A “the breaking point becomes visible” in the peace process, they warned, as core commitments under a historic 2018 peace deal stagnate or reverse.

Context of the conflict

The 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement was the main guarantee against a resumption of civil war, but elements of its power-sharing and security arrangements are fraying.

With elections scheduled for December 2026 in the world’s youngest country, political competition risks sparking violence instead of consolidating peace.

Click here for an overview of the peace process.

Meanwhile, the war in neighboring Sudan is only making the situation worse. Since April 2023, more than 1.2 million people have crossed the border into South Sudan, further straining already limited systems and resources.

Click here to read about the impact of the conflict in Sudan and its repercussions.

Worsening political tensions

• The political changes have weakened the inclusive governance structures essential to the peace agreement.
• The detention and trial of opposition leaders has led to more unstable and polarized politics.
• Progress on key transition tasks – security sector reform, constitution-making and election planning – remains stalled, while regional mechanisms fail to ease local tensions.

“The principle of inclusiveness that underpinned the agreement appears to have been sacrificed,» declared Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of UN peace operations.

Click here to watch Mr. Lacroix’s briefing.

Click here to view the latest UN report on South Sudan.

Violence spreads across the country

• Ceasefire violations and clashes between government forces and opposition elements intensified in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.
• Aerial bombardments and riverine operations were documented, as well as ambushes and reprisal attacks.
• Recent incidents have resulted in civilian casualties, displacement and loss of livelihoods.

“South Sudan is showing all signs of a clear and present danger of relapsing into full-scale conflict,” said Solomon Ayele Dersso of the civil society organization Amani Africa.

Click here to view the latest report from the South Sudan Human Rights Commission.

Women and girls face increased risks

• In South Sudan, 7.5 million people face acute food insecurity, while flooding, displacement and violence continue to worsen humanitarian needs.
• There are reports of widespread gender-based violence, including rape, kidnapping and forced marriage, with 260 conflict-related cases recorded last year.
• Despite local peacebuilding efforts, women remain largely excluded from national political processes; the agreed representation quota of 35 percent was not reached.

“There couldn’t be a worse time to withdraw support,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

Click here for Ms. Bahous’ remarks And here to watch the briefing.

Call for urgent action

U.N. officials called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, a resumption of political dialogue, the protection of civilians and sustained support for the U.N. peacekeeping mission. MISS.

Without decisive action, they warn, South Sudan risks descending into another war – with civilians once again bearing the heaviest cost.

Click here to access live reporting from the Council of the UN Meetings Coverage Section.

Click here to watch the webcast.

Annalena Baerbock’s statement comes as the assembly discusses the ICC bill. annual report in light of sanctions imposed this year by the United States on judges and prosecutors.

The sanctions stem from a decree adopted in February in response to a U.N.-backed court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Israel’s prime minister, and then the defense minister, for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Sanctions may include blocking financial access to property or assets in the United States, as well as a travel ban.

See our explainer on the ICC, here.

Ms. Baerbock recalled that the Court was founded on the principle that “justice is a universal duty” but that its mission remains unaccomplished.

“For more than two decades, the Court has fought against impunity and shown that even in the darkest moments, accountability remains possible,” she said. “Yet today, as we witness atrocities that continue to shock the conscience of humanity, it is clear that the Court’s mission is far from over. »

“Deliberate attacks” on the court

Ms. Baerbock stressed the importance of international cooperation for investigations, arrests and the execution of arrest warrants, as well as the need for independence as a guarantee to ensure that crimes are prosecuted under the Rome Statute, the international treaty that founded the Court.

But the court has not been free of interference, she stressed.

“Justice officials have been sanctioned for defending the rule of law and seeking accountability; and its systems have faced cyberattacks intended to undermine the credibility of the Courtsaid Ms. Baerbock.

“These are not isolated incidents; they are deliberate attacks on the Court that aim to weaken the rule of law and erode trust in international institutions. »

Stop the “bullying” and demand a resolution

THE resolution presented at Tuesday’s meeting stresses that ICC officials should be able to exercise their mandate “without intimidation” and “condemns any threats, attacks or interference against the Court, its staff or those who cooperate with it.”

ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane told delegates that the court’s rulings remind the international community that justice “transcends borders and interests” but that When “judges are pressured, threatened or weakened, the credibility of international law itself is weakened.”

“Attacks, threats and coercive measures against the Court and its officials have persisted and continue to pose a serious threat to the Court’s administration of justice and the global fight against impunity,” she added.

Decisions, repairs

Ms. Akane highlighted the achievements and challenges facing the Court and called on Member States to uphold the international legal system.

She mentioned some key cases before the Court, including individuals accused of serious crimes in Sudan, Afghanistan and Israel, but reiterated that arrest warrants can only be executed with the cooperation of States.

In the year to August, more than 18,000 victims participated in cases brought before the ICC.

“The court gives victims a voice, a space to tell their story and the hope that the truth will be recognized and accountability established.“, said Ms. Akane before emphasizing that reparations are an integral part of the procedure.

She spoke of the Victims Fund set up by members of the ICC as a tool that has produced tangible results – in Uganda for example – where nearly 50,000 victims have received financial reparations for war crimes committed against them.

Most of those people died “because of lack of medical care, unsanitary cells, insufficient food and limited access to clean water,” according to the latest United Nations human rights report on the situation in the Caribbean island nation.

Haiti faces a serious humanitarian, political and security crisis due to gang violence, compounded by deep-rooted poverty and a series of devastating natural disasters, most recently Hurricane Melissa.

The country’s justice system has struggled to function effectively amid these crises. Cases are not tried quickly enough and 82 percent of prisoners are held in detention awaiting trial.

Here’s what you need to know about Haiti’s prisons and how the UN is helping to improve the situation for inmates.

Prisons under pressure

At the end of September 2025, more than 7,200 men, women, boys and girls were detained in Haitian prisons. Convicted criminals are often held alongside awaiting trial inmates and children are frequently detained alongside adults, in violation of international standards, including the Nelson Mandela Rules, the universally recognized model for 21st century prison management, named in honor of the former South African president who was incarcerated for 27 years as a political prisoner.

Gang occupation of urban areas where several prisons are located and high-profile escapes, some led by gang members, have further reduced the capacity of the prison system and led to overcrowding.

Some prisons hold at least three times the number of people they were built for.

Inhumane conditions

Conditions in Haitian prisons have been described by the UN as inhumane and degrading, but what does that actually mean? William O’Neill, the UN-appointed expert on the human rights situation in Haiti, has visited many of them: “Frankly, the conditions are inhumane. Incredibly crowded and hot. There is not enough food. There is very little access to medical care. Prisoners are kept in cells for many hours in a day with very little air or light, or access to water, toilets and showers.”

Fifty-two people have died in custody over the past three months in Haitian prisons, most of them “from illnesses that should not kill them,” Mr. O’Neill said, adding that “they are so weakened by the conditions and the lack of adequate nutrition and access to enough water, it’s a deadly combination.”

The penal system has a budget intended to provide food to prisoners, but this money is often diverted elsewhere through corruption.

Arrested for stealing two pairs of shoes

Deadly conditions are largely the result of housing too many detainees in too little space.

This chronic overpopulation is a direct result of the practice of incarcerating people upstream from a trail. Known as pretrial detention, in Haiti, 82 percent of the nation’s prison population awaits trial, so innocent in the eyes of the law, until proven guilty at trial.

One prisoner told William O’Neill that he had been waiting for a court date for two years; his alleged crime? The theft of two pairs of shoes.

“There is a delay because the justice system is not working,” Mr O’Neill said. “There aren’t enough trials and they keep arresting people. The police often arrest people en masse. Literally, they come to the scene of an alleged crime and arrest everyone they find. People get caught in that kind of dragnet and spend a lot of time in jail even if they had nothing to do with the crime.”

Gangs of Port-au-Prince

The violence in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, where gangs reportedly control 90 percent of the territory, has led to the closure of many courts, further slowing down the justice system.

At the same time, in March 2024, the capital’s two main prisons, the National Penitentiary of Port-au-Prince and the Croix-des-Bouquets prison, were attacked by gangs, leading to the escape of 4,600 inmates, including several notorious gang leaders.

Local sources indicated that many escapees joined and strengthened the ranks of several gangs.

Rebuilding justice

Supporting prison reform and improving conditions of detention in Haiti has been a key objective of the United Nations political mission in Haiti, BINUHthe Human Rights Office and designated expert and a key pillar of the broader UN mandate to strengthen the rule of law and human rights. The objective is to carry out long-term structural reform to address systemic deficiencies in the justice sector.

Initiatives have included helping prosecutors and judges attend prison hearings, leading to the release of some young people and reductions in pre-trial detention. Training was provided to police and prison officers, and the UN supported the rehabilitation of detention centers, including the installation of basic infrastructure such as latrines, water access points and ventilation systems.

Ultimately, it is Haiti’s Ministry of Justice that is responsible for prison and police reform and according to designated expert, William O’Neill, the UN can support the authorities “by providing expertise and resources, but also by demanding results. We are not just going to continue to provide training and equipment. We need results and lasting results.”

AI already helps farmers predict droughts and manage crops more efficiently, but the environmental cost of training large models and managing vast data centers is raising alarms.

Meanwhile, cooling – once considered a luxury, now a survival need in many parts of the world – remains one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. From passive cooling architecture to solar-powered refrigeration, sustainable alternatives are gaining ground, but scaling them is another story.

At the center of negotiations COP30 is the long-delayed Technology Implementation Program, a model for putting life-saving innovations in the hands of those who need them most. But progress is slow. Intellectual property rules, trade restrictions and financing barriers continue to block access for developing countries – even as the urgency increases.

Sustainable cooling for a warmer planet

COP30 Executive Director Ana Toni said after the opening session on Monday that she had participated in discussions on technological innovations that could accelerate climate solutions – from flood warning systems and methane monitoring satellites to advances in energy efficiency.

The issue came back to the forefront on Tuesday with the launch of Beat the Heat Implementation Campaigna joint initiative of the Brazilian presidency of COP30 and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and partners of the Cool Coalition. The initiative aims to make cooling more accessible – and less polluting – in a world where deadly heatwaves are becoming the norm.

Demand for cooling is expected to triple by 2050, driven by rising temperatures, population growth and expanded access to inefficient cooling systems. Without intervention, cooling emissions could nearly double, overwhelming power grids and putting climate goals out of reach.

The new UNEP Global Cooling Monitoring 2025 A report warns that business as usual could generate 7.2 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions by mid-century.

The Beat the Heat engine promotes Sustainable cooling pathway – a blend of passive design, nature-based solutions and clean technologies that can reduce emissions by up to 97% when combined with rapid decarbonization.

It’s not just about air conditioners: cool roofs, urban green spaces and low-energy systems are at the heart of the plan. Nearly two-thirds of potential emissions reductions come from passive and low-energy solutions, many of which are affordable and scalable.

“Cooling must be treated as essential infrastructure, just like water and energy,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “But we can’t air-condition our way out of the heat crisis.”

More than 185 cities – from Rio to Nairobi – have signed up to beat the heat, alongside 72 countries supporting the Global Cooling Pledge. The initiative is designed to close gaps in financing, policy and implementation, particularly for vulnerable communities on the front lines of climate change.

Artificial intelligence on the agenda

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is not part of the formal COP30 negotiations, it is gaining ground in the Agenda for Action – a platform designed to mobilize voluntary climate action from civil society, businesses, investors, cities and states. These actors may not sign treaties, but they are essential to making climate commitments a reality.

The Brazilian government is identifying successful examples of how AI can support climate resilience, a growing trend among other UN member states. One notable example comes from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where researcher Alisa Luangrath developed an AI-powered irrigation system in Savannakhet province, a region hit hard by water shortages and climate stress.

She was named the 2025 winner of the UNFCCC “AI for Climate Action” Prize.

Empowering farmers with smart data

Ms. Luangrath explained that the system integrates soil moisture sensors, groundwater monitors and weather data with AI-based analytics. The technology processes this information to predict land conditions, water availability and the risk of flooding or extreme heat. Farmers receive real-time updates via a mobile app, helping them plan planting and irrigation cycles more effectively.

She said UN News that it hopes that its participation in COP30 will help forge partnerships to bring innovation to other countries and communities vulnerable to climate shocks. All AI models and data tools developed through its project will be made available under open source licenses, ensuring free access for reuse and improvement.

The environmental cost of data

But as the use of AI grows, so do concerns about its environmental footprint.

Luã Cruz, coordinator of telecommunications and digital rights at the Brazilian Consumer Defense Institute (Idec), warned that even everyday digital activities – from mobile phone use to online interactions – depend on massive data centers.

“These facilities consume large amounts of energy and water for cooling, occupy large areas of land and require significant mining for their electronic components,” he explained.

Mr. Cruz added that many data centers “ignore planetary boundaries, seeking locations with minimal environmental regulations and generous tax exemptions.”

Pressure on water resources

Brazil, like several other countries, is struggling to attract such facilities — a move that Mr. Cruz says could worsen water stress. He pointed to the Netherlands’ moratorium on new data centers and the removal of facilities in Chile and Uruguay that have exacerbated local droughts.

Idec is currently involved in two legal cases in Brazil. One concerns a TikTok data center project in Caucaia, Ceará, near indigenous territory. The other involves a proposed facility in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul – a city that was more than 80 percent submerged after last year’s devastating floods.

“The women who speak to us from El Fasher, at the heart of the latest catastrophe in Sudan, tell us that they endured starvation…displacement, rape and bombing,” Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, told reporters in Geneva. “Pregnant women gave birth in the street while the last maternity wards were looted and destroyed. »

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia captured the North Darfur state capital, El Fasher, after more than 500 days of siege in late October, amid reports of widespread atrocities, including summary executions and sexual violence.

Fighting broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF paramilitaries when the transition to civilian rule failed, following the overthrow of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir four years earlier. The heavy fighting that followed devastated communities, displaced millions of people and exacerbated an already grave humanitarian crisis.

Ms Mutavati said the situation is worsening significantly as fighting spreads around the city, causing mass displacement. Thousands of women and girls have fled to other locations in North Darfur, including Tawila, located around 70 kilometers away, Korma and Malit, where the humanitarian presence is “very rare”.

On Monday, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said nearly 89,000 people have fled the region, some seeking refuge near the Sudan-Chad border.

“What the women are telling us is that during their horrific journey… every step they took to fetch water, collect firewood or queue for food carries a high risk of sexual violence,” the UN Women representative said. “There is growing evidence that rape is deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war. »

Nowhere is safe

Warning that women’s bodies “have just become a crime scene in Sudan”, Ms Mutavati insisted that there are “no safe spaces” where women can find protection or access basic psychosocial care.

“Basic dignity has also collapsed,” insisted the UN Women official, explaining that in North Darfur, a single pack of sanitary napkins costs around $27, while humanitarian cash aid amounts to just under $150 per month for an average family of six.

Ms Mutavati spoke of “impossible decisions” facing families “forced to choose between food, medicine and dignity”.

“The basic needs of women and girls are at the very bottom of this list,” she said.

Ms Mutavati also said that in Sudan – as in other crises – “women and girls eat the least and last”.

“Most women and girls do not eat at all in Sudan… Women often skip meals so their children can eat, while adolescent girls often receive the smallest share, compromising their nutrition and long-term health,” she said.

“In besieged and isolated areas like Darfur or Kordofan, it is often women and girls who are fighting to survive,” Ms. Mutavati added, citing reports that women were “searching for wild leaves and berries to make soup” while facing additional risks of violence.

Famine sets in

In early November, the latest UN-backed IPC food security analysis confirmed famine conditions in El Fasher and the South Kordofan state capital, Kadugli.

Ms Mutavati also said health workers are reporting an increase in cases of severe acute malnutrition among infants, often linked to the reduced breastfeeding capacity of their starving mothers.

“The hunger women suffer has a ripple effect,” she warned.

Calling for an end to violence, broader humanitarian access and increased support for women-led soup kitchens and other aid providers, Ms. Mutavati stressed that women and girls in Sudan “are the measure of our common humanity.”

“Every day that the world delays action in Sudan, another woman gives birth under fire or buries her child in hunger, or disappears without justice,” she concluded.