UN News Today 24 December 2025 |

Guterres calls for peaceful elections in Central African Republic 

The race is on in the Central African Republic (CAR) where combined presidential, legislative, regional and municipal elections will be held this Sunday, 28 December. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the people to participate in the electoral process, his Spokesperson said in a statement issued on Wednesday. 

The UN chief also urged authorities to ensure that the polls are conducted in a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and credible manner.   

The CAR has not held municipal elections since 1988 – a key provision of a peace and reconciliation agreement signed between the government and several armed groups in 2019. 

 “Their conduct represents an historic milestone in the peace process and a critical step towards consolidating the decentralization of state authority,” the statement. 

The Secretary-General also acknowledged the support provided to national authorities by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MINUSCA. 

The mission has been dispatching ballots, electoral rolls, voter lists and other sensitive materials throughout the country, among other support. 

Yemen: Envoy welcomes accord on new phase of conflict detainee release 

Warring parties in Yemen have concluded a meeting in Oman where they agreed to a new phase of releasing conflict-related detainees from all sides.

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed the outcomes and stressed the humanitarian significance of demonstrating progress on the release of these detainees, his Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition have been battling Houthi rebels, also known as Ansar Allah, since 2014.   

The 12-day meeting in Oman was co-chaired by the Special Envoy’s Office and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Reaching an agreement over another phase of the release of conflict-related detainees is a positive and meaningful step that will hopefully ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen,” Mr. Grundberg said.

He added that effective implementation of the agreement “will require the continued engagement and cooperation of the parties, coordinated regional support and sustained efforts to build on this progress toward further releases.” 

Forest products show signs of recovery after 2023 decline: FAO

From wood-based panels used in construction, to charcoal for cooking food, forest products are valued and traded all around the world.   

The global forest products sector saw recovery in 2024 following a steep decline the previous year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report published on Wednesday. 

It finds that global international trade in wood and paper products regained momentum, with modest growth recorded across most major product groups.  

The upswing comes after a 14 per cent drop overall in trade of wood and paper products in 2023.

Other findings show that industrial roundwood removals – that is the total volume of wood harvested for uses other than energy – rose by 2 per cent in 2024, although its global trade declined by 1 per cent.   

Meanwhile, global production of sawnwood – which includes planks, beams and other manufactured timber products – remained nearly unchanged but varied regionally. 

FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu noted that “forests support millions of livelihoods worldwide.”

He said “the number is set to rise as forests offer more economic opportunities in a growing range of industries, including sustainable wood production.”

Dianne Penn, UN News