The United Nations, The Hague, ICC and ICJ

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As the world convulses in war and contentiousness, its leaders convene at the UN to figure it out World leaders begin convening Monday at one of the most volatile moments in the United Nations’ 80-year history, and the challenges they face are as dire as ever if not more so: unyielding wars in Gaza and Ukraine, escalating changes in the U.S. approach to the world, hungry people everywhere and technologies that are advancing faster than the understanding of how to manage them. Read more.

What to know: The United Nations is in crisis itself. As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week: “International cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in our lifetimes.”   Trump will speak Tuesday shortly after Guterres’ opening “state of the world” speech. Other speakers to watch are interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, making his debut on the international stage following the ouster of former strongman Bashar Assad in December, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.   The high-level week will also see numerous meetings on tackling climate change; on the more than two-year war in Sudan started by rival military and paramilitary generals that has sparked the world’s worst displacement crisis; on Somalia, which is home to the extremist group Al-Shabab; and on Haiti, where gangs control over 90% of the capital and have expanded into the countryside.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Senate confirms Mike Waltz as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations after months of delays   WATCH: Israel PM Netanyahu says recognition of Palestinian state is 'prize' to Hamas   Photos show activists targeting billionaires in a street protest on the eve of New York Climate Week

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France recognizes Palestinian statehood at UN meeting to revive peace efforts

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As the Gaza war rages on, France recognized Palestinian statehood on Monday at the start of a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. More nations are expected to follow, in defiance of Israel and the United States.

https://apnews.com/article/un-israel-palestinians-france-saudi-recognition-two-states-88f3a87f7d79df02311f09b3e45560e9?

Crimes against humanity charges against former Philippine President Duterte detailed by court

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The crimes against humanity charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte allege his involvement in the killings of at least 76 people while he was president and earlier a southern mayor, the International Criminal Court has revealed.

https://apnews.com/article/icc-duterte-philippines-court-drugs-ab9e46d03b95f5cf917515f8eaae887e?

Military-run Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger pull out of key international court

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Ruling military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say the three countries are withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, accusing the global tribunal of what they say is selective justice.

https://apnews.com/article/mali-burkinafaso-niger-icc-sahel-a2bee264601233e5d02cef0d132be28b?

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Rebel Leader to Diplomat

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader since 1967 to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday. He previously led the Islamist rebel coalition Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which toppled the decadeslong dictatorship of his predecessor, Bashar al-Assad, in December. Al-Sharaa's presidency ended nearly 14 years of civil war that displaced an estimated 14 million people—more than half of the country's prewar population—and killed around 1 million. In his remarks, al-Sharaa urged an end to sanctions, called for international investment to aid Syria’s recovery, and criticized Israeli policy, suggesting a return to disengagement arrangements along their shared border.  His speech came against the backdrop of continued unrest in Syria, including internal clashes as well as Israeli strikes targeting military positions and weapons shipments near the border. Israel says it intends to prevent hostile forces from gaining a foothold, while diplomatic talks between the nations continue.

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UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say an Israeli drone crashed into their headquarters

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli drone crashed into the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon but didn’t cause any casualties, the force said in a statement Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-unifil-drone-headquarters-naqoura-156c174cb342021b6bfd79e0eaa83fd7?

‘Palestinians will not leave,’ their president tells world leaders at UN in defiant, virtual speech

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Speaking over video after the United States denied his visa, the Palestinian leader told world leaders Thursday that his people reject the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the militant group would have no role in governing the Gaza Strip after war ends and must hand over its weapons to his administration. Said Mahmoud Abbas to his people: “The dawn of freedom will emerge.”

https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-abbas-unga-c4abd290f6114347986222142bfe82f9?

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Facing global isolation at UN, a defiant Netanyahu says Israel ‘must finish the job’ against Hamas

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Surrounded by critics and protesters at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, giving a defiant speech despite growing international isolation over his refusal to end the devastating war. “Western leaders may have buckled under the pressure,” he said. “And I guarantee you one thing: Israel won’t.”

https://apnews.com/article/un-general-assembly-israel-netanyahu-speech-e53eee3b76dfa568e03ac584e46991a5?

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Russian forays into NATO airspace are causing alarm. Here’s why they might be happening

Intrusions into NATO’s airspace blamed on Russia reached an unprecedented scale this month, raising questions about whether the Kremlin is trying to test the alliance’s willingness and ability to respond to a direct attack or divert its attention and resources from the war in Ukraine. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Russia is helping China to prepare for a potential invasion of Taiwan, defense institute says Ukraine’s front line grows bigger as Russia shifts tactics, top commander says Moldova bars pro-Russian party from tense parliamentary election

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Iran Sanctions Reimposed

The United Nations is set to reimpose sanctions on Iran today over alleged violations of a 2015 nuclear deal. The move follows unsuccessful negotiations between European and Iranian leaders. The UN Security Council yesterday rejected a last-minute resolution from Russia and China seeking to delay the penalties—including asset freezes and travel bans—by six months. Satellite imagery suggests Iran conducted an undeclared missile test last week at Imam Khomeini Spaceport, about 145 miles southeast of Tehran. While Iran has not confirmed the launch, one Iranian lawmaker claimed—without evidence—that Tehran tested a potential intercontinental ballistic missile. Such missiles typically have ranges exceeding 3,415 miles, placing at least all of Europe within reach.  The suspected test comes as Iran also repairs missile sites struck by Israeli forces in June, following accusations that Iran was enriching near-weapons-grade uranium in violation of the 2015 deal (see report). Iran suspended cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog in response to the strikes, in part triggering today's reimposition of sanctions.

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In a rare UN appearance, senior North Korean diplomat insists his country won’t give up nukes A senior North Korean diplomat reiterated at the U.N. Monday that his country won’t give up its nuclear weapons despite numerous international demands to do so. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the weapons were crucial to keeping a “balance of power” with South Korea. Read more.

Why this matters: Still, his address was more tempered, especially toward the United States, than many of his country’s prior remarks on the world stage. While Kim lambasted unidentified “hegemonic forces” and an “indiscriminate tariff war,” there were no direct references to Donald Trump or personal insults, and there was more sternness than over-the-top bellicosity. Kim vowed that “we will never give up nuclear,” noting that North Korea’s nuclear program is enshrined in its constitution.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ From all over the planet, they came to the UN with a message: Fix things, particularly yourself   In UN speech, Beijing makes clear its intent to remold global norms, seizing on Trump’s retreat   Former aide to German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament is convicted of spying for China

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UN authorizes a much larger force to fight gangs in Haiti with new power to arrest gang members The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to authorize a much larger international force of 5,550 members with expanded powers to help stop Haiti’s escalating gang violence. Read more.

Why this matters: The resolution, co-sponsored by the U.S. and Panama, will transform the current Kenya-led multinational force into a “Gang Suppression Force” with the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have. The vote was 12-0 with Russia, China and Pakistan abstaining.   China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong was highly critical of the resolution, which he said “risks exacerbating Haiti’s already complex and dire situation.” He especially criticized the U.S., which he said not only failed to provide promised funding to the force but also owes $800 million to the U.N. peacekeeping budget while demanding other countries share the new force’s financial burden.Add bullet 2   Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. They now control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their activities including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape into the countryside. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Photo highlights from the 80th UN General Assembly in New York

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United Nations to cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force in response to US funding strains The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate far-flung global hot spots as a result of the latest U.S. funding cuts to the world body, a senior U.N. official said. Read more.

Why this matters: Roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries. The U.N. support office in Somalia will also be affected. The U.N. plans to reduce the peacekeeping force’s budget by approximately 15% for this year.   The countries where the U.N. has peacekeeping missions include Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.   Trump administration officials have argued that the U.N.'s budget and agencies are bloated and redundant, pledging not to make any further contributions until the State Department has assessed the effectiveness of every single U.N. agency or program.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ More than 80% of health facilities in eastern Congo are out of medicine, Red Cross says   UNICEF warns that the number of children in Haiti displaced by violence has nearly doubled    Pope Leo blasts economy that marginalizes poor while wealthy live in bubble of luxury

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Top UN court says Israel must allow UN relief agency to supply aid to Gaza The International Court of Justice said on Wednesday that Israel must allow the U.N. aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory. Read more.

What to know: Israel “is under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA,” ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said. Israel has not allowed UNRWA to bring in its supplies since March.   But UNRWA continues to operate in Gaza, running health centers, mobile medical teams, sanitation services and school classes for children. It says it has 6,000 trucks of supplies waiting to get in.   Israel has denied it has violated international law, saying the court’s proceedings are biased, and the country didn’t attend hearings in April. However, Israel provided a 38-page written submission for the court to consider.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Vance criticizes Israel’s parliament vote on West Bank annexation, says the move was an ‘insult’   Photos show Gaza’s destruction as families return to what’s left of their homes   What to know about the 13 hostages whose remains are still inside Gaza

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UN human rights chief says US strikes on alleged drug boats are ‘unacceptable’

The U.N. human rights chief said Friday that U.S. military strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean allegedly carrying illegal drugs from South America are “unacceptable” and must stop. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to mark the first such condemnation of its kind from a United Nations organization. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Advocates allege ‘inhumane’ conditions at Chicago-area ICE facility in new lawsuit  Americans staying put: US home turnover rate at lowest level in decades as housing slump drags on Radio Free Asia says it is halting its news operations due to funding troubles

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UN watchdog hasn’t been able to verify Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons grade uranium in months

VIENNA (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency has not been able to verify the status of Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since Israel and the United States struck the country’s nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Wednesday by The Associated Press.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-iaea-uranium-stockpile-weapon-364d3ce5f8ec54e1c188a17ff04559ce?

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U.N. Experts Blast U.S. Universities for Human Rights Violations Against Gaza Protesters

A commission of top United Nations human rights watchdogs sent a series of blistering letters to the heads of five U.S. universities raising sharp concerns over the treatment of pro-Palestine students, The Intercept has learned.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/un-human-rights-universities-columbia-gaza-protests/?

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Gaza no longer in famine but hunger levels remain critical, UN says

The famine in Gaza has ended as a result of increased humanitarian aid deliveries into the territory, the UN said on Friday, though it warned that levels of hunger and the humanitarian situation remained critical.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/19/gaza-famine-hunger-food-shortages-winter-flooding-un?

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Myanmar on Trial

The UN's top court yesterday began hearings in a long-running case brought by the West African nation of Gambia, which accuses Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya, a primarily Muslim minority group. The proceedings mark the first genocide case the International Court of Justice will hear in full in more than a decade and could set a precedent for other allegations, including South Africa's case against Israel. More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar to Bangladesh since 2017, after the Myanmar military launched a widespread operation in the western part of the country (see background). UN investigators have documented accounts of killings, mass rape, and destroyed villages. Myanmar denies the accusations and maintains its actions were security measures against militant groups. In the ICJ's 80-year history, the closest precedent came in 2007, when a case against Serbia over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre found that Serbia had failed to prevent genocide. However, the court did not hold Serbia directly responsible for the killings.