Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar, stands as a powerful symbol of the transatlantic slave trade. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site it balances remembrance with the realities of daily life. “Gorée is a place of memory,” says Eloi Coly, Curator of the Maison des Esclaves Museum (The Slave House), which continues to draw visitors from around the world seeking to understand and connect with the painful past. Yet Gorée is also a living community, where heritage preservation must coexist with residents’ needs and aspirations. To ensure the island remains relevant and accessible, efforts are underway to modernize the museum experience through digital technologies and broaden the historical narrative to include pre-colonial African life. Education is key to sustaining the memory of Gorée, with school visits integrated into Senegal's curriculum and an emphasis on inclusive global storytelling. Looking forward, training new generations of guides and curators is vital to maintaining the island’s legacy, which Coly stresses belongs not only to Senegal but to all of humanity—a shared reminder of resilience, responsibility, and the importance of never forgetting. The stairs in the courtyard of the House of Slaves, a late 18th century building used as a holding centre for enslaved people before their forced embarkation for the Americas.Coly Seck (centre), Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the United Nations, briefs reporters with Members of the newly-elected Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP Bureau). At fourth from left is Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations.UN peacekeepers patrol Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after the city was overrun by rebel forces. In the foreground, military uniforms and equipment that were abandoned on the road.A view of a participant during the Civil Society Town Hall with the President of the General Assembly. The first part of the event is a dialogue with Philemon Yang, President of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, organized in collaboration with the Office of the President of the General Assembly. The second part is a discussion on the role of civil society engagement in the implementation of the Summit of the Future's Pact for the Future and upcoming UN communication priorities.Wole Soyinka, playwright, poet and Nobel Laureate, delivers a keynote address to the commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to Mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. "This mission is at the heart of the United Nations. The human dignity of every person is our founding creed. We must stand with everyone, everywhere to combat racial discrimination and hate, and to defend the human rights and dignity of all," said the Secretary-General.A United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) peacekeeper (left) patrols on difficult access roads, to ensure the safety of the population on their farms in Fataki and Djugu territory in the Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, was mandated by the Security Council in 2010 to assist the Congolese Government in protecting civilians and humanitarians as well as help with its peace and stabilisation efforts.A partial view of the mural "Mankind's Struggle for Lasting Peace" created by José Vela-Zanetti of the Dominican Republic. The theme of the mural is mankind's struggle for lasting peace. The mural is located in the Conference Building at UN Headquarters and was one of the first artworks to be installed at the United Nations.Fu Cong (right), Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of February, and other members of the Security Council screen a virtual reality project prior to the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Sudan and South Sudan.Modou Fall, or "The Plastic Man" as he is called, of Medina Gounass, Senegal, is transforming his neighborhood, that was once a dumping ground, into a sanctuary by tackling plastic pollution. Starting in 2020, with the help of volunteers, he began cleaning up the area by planting trees, creating educational panels, and repurposing discarded materials. His efforts go beyond cleanup, as he educates local children about recycling, sustainability, and the dangers of plastic pollution. Despite facing challenges, including threats from plastic lobbies and unaddressed environmental issues, the Plastic Man continues his mission. His work has earned him recognition, and he plans to expand his impact by creating an ecological training center for young people, promoting art from recycled materials, and organizing community clean-up campaigns. He believes small actions, like recycling or planting trees, can lead to significant change. His message is clear: everyone has a role in protecting the planet, and even the smallest efforts can make a big difference. Modou Fall wears an outfit of plastic bags and a sign saying "L'Afrique n'est pas une poubelle" (Africa is not a trash can).A view of a participant delivering remarks during the Town Hall Meeting with the UN Secretary General and Civil Society on the occasion of the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69/Beijing+30) held in the General Assembly Hall. In 2025, the global community will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). The main focus of the sixty-ninth session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by Council resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.A wide view of the Iftar gathering attended by 60,000 Rohingya refugees and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Bangladesh. The Secretary-General said that sharing an Iftar with them was a symbol of his deep respect for their religion and culture. The Secretary-General visited the Rohingya refugee camps in the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh. Bangladesh is hosting more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighboring Myanmar, and Cox’s Bazar is home to the world’s largest refugee camp. As drastic aid cuts by major donors threaten food supplies to the camps, Mr. Guterres described Cox’s Bazar as “ground zero” for the impact of funding cuts. “We are at risk of cutting the food rations in this camp,” he said. “That would be an unmitigated disaster that we cannot accept because people will suffer and even people will die.”Two fishermen in their boat in Rincao, Cabo Verde. The idea behind the concept of the Blue Economy is to sustainably use the ocean as a tool for lifting people out of poverty, while protecting its valuable ecosystems. The Blue Economy concept seeks to promote economic growth, social inclusion and preservation or improvement of livelihoods while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability—all issues integral to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.UN Secretary-General António Guterres (centre right) meets with Rohingya youth at a learning center in a refugee camp in the southern Bangladesh costal district of Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh is hosting over one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighbouring Myanmar and Cox’s Bazar is home to the world’s largest refugee camp. As drastic aid cuts by major donors threaten food supplies to the camps, Mr. Guterres described Cox’s Bazar as “ground zero” for the impact of funding cuts. The visit took place during the holy month of Ramadan and was a mission of solidarity with the Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people who generously host them. I’m here to shine a global spotlight on the plight - but also the potential - of Rohingya refugees,” Mr. Guterres said.Secretary-General António Guterres (centre left in front) meets with Abdel Fattah El Sisi (at left in front), President of Arab Republic of Egypt on the sidelines of the Extraordinary Arab Summit on the situation in the Middle East and on Gaza reconstruction held in Cairo, Egypt.A view of the attendance gallery for the Security Council Chamber before the UN Security and Safety Service fully turns on the lights for a meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security.Road-side flower sellers in Cochabamba. [1983]A flower in rain. Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. Kigali has been Rwanda's main economic and cultural city since it was founded in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962. 2024 marks the 30th observance of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, one of the darkest chapters in human history. More than one million people – overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide – were systematically killed in less than three months.Peacekeepers serving with United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the Blue Line between Ras Naqoura and Labounieh.A view of the event titled “POWER4Girls: invest in girls, transform the world” on the occasion of the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69/Beijing+30) The event is held to accelerate at-scale action to protect and promote the rights, wellbeing, and leadership of adolescent girls, with the ambition to influence how policy and programming work is done across the development-humanitarian ecosystem. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by Council resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.A detail view of doctoral robes at a ceremony where Secretary-General António Guterres accepted an honorary doctorate given to the United Nations by Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven and Université Catholique de (UC) Louvain as part of the universities’ 600th anniversary celebration.Secretary-General António Guterres briefs reporters with the President of the European Council (not pictured). The Secretary-General spoke about Ukraine, Gaza, Climate Change and the Pact for the Future. At the invitation of the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the Secretary-General is taking part in a working lunch with the Heads of State and Government of the European Union, at the opening of the European Council. While in Brussels, the Secretary-General is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever.A view of the Iftar gathering attended by 60,000 Rohingya refugees and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Bangladesh. The Secretary-General said that sharing an Iftar with them was a symbol of his deep respect for their religion and culture. The Secretary-General visited the Rohingya refugee camps in the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh. Bangladesh is hosting more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighboring Myanmar, and Cox’s Bazar is home to the world’s largest refugee camp. As drastic aid cuts by major donors threaten food supplies to the camps, Mr. Guterres described Cox’s Bazar as “ground zero” for the impact of funding cuts. “We are at risk of cutting the food rations in this camp,” he said. “That would be an unmitigated disaster that we cannot accept because people will suffer and even people will die.”As a result of the fighting and internal unrest currently prevailing in the Katanga Province of the Republic of the Congo, some 35,000 Congolese have sought the assistance of the United Nations until they are able to return to their homes. Swedish guard at the refugee camp which is being maintained by the U.N., studies Swahili with camp children.

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