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According to the gender equality body, UN WomenThe new haven announced on Friday will provide shelter, psychosocial support and help to survivors to rebuild their lives amid rising gang violence.
Speaking from Port au Prince, the institute’s Marie Goretti Nduwayo said that escalating gang violence – which has led to insecurity and mass displacement – was once concentrated in Haiti’s capital but was “now spreading across the country,” forcing thousands more to flee their homes.
Prolonged trauma
The impact is deep and long-lasting trauma, especially for women and girls.
Ms Goretti Nduwayo cited data showing that sexual violence increased by 163 percent in 2025, compared to the previous year. This number includes approximately 1,670 women and nearly 200 girls.
UN Women supports all women and girls in Haiti by working with authorities to provide life-saving assistance and help them rebuild their lives.
Haiti’s first state-backed safe house is an important milestone in confronting gender-based violence, the agency said.
The race for essential minerals is intensifying amid the green energy transition
As countries race to build greener energy systems and expand access to digital technologies, it is clear that new global competition is taking shape when it comes to so-called “critical minerals.”
Scarce commodities – including “rare earths” that are difficult to mine in sufficient quantities – power everything from electric vehicles and batteries to semiconductors and data centers.
The new UN trade and development agency (UNCTAD) report warned that demand for minerals including lithium, graphite, copper, cobalt and nickel, will increase in the coming decades. Lithium demand itself is expected to increase by more than 350 percent by 2040.
But the challenge is not just increasing demand, but also who controls supply. Production and processing are still concentrated in a few countries.
By 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world’s cobalt, while China dominates graphite production and refining of several important mineral resources.
Dependence on trade policy
As a result, the government is increasingly making trade policy adjustments to secure supplies, strengthen domestic industry, and reduce dependence on foreign markets.
Since 2020, nearly 100 export-related measures have been introduced globally, including taxes, licensing requirements and export bans.
For developing countries rich in mineral resources, these changes present both opportunities and risks. Although increasing demand can attract investment and create jobs, UNCTAD warns that many countries continue to export raw materials while higher-value processing takes place in other countries.
With the rapid expansion of international partnerships, the report says that the next phase of the energy transition depends not only on access to critical minerals, but also on the ability of countries to convert mineral wealth into broader economic development.
UN agencies say the EU pact could strengthen refugee protection
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) welcome entry the entry into force of the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact on Friday.
The agencies describe this as an opportunity to move beyond crisis-driven responses and build a more predictable and coordinated approach to migration and refugee protection across Europe.
These reforms could help make the asylum system more efficient and consistent, the UN said, reducing the refugee backlog while providing greater certainty and faster access to protection for refugees and asylum seekers.
“The priority is to make these reforms deliver practical results for countries, communities and societies on the move,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General.
Right direction
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih called the pact “an important step in the right direction,” and added that its implementation should ensure access to protection, uphold human rights and support the safe return of those who do not qualify for asylum.
UNHCR and IOM highlighted the steps taken, including stronger legal assistance, early identification of vulnerable populations, and new monitoring mechanisms at foreign borders.
They emphasized that their implementation will determine whether the reforms produce fair and humane results.
