The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Türkiye and the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion convened a coordination roundtable in Ankara to strengthen collaboration and identify priority initiatives to accelerate climate action in the lead-up to COP31.Co-hosted by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion, the meeting brought together senior representatives from relevant ministries, members of the United Nations system in Türkiye, including COP31 Task Team members and the High-Level Champion’s team to explore opportunities for joint action on issues including zero waste, circular economy, food systems transformation and inclusive climate action.Opening the meeting, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Dr. Babatunde Ahonsi emphasized the importance of translating global climate ambition into tangible results.“A decade after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the global climate agenda is increasingly focused on implementation, scale and measurable impact,” he said. “COP31 offers a valuable opportunity to accelerate people-centered climate action and translate ambition into concrete results.”Dr. Ahonsi highlighted that the United Nations system in Türkiye stands ready to support this effort through a coordinated Whole-of-UN approach, bringing together expertise across areas such as climate policy, sustainable finance, industrial decarbonization, resilient agriculture and food systems, disaster risk reduction and sustainable urban development.COP31 Climate High-Level Champion Samed Ağırbaş underlined the importance of inclusivity and broad participation in climate action.“This COP must be everyone’s COP,” he said, emphasizing that youth participation will be a key priority in the lead-up to COP31.He also highlighted the importance of working closely with the United Nations system and other partners to advance climate solutions that are people-centered and inclusive, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.The priorities of the COP31 High-Level Champion include advancing inclusive and people-centered climate action, promoting zero waste and circular economy approaches, strengthening food security, and ensuring the active participation of youth and women in climate solutions.Participants discussed opportunities to strengthen the integration of UN agencies into the COP31 process and explored ways to expand collaboration with civil society and other stakeholders.The meeting also highlighted the role of the Zero Waste Foundation as a key partner in advancing circular economy solutions and building momentum toward COP31, including through the Zero Waste Forum planned for June 2026.The roundtable concluded with agreement to continue coordination between the COP31 Climate High-Level Champion team and the United Nations system in Türkiye to identify joint initiatives and develop a roadmap for collaboration in the lead-up to COP31.

As an increase in conflicts leads to a significant spike in gender-based violence, women across the world face a “justice gap” with discriminatory laws reported in most countries, according to a report from gender equality agency UN Women, released on March 4. “As the world navigates democratic backsliding, rising conflicts, economic pressures and shrinking of civic space, there is an increasingly organised pushback at gender equality and regression of women's rights,” Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division told reporters at a briefing in New York. “Justice systems do not stand apart from those pressures, they actually reflect them,” she said. The United Nations Secretary General's report titled Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls, shows how laws are being reshaped to restrict women’s freedoms, silence their voices, and allow abuse without consequence. It warns that women and girls are being failed by the very systems meant to protect them, leaving them exposed to abuse, injustice and impunity as backlash against gender equality intensifies. Barriers to changeThe report found five key areas that prevent fairness in outcomes for women and girls, who face greater barriers to justice than men in nearly 70 per cent of the countries surveyed.Discriminatory legal frameworks, social norms, gaps between laws and implementation, traditional justice systems independent from the state, and conflict settings all serve to reinforce inequalities and prevent advancing meaningful justice for women. Together, these barriers mean that women worldwide have 64 per cent of the legal rights of men whilst 54 per cent of countries lack consent based legal definitions of rape.“Where power remains unequal, justice rarely operates neutrally. This is where retreat from gender equality becomes very visible,” Ms. Hendriks said. Women's rights are being further threatened by the rise in global conflicts. In 2024, 676 million women and girls lived within 50km of a deadly conflict (the highest since the 1990s). As a result, there has been a reported 87 per cent increase in conflict related sexual violence violations. Reform: ‘By women for women’“Far too often impunity prevails,” Ms. Hendriks said that “when justice fails women and girls, the damage goes far beyond any single story, any single woman's life. Communities lose faith, public trust erodes and justice institutions lose legitimacy”. No country in the world has achieved full legal equality between women and men, the UN gender equality agency said on Wednesday.“Justice systems can evolve, they can transform,” Ms. Hendriks noted, adding that since 1970, more than 600 million women have gained access to economic opportunities because of family law reform. Among the eight recommendations for governments to implement by 2030, she said that judicial reforms “need to be shaped by women and shaped for women” and emphasised the need for more resources and government spending to address these concerns. “Nearly 90 per cent of organizations working to end violence against women and girls are reporting reduction in essential services, only 5 per cent believe they can sustain the current situation they are in and sustain for over two years.”

“Everything must be done” to prevent wider escalation of war across the Middle East following joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, and retaliatory action from Tehran targeting multiple countries in the region, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on 28 February.António Guterres described the day’s events as a grave threat to international peace and security, urging the international community to unite and pull the entire region “back from the brink”.Mr. Guterres reminded the council that Article Two of the UN Charter states that all Member States “shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State,” and that international law and international humanitarian law must always be respected. The military action that has embroiled countries across the Middle East, continued the UN chief, carries the risk of “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.”‘Return to the negotiating table’The Secretary-General reiterated that lasting peace can only be achieved through peaceful means, including genuine dialogue and negotiations, and noted that the joint military operation by Israel and the United States occurred following indirect talks between the US and Iran mediated by Oman, “squandering” an opportunity for diplomacy.Calling for de-escalation and an immediate cessation of hostilities, Mr. Guterres strongly urged all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table, notably on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.“I call on all Member States to strictly uphold their obligations under international law, including the UN Charter, to respect and protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and to ensure nuclear safety,” he declared.France: ‘We need Iran to respect its international obligations’Jérôme Bonnafont of France called for Iran to respect its international obligations, stressing that adherence to international law is “a condition for long-term security in the region and world.” Ambassador Bonnafont said that Iran has not taken the opportunity to conclude a nuclear agreement but has instead reduced its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).Russia: ‘Another unprovoked act of armed aggression’Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the US-Israeli strikes were “yet another unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent Member State, in violation of the UN Charter and international law.” This “reckless step,” he said, has led to a sharp escalation across the region, which he described as a “betrayal of diplomacy”.China: Territorial integrity of Iran ‘must be respected’China’s Ambassador Fu Cong described the US-Israeli strikes as “brazen”, condemning the threat of force to settle any international dispute – and calling for the “sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iran and other regional countries to be respected.” Expressing sadness at the large loss of civilian life during Saturday’s strikes, Ambassador Fu called on all parties to fulfil their obligations under international law and an immediate cessation of military action.He said it was “shocking” that the US-Israeli attacks had come in the middle of diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran.United States: 'Persistent aggression' could not be ignoredAmbassador Mike Waltz of the United States said that the strikes on Iran were directed towards dismantling its ballistic missile capabilities, degrading naval assets being used to destabilise international waters and disrupt the machinery that arms proxy militias. The aim, he continued, is to ensure that “the Iranian regime can never, ever threaten the world with a nuclear weapon.”“No responsible nation can ignore persistent aggression and violence.” he warned, adding that Iran's continued pursuit of advanced missile capabilities, coupled with its refusal to abandon nuclear ambitions – despite diplomatic opportunities – represents “a grave and mounting danger”. UK: Regional stability 'a priority’"This is a fragile moment for the Middle East," said Ambassador James Kariuki of the United Kingdom, Council President for February. "Regional stability remains a priority,” he said, adding that UK forces are active and its planes are in the sky as part of "coordinated regional defensive operations", in line with international law."We want to see the swiftest possible resolution that ensures security and stability for the region,” he continued, urging Iran to refrain from further strikes and its “appalling” behaviour to allow a path back to diplomacy.Iran: Strikes 'devoid of legal foundation'“This morning, the United States regime - jointly and in coordination with the Israeli regime - initiated an unprovoked and premeditated aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the second time in recent months,” said Iran’s Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.“This is not only an act of aggression; it is a war crime and a crime against humanity,” he insisted, accusing the US and Israel of deliberately attacking civilian populated areas in multiple large cities. “The invocation to ‘pre-emptive attack,’ claims of imminent threat, or other unsubstantiated political claims, are unfounded legally, morally and politically,” Mr. Iravani continued, categorically rejecting the assertions made by the representatives of France, the UK and other Western representatives regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme.Israel: Attacks ‘an act of necessity’Israel’s strikes on Iran, said Ambassador Danny Danon, took place to stop “an existential threat before it became irreversible."His country had acted out of necessity because the regime left no reasonable alternative, building nuclear weapons in disregard for international law, murdering its own citizens and crushing dissent, expanding missile arsenals and arming proxies across the region – all while declaring its intention to erase Israel from the map.Ambassador Danon said Tehran had been required to stop enriching uranium and to allow full inspections but did not do so. “They were building the means to force an irreversible reality with our backs against the wall. That is not a future Israel will accept.”

In Geneva, delegates from more than 120 countries gathered on Monday to mark 20 years of the UN Human Rights Council and a shared commitment to international law, amid runaway global instability, wars and resurgent conflict. Acknowledging dizzying geopolitical uncertainty marked by conflict in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, Secretary-General António Guterres urged the Council to hold the line on human rights, which he warned were under a “full-scale attack…often led by those who hold the greatest power”.On Ukraine, specifically, the UN chief noted that Tuesday 24 February will be the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed more than 15,000 civilians. “It is more than past time to end the bloodshed”, he insisted, his comments a precursor to those of UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who called for rights and justice to be the focus of any ceasefire or peace agreement.‘Silence has consequences’Echoing those concerns, President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock insisted that human rights were “not a spectator sport” for Members of the Council, ambassadors, ministers or UN officials, for whom “silence is a choice…and it has consequences”. “History teaches us that large systems rarely collapse in one dramatic moment; they erode slowly, rule by rule, commitment by commitment, with those who should defend them rather staying silent. Until one day, what seemed permanent simply vanishes,” Ms. Baerbock said.In her opening comments, she highlighted the ongoing plight of Afghan women who under a new Taliban edict can reportedly be beaten by their husbands, so long as there are no visible marks.“We should remember once and for all and again that appeasement in the light of the most severe human rights violations never prevails,” she said. “We are seeing not only a dramatic backlash in women’s but also human rights and other rules and standards which were believed to be set in stone and are now openly questioned, dismissed, or violated.”Ukrainian children spotlightThe General Assembly President also appealed for “a clear commitment from every Member State that the abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime”, a reference to the youngsters separated from their families since 2014 – when Moscow annexed Crimea – including those transferred within occupied Ukrainian territory and those deported to Russia.Two-State solution ‘stripped away’On the occupied West Bank where Israeli settler expansion is accelerating, Mr. Guterres warned that the two-State solution was being “stripped away in broad daylight. The international community cannot allow it to happen.”And amid multiplying conflicts where aggressors continue to act with impunity, Mr. Guterres maintained that this was because governments continued to ignore fundamental human rights enshrined in international law, at a time when needs are “exploding” and funding is collapsing.Inconvenient truths“We are living in a world where mass suffering is excused away, where humans are used as bargaining chips, where international law is treated as a mere inconvenience,” he insisted.In his last speech to the Council as UN Secretary-General before his second five-year term ends on 31 December, Mr. Guterres reiterated his long-held concerns about the drivers of insecurity and inequality which had left migrants “harassed, arrested and expelled”, refugees scapegoated and LGBTIQ+ communities vilified.“Countries are drowning in debt and despair, climate chaos is accelerating,” he maintained, particularly small and vulnerable nations starved of adequate investment. AI faultlinesEven technology – and especially artificial intelligence – is increasingly being used to “suppress rights, deepen inequality and expose marginalized people to new forms of discrimination both online and offline”, the world’s top diplomat warned, before urging a renewed commitment to the values of multilateral solidarity set out in the UN Charter.“Human rights are not West or East, North or South, they are not a luxury, they are not negotiable. They are the foundation of a more peaceful and secure world. And States are bound by their obligations under the Charter and international law.”Expanding on that theme, UN rights chief Türk said that at a time when some governments were weakening the multilateral system, violations of international law needed to be called out, “regardless of the perpetrators”. To confront today’s “top-down domination”, the High Commissioner noted the upcoming launch of his Office’s Global Alliance for Human Rights, bringing together States, businesses, cities, philanthropists, scientists, artists, philosophers, young people and civil society.“Our future depends on our joint commitment to defend every person’s rights, every time, everywhere,” Mr. Türk insisted.