The facade of the Palais Wilson facing Lake Geneva. (John Penney/PassBlue)

🇺🇳UN human rights office moves out of the historic Palais Wilson. As the UN's human rights arm prepares to vacate its iconic lakeside premises in Geneva, which once served as the headquarters of the League of Nations, a photo essay by John Penney of PassBlue, a New York-based outlet focused on UN affairs, offers a final glimpse inside.

✂Health ODA faces steepest cuts in 2026, OECD says. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation predicted that with development spending set to drop by nearly seven per cent this year, with health-related aid bracing for a 29 to 46 per cent decline compared to 2024.

🔬The next UN leader may need to be a science diplomat. With an expanding share of challenges confronting the international system now emerging from scientific and technological change, UN observers argue that the multilateral body’s next chief will need expertise that goes beyond the traditional diplomatic skillset.

🦠Ebola in DR Congo sees record first-month caseload. The World Health Organization says the latest outbreak has already recorded the highest number of cases, compared to earlier epidemics of the disease.

🎗️US and Russia vote against UN political declaration on HIV/Aids. The declaration, which establishes the direction of the global HIV response for the next five years, was ultimately adopted by 149 votes at a high level meeting on Tuesday in New York, despite resistance from eight countries.

🇮🇷Is the MOU a treaty or not? And why should we care? Washington considers it as an “agreement to agree”. But whether it is governed by international law leads to a murky analysis.