Hi there, this is Michelle. Since the fall of the Assad regime, the new rulers of Damascus have been on a quest for legitimacy and less UN scrutiny. But pressure from civil society and western governments for the UN not to turn away just yet remains high, clearing the way for a crucial probe body to be renewed for another year at the Human Rights Council – much to Turkey’s dismay.

The latest conflict in the Middle East is expected to drive up hunger amid rising global inflation, and the UN human rights office says Israel may be responsible for ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as Jewish settlers displace Palestinians.

Michelle Langrand

18.03.2026

On our radar

Photo article

Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a march marking the 15th anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution against the Bashar Assad regime in the Old City of Damascus, March 15 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

UN probe body on Syria to be renewed after Turkey backpedals resistance. A UN body that has been investigating the worst violations in Syria for the past decade is set to be renewed by the Human Rights Council this month after a Turkish bid failed to have it quashed.

Geneva Solutions (EN)

Here’s what else is happening

🥣Iran war may push 45 million people into acute hunger by June, WFP says. Inflation in food, transport and oil costs will cause the number of people in need to rise from the current record level of 319 million.
Reuters (EN)
🏃🏽‍♂️UN rights report condemns displacement of Palestinians in West Bank. The human rights office expressed concern over possible “ethnic cleansing”, saying that moves by Israeli settlers have become more “relentless”.
Associated Press (EN)
🇸🇩Sudan clinics face stock-out in weeks due to Middle East war, NGO says. Global charity Save the Children blames aid disruptions on the US-Israeli war with Iran and supply chain issues, including airspace closures and the suspension of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters (EN)
🇺🇳Grossi holds on to his nuclear agency job while running for UN boss. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency pushes back on UN recommendations that candidates for the top job withdraw from their jobs while campaigning.
Passblue (EN)

International Geneva moves

🎒New education aid fund chief nominated. Philanthropist and education expert Maysa Jalbout was appointed executive director of Education Cannot Wait, a fund supporting education in humanitarian crises, as of 1 April. Jalbout previously managed the Abdullah Al Ghurair Foundation For Education, a $1 billion organisation aimed at educating 15,000 young people in 10 years. She was also the founding CEO at Jordan’s Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Jalbout, a Canadian national and the daughter of Palestinian refugees, will replace Yasmine Sherif, who has held the role since 2017. The fund, which receives funding from governments and the private sector, will launch a $600 replenishment campaign this year as it celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Education Cannot Wait (EN)

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