United Nations

US pays $160 million of $4 billion it owes to UN, Trump promises more funds

The United States has paid about USD 160 million of the nearly USD 4 billion it owes the United Nations, the UN said Thursday, and President Donald Trump promised more money to the financially strapped world organization. The Trump administration's payment last week is earmarked for the UN's regular operating budget, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told The Associated Press. The UN has said the United States owes USD 2.19 billion to its regular budget, including USD 767 million for this year, as well as USD 1.8 billion to a separate budget for the far-flung UN peacekeeping operations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned late last month that the world body faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States. He said in a letter to all member nations that cash for the regular budget could run out by July, which could dramatically affect UN operations. U.N. ...

AI is an accelerator, not replacement for humans: WFP's Magan Naidoo

AI is helping humanitarian agencies move faster, cut costs and reach more people - but cannot solve hunger on its own, says Magan Naidoo, chief data officer of the United Nations World Food Programme

COP30 objectives align with Mumbai Climate Week initiative: UNFCC official

A few objectives from the UN Conference of the Parties (COP) that align with Mumbai Climate Week are the ideas that the climate agenda needs to be connected to people, especially the most vulnerable, and accelerating climate-action agreements through engagement with all stakeholders, a COP30 official said. In an interview to PTI Videos at the Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), Chief Strategy and Alignment Officer for the COP30 Presidency, Tulio Andrade, stated that the opening plenary session carried a strong message that the climate transition is not only here to stay but is also a defining future trend, something also reflected at COP30. "There are two objectives from COP30 that we think align with Mumbai Climate Week. First, the idea that the climate agenda needs to be connected to people, especially the most vulnerable, to combat poverty and hunger. Second, accelerating climate-action agreements through engagement with businesses, the private sector, financial centres, and other ...

UN Women calls for greater female participation in building AI tools

Women account for just 30 per cent of AI professionals worldwide and hold only 16 per cent of AI research roles, UN Women said on Tuesday, calling for greater female participation in building artificial intelligence tools to better reflect women's needs in health, finance, climate resilience, and safety. Speaking at the launch of the AI Casebook on Gender and Agriculture at India AI Summit here, UN Women Regional Director for Asia Pacific Christine Arab said the underrepresentation of women in AI development was creating systemic bias in the technology. Arab noted that a "persistent design gap" remains globally, warning that fewer women building AI systems means fewer products that reflect women's realities. "When women are missing from design tables, the test labs, the term sheets -- bias doesn't emerge by accident. It becomes the default," she said. Arab praised India for its efforts to address the gender gap in AI, saying the country "stands among the very few globally who are .

India's contribution to agenda of world community is vital for us: Guterres

India's permanent contribution to the agenda of the international community and that of the UN is of "enormous importance for us", the UN chief has said, as he pointed to a "positive mega trend" of the increasingly enhanced roles of developing economies like India in the world. These remarks were made by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who will be heading to New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit, the first-ever summit on Artificial Intelligence hosted in the Global South. "India became an extremely important leader in the discussions on all aspects of the activities of the UN, in peace and security, sustainable development, where I remember the G20 presided by India, the very important decisions that were taken there," Guterres told PTI in an exclusive interview here. "And also in human rights as a democratic country in a world where, unfortunately, we see democracy in trouble in so many parts of the world," Guterres said. To a question on India's role at the UN, Guter

Iran meets UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva ahead of second round of US talks

Iran's top diplomat met with the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency on Monday, ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and said he would also meet with Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi of Oman, which is hosting the US-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday. "I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal," Araghchi wrote on X. "What is not on the table: submission before threats." Iran open to compromise in exchange for sanctions relief ------------------------------------------------------------ On Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signaled that Tehran could be open to compromise on the nuclear issue, but is looking for an easing of international sanctions led by the United States. "The ball is in America's court. They have to prove they want to have a deal w

AI usage in disaster management needs legal framework: UNDRR official

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a vital role in disaster management, specially in minimising losses but it would need legal and policy framework for such new age technologies to be able to be relied upon by officials at ground level who would take decisions for preventive actions, a top official of UNDRR said on Monday. Addressing a session at the AI Impact Summit, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Chief Intergovernmental Interagency cooperation and Partnerships Branch Sujit Mohanty said India has done a lot of work in using AI predictive analysis in disaster management. "This whole technology space is really growing well, growing fast... You are seeing solutions which were not possible earlier...," he said, citing the usage of AI in predicting and analysing the risk disasters. However, he said, "At the same time, I think we should be mindful that, at the end of the day, is it really helping those who are there to make decision of people's life and thei

India a successful emerging economy, right place for AI summit: UN chief

India is a "very successful" emerging economy with a bigger influence in global affairs, and is the "right place" to host the AI summit,UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. In an exclusive interview with PTI at the UN Headquarters ahead of the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026, Guterres underscored that Artificial Intelligence should benefit the entire world and not just be a privilege reserved for developed nations or two superpowers. "I strongly congratulate India for organising this Summit. It's absolutely essential that AI develops itself to the benefit of everybody, everywhere and that countries in the Global South are part of the benefits of AI," he said. The high-powered event being held from February 16 to 20 will be the first-ever AI summit hosted in the Global South and is anchored in the three guiding principles of 'People, Planet and Progress'. Guterres, who will be travelling to India to attend the Summit, asserted "it would be totally unacceptable that AI would be

At least 6,000 killed over 3 days in RSF attack on Sudan's el-Fasher: UN

More than 6,000 people were killed in over three days when a Sudanese paramilitary group unleashed "a wave of intense violence shocking in its scale and brutality" in Sudan's Darfur region in late October, according to the United Nations. The Rapid Support Forces' offensive to capture the city of el-Fasher included widespread atrocities that amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, the UN Human Rights Office said in a report released on Friday. "The wanton violations that were perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militia in the final offensive on el-Fasher underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. The RSF and their allied Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, overran el-Fasher, the Sudanese army's only remaining stronghold in Darfur, on Oct. 26 and rampaged through the city and its surroundings after more than 18 months of siege. The 29-page UN report detailed a set of atrocitie

New AI panel to give insights on opportunities, risks and impacts: UN chief

It will issue an annual report containing evidence-based scientific assessments that synthesise and analyse existing research related to the technology's opportunities, risks and impacts

UN waiting to see how much US intends to pay of $4 billion it owes

The United Nations said Monday it's waiting to find out how much of the nearly USD 4 billion the United States owes the world organisation the Trump administration intends to pay and when the money will arrive. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that the world body faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States. The US owes USD 2.196 billion to the UN's regular operating budget, including USD 767 million for this year, according to a UN official. The US also owes USD 1.8 billion for the separate budget for the UN's far-flung peacekeeping operations, and that also will rise. The US Mission to the United Nations confirmed that US Ambassador Mike Waltz said the Trump administration planned to make a significant down payment on its arrears in a matter of weeks, with the final amount still to be determined. His comments were first reported by ...

India pays $35.18 mn to UN Regular Budget for 2026, joining honour roll

India has paid USD 35.18 million to the UN Regular Budget for 2026, joining the "honour roll" of 47 Member States who have paid their regular budget dues in full to the world body on time. The UN Committee on Contributions said that as of February 3, 2026, 47 Member States have paid their regular budget assessments in full, within the 30 day due period specified in UN financial regulations. India contributed USD 35.18 million to the 2026 United Nations Regular Budget and made the payment on February 3. Listing the countries making it to the "honour roll" of Member States who have paid their regular budget assessments in full, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asked a quiz-style question at the daily briefing about India. "This country is the home of The Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, with a height of 182 metres. [...] Yes, very good, India," Dujarric said, referring to the statue of Indian political leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

UNSC condemns latest militant attacks in Pakistan that killed dozens

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the latest surge in militant attacks in southwestern Pakistan that has killed dozens of people, mostly civilians, as security forces on Wednesday pressed their operations in the insurgency-hit region. The authorities said scores of militants have been killed in recent days as Pakistani forces crack down on the insurgents in the volatile Balochistan province, where about a dozen coordinated attacks began on Saturday, targeting civilians and buildings housing police and security personnel. Federal and provincial officials said at least 36 civilians and 17 members of the security forces have been killed. Security forces so far killed 197 militants from the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which has claimed responsibility for recent suicide bombings and gun attacks. In a statement issued overnight, UN Security Council President James Kariuki said council members condemned in the "strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks across

India among top drivers of global urban growth in 2025, shows UN report

While megacities often draw attention, the UN report shows that most urban growth is happening in smaller cities

'Financial collapse imminent': UN chief warns after US funding cuts

UN programmes worldwide face growing risk after the United States, the organisation's largest contributor, cut voluntary funding and withheld mandatory payments

UN chief cites India-EU FTA, stresses need to support 'multipolarity'

UN chief Antonio Guterres cited the FTA between India and the EU as he underlined the need to support "multi-polarity", emphasising that global problems will not be solved by "one power calling the shots", in a veiled reference to the US and China. "In the present moment, it is clear that the most powerful country in the world is the US. Obviously, we see - and many see in relation to the future - the idea that there are two poles, one centred in the US and one centred in China," Guterres said Thursday at a press conference here outlining his priorities for 2026. He added that "if we want a stable world, if we want a world in which peace can be sustained, in which development can be generalised, and in which, in the end, our values will prevail, we need to support multi-polarity. "We need to support a dense set of relations among different countries. And I see with a lot of positive expectations, recent trade agreements: You had the EU with Mercosur. You had EU with Indonesia. EU wi

US seeks to quell fears that Trump's 'Board of Peace' will replace UN

The Board of Peace is a core element of Trump's 20-point plan that helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last year

Explained: Why the rules-based international order is being questioned

The rules-based international order, built after World War II to restrain power through law and institutions, is under scrutiny as Western leaders acknowledge gaps in how it has been applied

FDI inflows to India surged 73% to $47 billion in 2025, says UNCTAD

FDI inflows to India jumped 73% to $47 billion in 2025, driven by strong investments in services, IT, R&D and manufacturing, according to UNCTAD

For every $1 spent on protecting nature, $30 went into destruction: UNEP

Despite climate and biodiversity risks, a UN report finds the world spent $7.4 trillion damaging nature in 2023, around 30 times more than it invested in protecting ecosystems