Hi there, this is Paula. In a two-hour-long briefing to journalists, Iran’s diplomat in Geneva said the international community had a responsibility to condemn attacks on his country, and that he was working on asking for a special meeting of the UN Human Rights Council to address the US-Israeli attacks.

Meanwhile, aid groups are responding to humanitarian needs in nearly a dozen countries now affected directly or indirectly by the war. And at the UN, a foundational promise to involve and protect civil society remains unfulfilled.

Paula Dupraz-Dobias

04.03.2026

On our radar

Photo article

Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, briefs the media during a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU), at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, on 3 March, 2026. (Keystone/Salvatore Di Nolfi)

Iran ambassador calls on UN rights council to respond to US-Israel assault. As hostilities escalate between Iran, and the United States and Israel, Tehran’s top diplomat in Geneva says the UN must address attacks against Iran, and insists that its strikes on neighbouring Arab countries are focused on US targets.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Straight from the Palais

Photo article

Rescue workers and residents search through the rubble in the aftermath of what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-US strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, 28 February 2026. (Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP)

Bringing you the latest from UN press briefings in Geneva.

Humanitarians scramble to respond as Iran war strains fragile region. Aid agencies warn that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could overwhelm operations in the region and beyond, as trade routes and funding come under mounting pressure.

Geneva Solutions

Here's what else is happening

🗳️Burundi nominates ex-Senegalese president Macky Sall for UN top role. Sall has kept a high international profile since leading Senegal from 2012 to 2024 and currently heads the Global Center on Adaptation after succeeding Ban Ki-moon, former UN secretary general, in 2024.
The Eastleigh Voice (EN)
💥Progress on rules for lethal autonomous weapons urgently needed, says chair of Geneva talks. Dutch disarmament ambassador Robert in den Bosch, who is presiding over negotiations in Geneva starting this week between member states, warned that technological developments risk leaving attempts to agree on an international framework behind.
Reuters (EN)
🎭Iran strikes spark accusations of bad-faith diplomatic negotiations. Plans were already being made for another round of talks in Geneva this week, hours before Washington and Israel attacked Tehran.
The Washington Post (EN)
💭Opinion: Will the next World Food Programme chief answer to Trump? Following Cindy McCain’s early resignation, the UN is likely to appoint another US national to steer the UN agency, empowering the US president to reshape the organisation under his vision of humanitarian statecraft, writes this former US humanitarian adviser.
The New Humanitarian (EN)

What they think

❝As Human Rights Council turns 20, the UN’s founding promise – ‘We the Peoples’ – is under attack. The United Nations’ foundational commitment to human rights and civic participation is under growing strain, and those meant to protect it are not doing enough, writes Sigrid Lipott, UN adviser to the human rights alliance Civicus.

GS news is a new media project covering the world of international cooperation and development. Don’t hesitate to forward our newsletter!

Have a good day!

Avenue du Bouchet 2
1209 Genève
Suisse