UN News Today 15 July 2026 |

Looted gold and gum arabic are bankrolling Sudan’s war: OHCHR

Alongside gold, a little-known Sudanese commodity called gum arabic that’s used in soft drinks, food and more, continues to fuel the war. 

The gum provides an important source of income and benefits for millions of people but today, Sudan’s warring parties are stealing it and selling it so they can use the proceeds to perpetuate conflict.

Here’s UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani:

 “Sudan’s vast wealth of natural resources should benefit its people. Distressingly, what we are seeing today is anything but that. This wealth is only serving to undermine human rights and drive conflict, bringing pain and suffering on an enormous scale.”

In a call for the trade in gum arabic to end, Ms. Shamdasani urged the international community to pay much closer attention to the commodities and trade routes that help sustain it.

According to a report from UN human rights, “significant quantities” of gum arabic have been redirected by paramilitary forces in West Kordofan and parts of Darfur towards South Sudan and onwards to Mombasa port in Kenya. 

Alternative routes have also reportedly emerged including towards Chad and onwards to Douala port in Cameroon and other cross-border locations, where the gum is relabelled before it is exported and processed.

WHO urges fair AI roll-out for patients’ sake

Artificial Intelligence – or AI – is revolutionizing many aspects of modern life, but not for everyone, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

In a call to make AI work for every patient, the agency noted how two-thirds of countries already use the self-learning tech in diagnostics, but far fewer have health-specific AI strategies or rules to define who is responsible in case something goes wrong.

The findings are in line with ongoing UN-led efforts in support of stronger, coordinated global AI governance. 

With more on the WHO meeting in Lisbon, here’s agency spokesperson Bhanu Bhatnagar:

“AI is already in patients’ pockets, things like symptom checkers, mental health apps and tools that monitor chronic conditions in real-time…In Portugal, AI is helping doctors spot lung disease and fractures faster in emergency rooms… But here’s the risk. If AI only reaches patients with smartphones, good connectivity, and access to well-resourced hospitals, it simply widens the gaps that it should be closing.”

To narrow this gap, WHO has developed global ethical guidelines for AI in health. 

The agency has brought together countries from all six WHO regions to agree where the gaps are greatest and chart a path forward that works for every health system, not just the ones with the best resources. 

Indigenous rights activists face disproportionate dangers: UN rights chief

Indigenous rights activists spearhead work to address everything from climate change to preserving irreplaceable cultural heritage, but they face disproportionate risks doing so, the UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Mr. Türk warned that mining, deforestation and large-scale agriculture “exploit and destroy” land and territory without the consent of indigenous peoples. 

The UN rights chief insisted that these concerns are becoming more urgent, especially as demand grows for critical minerals, renewable energy and large-scale development projects:

“The world’s transition to a greener economy is essential, but it cannot come at the expense of the rights of indigenous peoples. There needs to be a just transition, firmly grounded in human rights, meaningful participation and consent to all projects affecting their territories and resources.” 

Latest data on indigenous environment defenders indicates that many face “intimidation, criminalization, harassment and violence for defending their lands and ecosystems”, the UN rights chief said. 

And he added that between 2023 and 2025, at least 15 per cent of the human rights defenders killed or forcibly disappeared around the world were indigenous human rights defenders. 

Daniel Johnson, UN News