption of a resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, terrorism in West Africa poses a global threat, the world's population continues to migrate to cities, and Drug Resistance Awareness Week.

UN Security Council decision on Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the adoption of the resolution by the Security Council On the establishment of an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The resolution, proposed by the United States, was supported on Monday by 13 countries, with two – Russia and China – abstaining. Guterres called the vote an important step toward "consolidating the ceasefire." Meanwhile, UN humanitarian agencies are warning that many Palestinian children in the enclave will not be able to withstand another harsh winter and are expressing hope that the adopted document will allow for a rapid expansion of aid.

The situation in West Africa

In West Africa and the Sahel region, terrorist groups are expanding their activities, forced displacement is growing, and essential services are declining. These trends, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted in his address to the Security Council on Tuesday, pose a growing threat not only regionally but also globally. The Sahel region, which stretches between the continent's two coasts, accounts for 19 percent of all those affected by terrorism. Nearly a million people in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and neighboring countries have been forced to flee their homes.

Urbanization trends

In the middle of the last century, only 20 percent of the world's population lived in cities, while today this figure is 45 percent of the total population of the planet, which has already reached 8.2 billion. However, the study's authors believe that urbanization will slow in the coming years. This is stated in a new report published on Tuesday by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. According to the study, the number of megacities – urban agglomerations with populations over 10 million – has quadrupled: from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025. More than half of them are in Asia. The only non-Asian city in the top ten remains Cairo, Egypt.

Antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week kicked off on November 18. The UN reminds everyone that this problem is becoming increasingly acute and already poses a public health threat. The campaign's slogan, "Time to Act: Protect the Present, Care for the Future," emphasizes the need for urgent action. One of the main factors exacerbating the crisis is the reckless use of antibiotics. As part of the Week, the UN calls on everyone worldwide to use these medications only on the advice of a doctor and to adhere to the treatment regimen prescribed by a specialist.

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November 18, 2025 Peace and security

The UN Secretary-General welcomed the Security Council's adoption of a resolution establishing an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. He called it an important step toward "consolidating the ceasefire." Meanwhile, UN humanitarian agencies warn that many Palestinian children in the enclave will not be able to endure another harsh winter.

"We very much hope that peace initiatives will change the situation for the better," UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

"But again, the reality for children on the ground remains extremely tragic," he added.

Commenting on the Security Council resolution based on the US peace plan, Jens Laerke, a representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noted that for now everything remains "at the level of hypotheses" and that the document lacks specifics.

A resolution supporting the Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza, announced by US President Donald Trump on September 29, was approved by 13 Security Council member states. China and Russia abstained.

The Peace Council and the Interim International Force

The resolution welcomes the creation of a transitional administration called the "Peace Council," reportedly headed by President Trump. This structure will coordinate reconstruction efforts in Gaza, including the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The plan also states that the United States will work with Arab and international partners to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force.

In a statement released by his press service last night, the UN Secretary-General called on all parties to the conflict to observe the ceasefire.

Guterres noted the "ongoing diplomatic efforts" of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United States and other countries to resolve the crisis, stressing the importance of moving to the second phase of the US plan, which should lead to a political process to achieve a two-state solution "in accordance with previous UN resolutions."

Children in Gaza will have a hard time surviving the winter

Meanwhile, in Gaza, humanitarian organizations stressed on Tuesday that two years of devastating war between Hamas and Israel, coupled with a chronic shortage of humanitarian aid, have left the Strip's population in dire straits.

Heavy rains have fallen in the enclave in recent days, flooding the worn-out tents in which many families, displaced multiple times by the fighting, live, said Ricardo Pires, a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"We see heartbreaking examples: desperate families are distraught and exhausted, their tents flooded," he said. "For war-torn children, sleeping in soaked tents, without warm clothing or dry blankets, with weakened immune systems, winter becomes an extremely dangerous ordeal."

According to Pires, worsening weather conditions have increased the number of requests for medical care, especially among children weakened by malnutrition, hunger, injuries and repeated displacement.

He explained that since Israeli forces control more than 50 percent of the enclave's territory, many of the areas where Gazans are being resettled are located on the coast – and these are the areas most susceptible to flooding.

More aid arrives in Gaza

A UNICEF representative called for greater access to the sector for humanitarian convoys, recalling that this is “part of the peace agreements.”

According to OCHA, over 5,400 tons of aid, including shelter, medicine, and food, were delivered from Thursday to Sunday. With the opening of the Zikim crossing, three crossings are now operational in Gaza.

“More, much more [humanitarian aid] is needed,” Pires emphasized. “And we hope that with the new plan, this will become a reality for children and their families.”

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