July 2026

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

UN Geneva Press Briefing (LINK) — 28 July 2026

Protecting victims of trafficking in online scam operations

Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM had assisted victims from over 30 countries, but there were victims from over 80 countries. It is estimated that combined annual losses from scam offences in 2025 across East Asia, South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand were between USD 88.3 billion and USD 114.1 billion.

— The scams often targeted the elderly people, which was why scam gangs were looking for people with proper English language skills and technology. This had been seen significantly in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It was also a prominent issue in Thailand. There were around 300,000 people estimated to be working at these South-East Asian centres; not all were victims of traffickIng, but there were a significant portion who were there against their will.

World Hepatitis Day, 28 July

Dr. Olufunmilayo 'Funmi' Lesi, Cross-cutting Lead, Hepatitis Programme and Partnerships, for the World Health Organization (WHO): viral hepatitis remained the major communicable disease for which mortality was still increasing.

— In 2024 alone, hepatitis B and hepatitis C claimed 1.3 million lives, around 3,500 deaths every day. Most of these deaths were caused by chronic liver cirrhosis and liver cancer over many years and were largely preventable. Only around one quarter of the people living with chronic hepatitis B and just over one third of those living with hepatitis C had been diagnosed, and just 4.3 percent of people with hepatitis B were receiving treatment, while only 20 percent of people living with hepatitis C had accessed curative therapy.

— WHO's latest report highlighted that it was vital to focus on preventing new infections, including through the Hepatitis B vaccination at birth, especially in Africa where coverage remained at just 17 percent; to drastically expand diagnosis and treatment and equitable access; and to integrate Hepatitis services with other healthcare services, including HIV, maternal and child health; and to ensure sustained political commitment and investment.

Friday, 17 July 2026

UN Geneva Press Briefing (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Humanitarian and food security situation in El Obeid

Abdallah Alwardat, World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director, connecting from Kosti, stated that El Obeid, normally a city of over half a million people, now had almost double that population, filled with internally displaced people. WFP had been providing food assistance to over 100,000 people in the camps inside the city, but there were many more IDPs in the city who needed urgent assistance.

Ebola outbreak in East, South and Horn of Africa regions

Frantz Celestin, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Director for East, Horn and Southern Africa: As of 14 July, more than 2,000 cases and 700 deaths had been reported across the affected countries of DRC and Uganda. The outbreak had grown by approximately 70 per cent in just two weeks, with an average of more than 40 new cases reported each day.

Women on the move in Europe and Central Asia

Belén Sanz Luque, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, speaking from Istanbul, said that women represented 54 percent of all migrants hosted in the region and of those born in the region who had moved away.

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

UK must end IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences as psychological harm continues: UN experts (LINK) — 15 July 2026

— "Thousands of people remain trapped in prisons under a scheme that Parliament itself abolished more than a decade ago," the human rights experts said.

Sudan: "War economy" sustains conflict, UN report warns (LINK) — 15 July 2026

— The report specifically examines the trade in gum arabic — a key ingredient in products such as soft drinks, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals — as a case study on the adverse human rights impacts of Sudan's war economy. Although modest in export value compared with other commodities, gum arabic remains one of Sudan's most internationally relied-upon exports, accounting for roughly 70 to 80 per cent of global crude gum arabic exports before the war. Gum arabic remains an important source of income for millions of Sudanese. Yet, the report finds that many individuals and families who depend on, or are linked to, the gum arabic trade have faced threats to their physical safety, arbitrary detention, looting and extortion, including through actions by parties to the conflict and associated actors. Large-scale looting and conflict-related disruptions of the gum arabic value chain have also adversely affected the livelihoods and working conditions of individuals involved in it. Large-scale looting and conflict-related disruptions of the gum arabic value chain have also adversely affected the livelihoods and working conditions of individuals involved in it.

Iran: UN experts urge reversal of Tehran church compound seizure and return of its Christian residents (LINK) — 15 July 2026

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

UN Geneva Press Briefing (LINK) — 14 July 2026

Dominique Hyde, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Director of External Relations: UNHCR funding — 14 July 2026

— UNHCR's budgset had continued to see downwards numbers from 2025 and 2024. It expected to receive a little over USD 3 billion in 2026. The big shift was that tightly earmarked funding had gone to over 54 percent of the funding in 2026, from 25 percent in 2024. This funding was earmarked on certain themes and populations, and only a very small portion to countries. In terms of who was contributing, some 2.9 million individuals were now giving directly to UNHCR, Ms. Hyde also noted.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health Organization (WHO): DRC and Ebola — 14 July 2026

— Health services there now had a treatment capacity of close to 800 beds, increasing every week. Lab capacity had gone from one to 14 labs. Contact follow-up rates approached 80%. WHO was carrying out 30 to 40 safe and dignified burials every day. Close to 95 percent of all new cases were in the Ituri province

Friday, 10 July 2026

UN Human Rights Office on Sri Lankan prison violence (LINK) — 10 July 2026

— "The outbreak of deadly violence this past week at a Sri Lanka jail in Negombo and reports of reprisals against inmates by guards at other prisons are deeply alarming. The families of the dozens killed and injured — both inmates and prison officers — deserve to know the truth and see accountability. The violence underscores the urgency of tackling structural concerns around detention in Sri Lanka, notably prolonged pre-trial detention, overcrowding and inadequate conditions in detention facilities. Furthermore, a disproportionate number of people are detained for drug-related offences, many of whom should benefit from health-centred responses as opposed to incarceration.

Thursday, 9 July 2026

DRC: Türk deplores continued clashes in South Kivu, urges immediate de-escalation (LINK) — 9 July 2026

— UNOCHA: There has been an increase in hostilities between the DRC armed forces and the Rwanda Defence Force-backed M23 armed group in South Kivu's Fizi and Mwenga territories over the last two weeks, with both sides using armed drones, heavy artillery and other explosive weapons in civilian-populated areas. Many civilians have been killed and others injured, and livestock and homes destroyed. "It is deeply troubling that despite the agreements reached as part of the ongoing peace processes, fighting continues unabated in eastern DRC – killing, injuring and displacing civilians and destroying livelihoods," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, following intense clashes around Mulima village in Fizi on 4 and 5 July.

ITU: WSIS Prizes honour top tech solutions for digital development: projects from 15 countries and 3 international organizations (LINK) — 9 July 2026

Sweden announces $1 million contribution to IOM (LINK) — 9 July 2026

US Supreme Court ruling safeguards women's and girls' sports by concluding that neither Title IX nor the Constitution requires schools to dismantle sex-based sporting categories, says UN expert (LINK) — 9 July 2026

Luxembourg backs IOM to advance responsible AI for humanitarian response: "will support the Catalyzing Responsible Use of AI in Humanitarian Action initiative, helping advance the safe, ethical and effective use of AI across the humanitarian sector and accelerating progress on global commitments related to AI under the Humanitarian Reset" (LINK) — 9 July 2026

— The strategic partnership between Luxembourg and IOM also includes collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the University of Luxembourg Institute for Digital Ethics (ULIDE), and partners across the humanitarian system working towards shared objectives for responsible AI.

Friday, 3 July 2026

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: on Ukraine at Human Rights Council: (LINK) — 3 July 2026

— "Instead of moving closer towards peace, civilians are enduring more destruction, pain and suffering."

— "Between 1 December 2025 and 31 May 2026, my Office verified that at least 1,270 civilians were killed and 6,850 injured in Ukraine. This represents a 40 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. The real toll is likely higher."

— "Since mid-November 2025, my Office has verified that Russian forces have executed at least 20 captured Ukrainian servicemen. During the reporting period, my Office interviewed 129 released Ukrainian prisoners of war. Virtually all of them provided detailed accounts of torture or other ill-treatment during their captivity, including sexual violence."

— "Around half the prisoners of war captured by Ukraine interviewed by my Office described torture or other ill-treatment, predominantly in transit facilities before transfer to official detention facilities. The prohibition of torture is absolute. The use of torture against prisoners of war must end immediately, and those responsible must be held to account."

— "The scale and scope of the Russian Federation's attacks suggest they were intended to disable Ukraine's energy network as a whole, rather than strike specific military objectives. Treating Ukraine's entire energy infrastructure as a military objective is incompatible with international humanitarian law."

Press briefing webcast — (LINK)

UNHCR warns Lake Chad Basin at critical tipping point

Andrew Wyllie, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Deputy Director for the West and Central Africa Bureau: an increase in violence and attacks by armed groups against civilians, criminality and climate shocks were causing people to move, either across borders or internally, and sometimes multiple times. (LINK) — 3 July 2026

— There were around 3.5 million forcibly displaced people across the broader Lake Chad region, around 323,000 who were refugees. It was estimated there had been around 77,000 new refugees since the beginning of the year and over 8.2 million people needed humanitarian protection.

— Across the region around 50 percent of children were out of school, exposing them to multiple different kinds of protection risks. In Chad's Lac Province more than 75 percent of children were out of school

Rising Displacement in Sudan's Kordofan Region and the Risks in El Obeid

Zoe Brennan, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM): newly displaced people across Kordofan had risen by nearly two-thirds

Mohamed Refaat, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission Sudan: It was estimated that more than 500,000 people were stranded in El Obeid, but IOM could not access them. They had heard these people had no access to water and electricity and wanted a way out but could not. They had been stranded for months now, with attacks against civilian infrastructure regularly occurring. Sudan was the second most deadly environment for humanitarian workers.

Eujin Byun, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): said on July 1 a UNHCR truck carrying fifty metric tonnes of relief items was reportedly hit by drone Tendelti in White Nile state. The driver survived unharmed, but the entire consignment was destroyed, the second such incident this year.

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

IOM on the World Soccer Cup: Bosnia and Herzegovina's national football team a symbol of belonging (LINK) — 1 July 2026

— Majda Balić, Media Specialist with IOM Bosnia and Herzegovina: A total of 17 of the 26 national team players were born outside the country, yet continue to share a strong connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reflecting that sense of connection, national team head coach Sergej Barbarez has rallied players and fans around a simple message: "Dream big. Dream BiH." National Team Director Emir Spahic expressed a similar sentiment, describing the search for talented players abroad as reconnecting with the country's own people rather than recruiting from elsewhere. "We are not taking anyone away from another country. We are simply bringing our children home."