UN News Today 28 July 2026 |

Middle East peace envoy calls for cooperation on Gaza and West Bank

A senior UN official for the Middle East peace process says that while humanitarian conditions in Gaza have improved somewhat in recent weeks, the progress remains far too slow to meet residents’ needs.

Speaking to the Security Council on Tuesday, Ramiz Alakbarov said humanitarian aid will not be enough to put Gaza on a sustainable path. Instead, he called for urgent implementation of the Council’s plan to end the conflict, rebuilding essential infrastructure and supporting Palestinian institutions to lead reconstruction.

Mr. Alakbarov expressed concern over rapidly escalating violence in the West Bank, citing deadly attacks, growing displacement and expanding settlements. He called on Israel to prevent settler violence while urging Palestinians to reject violence against Israelis.

“Ultimately, Gaza’s reconstruction cannot be sustained in the absence of a political process. Similarly, a political process cannot succeed while Gaza remains devastated, violence escalates in the West Bank, Palestinian institutions remain divided and security conditions continue to deteriorate.”

Closing his briefing, Mr. Alakbarov urged Security Council members to ensure that their resolutions are being implemented on the ground, adding that only sustained international engagement can help build a more peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.

IOM urges support for victims forced into scam centres

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world are being trafficked into online scam operations run by organised criminal networks, according to the International Organization for Migration, or IOM.

The UN agency warns that many victims are lured by fake job offers promising legitimate work. Instead, they find themselves trapped inside heavily guarded compounds, their passports confiscated, and forced through violence, threats and debt bondage to carry out online scams targeting people across the globe.

Survivors report horrific abuse, including torture, sexual violence, starvation and solitary confinement.

IOM Director General Amy Pope says people trapped in scam compounds are victims of human trafficking and deserve protection, not punishment.

“We’re seeing many of the survivors of trafficking actually being identified as criminals, but in reality, they are the victims of this crime.”

The warning comes as new data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC, estimates that scammers in East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand stole between 88 and 114 billion US dollars in 2025 alone.

To address what it describes as “one of the fastest-growing forms of human trafficking,” the IOM has launched a new regional strategy covering Asia and the Pacific through 2030. It focuses on victim protection, prevention and cross-border cooperation.

Between 2022 and 2025, IOM assisted more than 3,500 people from 39 countries who had been trafficked and forced to commit crimes – including scams.

The agency says rescuing these victims is only the beginning. Survivors often need long-term support to recover from trauma and rebuild their lives at home.

Nepal aims to expand free school lunch programme

With support from the UN, Nepal plans to expand its school lunch programme through grade eight, increasing coverage to as many as four-and-a-half million children in the coming years.

The National Mid-Day Meals Programme began in 1967 to tackle classroom hunger. Today, it reaches nearly three million children spanning every district of the country and, as of last year, is fully funded by the national government.

The UN’s World Food Programme, or WFP, says the lunch programme is linked to higher school enrolment, better attendance and improved nutrition. It also supports local economies by sourcing food from local farmers and cooperatives.

A new UN report details decades of collaboration between the Nepalese Government and WFP, showing how investments in school meals, climate resilience and social protection have helped strengthen national systems and improve the lives of millions.

A second report highlights WFP’s broader work across Nepal last year. More than 438,000 people benefited from programmes supporting emergency preparedness, nutrition, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods.

Isaiah Steinberg, UN News.