On World Children's Day, which falls on 20 November each year, children's rights and the importance of enabling them to lead a dignified life that befits their humanity are highlighted. This year's theme is "Listen to the future! Stand up for Children's Rights", which focuses on education as a central right, embodying hope for a bright future, especially for children facing challenges that prevent them from accessing quality education opportunities.

In the past year, we have witnessed an unprecedented surge of global mobilisation for Palestine due to the ongoing US backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, that has decimated the area and killed over 200,000 Palestinians (a direct and indirect figure of deaths which is expected to be considerably more with so many buried under the rubble). However, despite this growing popular support for Palestinian liberation from Israel’s 76 years of settler colonialism, we see the same orientalist, racist, and patronising narratives that have been deployed for decades to undermine Palestinian resistance. This is an attempt to delegitimise the global call for justice and full liberation of Palestine.

The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) actively participated in the conference, alongside other international and national partners. ARDD has been a committed partner in this initiative since the initial discussions in September 2023. This latest conference marked the third in a series of dialogues dedicated to addressing the complexities of integrating humanitarian aid with social protection systems.

Israel has been justifying its attacks on UNRWA with reference to either antisemitism (content in text books used in UNRWA schools; staff social media posts) or terrorism (the involvement of local staff with Hamas, most recently in the attacks on 7 October 2023).

Every year, the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict reminds us to consider the often-neglected aspect of environmental toll that military actions take on our ecosystems, climate, and community health. Sadly, the war on Gaza stands as a striking example. The recent heavy bombardments by the Israeli military forces have left severe and lasting mark on the region’s ecosystems, contaminating water, soil, and air. Despite this, even with growing awareness and several side events organized mostly by civil society, official discussions at COP28 have largely missed the crucial issue of emissions from military actions and conflicts.

Between 2006 and 2024, more than 1,700 journalists were killed around the world, with nearly 9 out of 10 cases remaining unresolved, according to UNESCO, amid escalating conflicts and crises in the Arab world and the world at large, and exacerbating concerns about the prevention, protection and prosecution of journalists.

The ILO emphasizes that care work is critical to the functioning of economies and societies, yet it remains one of the most undervalued and underpaid sectors. In Jordan, as in many other Arab and non-Arab countries, care work is often seen as a private responsibility, with little support from formal policies or public services. This perpetuates gender inequalities and limits economic growth by keeping women out of paid employment. 

The Summit for the Future, held in September 2024, sought to reinforce multilateralism and reshape the international system to address today’s pressing global challenges, including climate change, inequality, and governance reform. Central to the summit’s outcomes was the Pact for the Future, a comprehensive framework designed to advance sustainable development, enhance peacebuilding efforts, and bolster human rights protections. A key focus was on peace and security reform, with specific attention to improving peace operations and addressing the root causes of conflict, such as poverty, inequality, and resource scarcity.

Before October 7, there were 796 schools accommodating about 800,000 students, in addition to 17 universities and community colleges. Of those schools and universities, the Israeli occupation completely destroyed 123, and partially destroyed 335, as six universities in the Gaza Strip were completely or partially destroyed by Israeli attacks.

This note provides a brief overview of the involvement of different UN bodies (other than the UN principal organs) with the Question of Palestine since 1947.  It focuses on the UN’s evolving responsibility for the Question of Palestine as well as the UN’s involvement with the Palestinian refugee issue. The paper is deliberately kept succinct; the various bodies and organizations are discussed in greater detail and with reference to the relevant sources in the books mentioned in the final section. 

This article explores the dual-edged nature of this development, examining how the NATO office might contribute to advancing the WPS agenda by bringing resources while highlighting the risks of overshadowing gender equality efforts with a predominantly military focus. Furthermore, it considers the implications for civil society and the long-term impact on regional stability, questioning whether the NATO presence could inadvertently perpetuate conflict dynamics rather than fostering sustainable peace.

Jordan, a nation characterized by a diverse population shaped by various migration movements, has witnessed a concerning trend of illegal emigration among its citizens, particularly in the wake of the Arab Uprisings in the past decade and most recently the regional turmoil in 2023/2024.

With the ongoing attempts to integrate women and youth into parliamentary councils in the Arab region and activate their role more broadly in the political, economic, and civil fields, there have been no noticeable change so far in terms of expanding their participation in political decision-making positions, despite the increase in the percentage of Arab women in parliament to 18%, since 11 out of 22 member states of the League of Arab States adopted the women's quota system in 2000.

Gender-sensitive programs requires just as much theoretical knowledge as practical skills in communication, negotiation, and advocacy. The collaborative nature of this training fostered a rich exchange of ideas and experiences, emphasizing the value of collective learning and problem-solving. It demonstrated how working with a diverse group of practitioners led to innovative solutions and deeper insights into niche, relevant issues

Undoubtedly, the genocide in Gaza has left images that will be etched in the memory of several generations, including the killing of hundreds of humanitarian workers. On April 2nd, the Israeli Occupation Forces deliberately massacred seven aid workers from the American NGO World Central Kitchen, an event that shocked the international community and highlighted the West's double standards in condemning attacks on humanitarian organizations. This figure adds to the more than 200 deaths of UN staff, particularly from UNRWA. However, violence against humanitarian personnel is not exclusive to Palestine but extends around the world.