Month: March 2026

The UN Security Council convenes under extraordinary circumstances at 3pm on Monday: amid escalating conflict in the Middle East and repeated calls from the UN for restraint by all sides, the Council turns its attention to a long-standing but under-addressed crisis facing children in war zones. The United States, which holds the rotating presidency for March, decided to have First Lady Melania Trump chair the meeting. Usually, the UN ambassador or senior official of the country holding the presidency takes the gavel. While there have been instances of First Ladies taking part in Security Council meetings, today is the first time a First Lady will preside. Follow speaker by speaker below, and UN News app users can go here. For daily in-depth meetings coverage, go here. 

As the violent escalation in the Middle East entered a third day on Monday sparked by the bombing of Iran by Israel and the United States, the head of the UN atomic energy agency urged a return to diplomacy, given the “increasing risk to nuclear safety” in the region.

Violent escalation in the Middle East has entered a third day as coordinated US and Israeli strikes against Iran continue to cause loss of life and damage across the region, prompting Iranian missile and drone retaliation in multiple countries. Explosions, airspace closures and military alerts have been reported from Tehran to the Gulf states and beyond. Follow our live coverage with updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow here.

Travelling more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Yambio, the capital of Western Equatoria State in southwestern South Sudan, a team of justice experts escorted by United Nations peacekeepers moved slowly along rough, dusty roads, determined to reach communities that have waited years for their day in court. 

The UN education agency, UNESCO, says that the bombing of a primary school during the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran on Saturday constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian law.