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In Africa’s Great Lakes region, Rwanda has secured both battlefield and diplomatic gains through the M23 offensive in DR Congo, while prosecutors seek the death penalty for former President Joseph Kabila over alleged treason and links to the rebels. In the Indo-Pacific, Australia, Canada, and the Philippines conducted joint naval drills near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

This week’s lead story examines the UN’s funding crisis and the future of global development.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇮🇷 E3 triggers UN snapback sanctions on Iran, risking escalation over diplomacy: Britain, France, and Germany have invoked the UN “snapback” mechanism, launching a 30-day process to reinstate all sanctions lifted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The E3 insist the move preserves diplomacy, but critics warn it instead advances Israel’s push to end talks and legitimises confrontation. The sanctions will reimpose demands for Iran to halt uranium enrichment—an impossibility for Tehran—alongside restoring the arms embargo and worsening economic collapse. For ordinary Iranians, this means rising prices and shortages; for the region, heightened risks of escalation. Israel, already striking Iranian nuclear sites, may now act with broader political cover. Once created to prevent war, the E3 now appears to be edging closer to one—punishing Tehran’s alignment with Russia but sacrificing the prospect of meaningful negotiation.

2️⃣ 🇺🇳 🇱🇧 United Nations approves final UNIFIL extension with withdrawal set by 2027: The UN Security Council voted Thursday to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for one final year, setting a timetable for its withdrawal by 2027 under pressure from Israel and the United States. The resolution stipulates that UNIFIL’s 10,800 personnel will end operations in southern Lebanon by December 2026, with a phased drawdown coordinated with Beirut. It also calls on Israel to pull back from five northern positions across the Blue Line, and for the Lebanese army—backed by the UN—to assume control of vacated sites. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed consensus on the extension, while President Emmanuel Macron urged the Lebanese army to advance its plan to consolidate all weapons under state authority by the end of 2025.

3️⃣ 🇫🇷 Prime Minister Bayrou risks collapse over austerity plan: France’s minority government faces possible collapse as Prime Minister François Bayrou prepares a confidence vote on Sept. 8 over his €43.8 billion austerity budget. Framing the move as a necessary “calculated risk” to avert national financial disaster, Bayrou hopes lawmakers will rally behind his plan to reduce France’s deficit to 4.6% of GDP by 2026. But opposition parties from both the left and far right, including Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, have vowed to topple him. Support from the Socialists is essential but unlikely, with party leader Olivier Faure ruling out a lifeline after failed pension reform talks. Bayrou’s proposals, which slash spending and even eliminate two public holidays, have triggered widespread anger, leaving his government’s survival deeply uncertain.

4️⃣ 🇲🇲 🇨🇳 Myanmar conflict fuels surge in Golden Triangle drug trade: Myanmar’s civil war has created fertile ground for transnational drug syndicates, allowing methamphetamine production in the Golden Triangle to expand dramatically. Armed groups and traffickers exploit weak governance and new infrastructure, including China’s Belt and Road projects, to channel drugs through both land and maritime routes across the Indo-Pacific. Seizures reveal shifting synthesis methods: producers briefly diversified chemical precursors in 2022 but have since returned to traditional processes, highlighting their adaptability and ability to conceal supply chains. Prices for meth have fallen even as purity remains stable, signalling increased capacity. These dynamics threaten regional security, while offering opportunities for collaboration between Asian producers and Mexican cartels unless coordinated counternarcotics strategies are urgently advanced.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸 🇻🇪 United States expands naval deployment near Venezuela amid drug cartel crackdown: The United States is expanding its naval presence off Venezuela, with three amphibious assault ships carrying over 4,000 sailors and Marines expected to arrive next week. The deployment, which follows last week’s dispatch of Aegis destroyers, is framed as part of operations targeting Latin American drug cartels. Admiral Daryl Caudle confirmed the mission but offered few details, citing classified objectives. President Donald Trump has linked the move to his broader effort against transnational cartels, recently designating Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and other groups as foreign terrorist organisations. In Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro dismissed U.S. accusations of drug trafficking as baseless and urged citizens to enlist in militias, while opposition leaders portrayed the buildup as a sign of his weakening rule. Analysts stress no invasion is imminent.

Major Story

🇺🇳 THE UN AT 80: FUNDING CRISIS AND THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

When world leaders convene for the 80th UN General Assembly this September, they will face a financial crisis threatening the institution’s viability. The UN is grappling with a $2.4 billion shortfall in regular dues and $2.7 billion in unpaid peacekeeping contributions, while rules require unspent funds to be returned rather than carried forward. Despite attempts to cut costs by nearly a third this year, the entire system is edging toward insolvency. The strain is compounded by falling aid budgets—projected to decline by up to 17 per cent in 2025—leaving the most vulnerable to bear the consequences.

Structural Weaknesses

The roots of the crisis lie in the UN’s reliance on voluntary contributions, which account for 93 per cent of funding for its development system. These contributions are easily withdrawn and often tied to narrow donor priorities, leaving agencies fragmented and financially insecure. This structure transforms the UN from an independent policy-shaper into a contractor serving its largest donors. Successive Funding Compacts attempted to rebalance financing toward core resources in exchange for greater transparency and efficiency, but governments failed to honour their side of the bargain.

The Promise of the UN80 Initiative

Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the UN80 Initiative to chart a way forward, with three workstreams: efficiency, mandate review, and structural reform. It is the third that holds transformative potential. A reimagined UN Development System must place global norms—on gender equality, sustainability, and human rights—at the centre of its work. Doing so requires not just technical expertise and convening power, but predictable, stable financing. Without this, the UN cannot act as a trusted adviser or global agenda-setter.

Rethinking Finance

Options exist to strengthen the financial base. Expanding assessed contributions, revising burden-sharing formulas, and increasing pooled or joint funds would reduce dependence on earmarked projects. Innovative approaches such as replenishment mechanisms or levies could further broaden resources. But reforms will only succeed if governments first reach consensus on the UN’s role in development and are willing to fund it accordingly.

Countries get the UN they fund. Without predictable financing and a renewed vision for its development role, the UN risks hollowing out just when global crises—from conflict to climate change—demand its leadership most.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital kills 19, including five journalists: At least 19 people, including five journalists, were killed when Israeli forces struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza’s main medical facility. According to the Gaza health ministry, the “double tap” strike hit the hospital’s fourth floor before targeting emergency responders, killing a rescuer and injuring seven others. Among the dead were Reuters cameraman Hossam al-Masri, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Salama, photographer Mariam Abu Daqqa, NBC contributor Muath Abu Taha, and journalist Ahmed Abu Aziz. Elsewhere in Gaza, 20 more were killed in separate attacks, while famine deepens: 11 people, including two children, died of starvation in the past day, raising the toll to 300 since October 2023. Meanwhile, Israel’s military chief urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a Qatari-Egyptian ceasefire, warning further occupation risks.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 🇷🇺 President Trump and President Putin discuss energy ties as Exxon explores return to Sakhalin project: After meeting President Trump in Alaska, President Vladimir Putin suggested greater U.S.–Russia cooperation, including Pacific energy trade. Behind the scenes, Exxon Mobil has quietly explored rejoining Russia’s Sakhalin oil and gas project, which it exited in 2022 after writing down $4 billion. Senior vice president Neil Chapman led talks with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin in Doha, under special U.S. Treasury licenses permitting discussions. Exxon has also sought U.S. government backing, with CEO Darren Woods raising the issue directly with Trump. Putin has eased restrictions on foreign stakes in Sakhalin, hoping Western investment will follow any Ukraine peace deal. A return remains uncertain, dependent on sanctions relief and political agreements, but would mark a dramatic shift after Exxon’s acrimonious 2022 exit.

3️⃣ 🇷🇼 🇨🇩 🇺🇳 Rwanda secures battlefield and diplomatic gains through M23 offensive in DR Congo: The ruins of Goma International Airport testify to Rwanda’s covert war in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels—backed by thousands of Rwandan troops, advanced weaponry, and surface-to-air missiles—seized control in January. The assault left thousands dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and UN peacekeepers sidelined. The U.S. and EU accused Rwanda of sponsoring the offensive, with the Security Council warning of possible war crimes. Kigali denies direct involvement but insists it is defending Tutsis from persecution and hostile militias, while critics say its true aim is Congo’s vast mineral wealth. Rwanda’s battlefield successes forced Kinshasa into a U.S.-brokered peace deal in June, opening avenues for joint mineral ventures. Despite Western condemnation, Rwanda’s growing regional clout—tempered by accusations of exploitation—has been described as a “major diplomatic win.”

4️⃣ 🇮🇳 🇵🇰 India’s lithium discovery in Jammu and Kashmir threatens geopolitical tensions: The village of Salal-Haimana in Jammu and Kashmir has been dubbed “Lithium Village” since India’s 2023 revelation of 5.9 million metric tons of reserves, the world’s fifth-largest. The find sparked hopes of economic transformation, yet two failed auctions exposed serious hurdles: fragile ecosystems, militia threats, disputed territory, and lithium’s complex clay deposits. In 2025, India and the U.S. signed a critical minerals pact under the “China plus one” strategy to diversify supply chains. But U.S. tariffs on India and sanctions over Russian oil purchases strain the partnership. With the reserves lying close to the Line of Control, Pakistani analysts warn mining could inflame disputes over sovereignty, security, and water from the Chenab River. For New Delhi, the prize is vital to its clean energy goals; the peril is regional destabilisation.

5️⃣ 🇧🇩 🇲🇲 Bangladesh urges global action as Rohingya crisis enters eighth year: Bangladesh can no longer commit additional resources to support its 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus warned, calling on the international community to deliver a sustainable solution. Hosting the refugees—half of them children—has placed severe pressure on the country’s economy, environment, and governance. Yunus urged a clear roadmap for repatriation, stressing that the plight of the Rohingya must remain on the global agenda. His remarks came as refugees marked the eighth anniversary of the 2017 exodus from Myanmar, rallying in Cox’s Bazar under banners reading “No more refugee life” and “Repatriation the ultimate solution.” Attempts at return have repeatedly failed, while renewed fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine state continues to drive new arrivals into Bangladesh, deepening fears of permanent displacement.

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Book Shelf

Here are some books we recommend 📚:

Prisoners of Geography

The Revenge of Geography

The World: A Brief Introduction

The Shock Doctrine

Sea Power

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

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