MULTILATERAL: Tensions in the Middle East & more – 17th June 2025

Saluton from BA! This is the Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 17th of June twenty twenty-five. A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions.

Our first story this week is about the Middle East: on Thursday the 12th, The UN General Assembly called for a permanent, no-conditions ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution, led by Spain and supported by Pakistan along with dozens of others, passed with strong support—149 in favor, twelve against, and nineteen choosing not to vote. The U.S. and Israel were among those opposing it.

The resolution criticizes the use of hunger as a weapon and demands that aid be allowed through without restrictions. Though not legally binding, it’s a big statement. Meanwhile, Gaza’s still dealing with extreme hunger and civilian deaths.

More about the UN as, on Friday the 13th, its Security Council met after Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, including Natanz. These attacks reportedly killed top figures including several nuclear scientists, while also causing civilian deaths and triggering missile exchanges with Iran.

The UN’s political chief warned this could spiral into a bigger regional fight and stressed the importance of keeping diplomatic efforts alive—talks between the U.S. and Iran were already planned but now seem off.

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog also weighed in, saying these kinds of attacks pose real dangers to nuclear safety and stability.

In some more unfortunate news, on Thursday the 12th, The World Economic Forum released a report showing that for the third year running, fewer women are landing senior leadership roles, even though they make up over 40% of the workforce. Under 30% of these top spots go to women. Progress had been steady from twenty fifteen to twenty twenty-two, but lately it’s been dragging.

One issue is that high-level promotions aren’t being matched in the middle ranks, making it tough to keep things balanced long-term. While the gender gap globally is closing a bit, we’re still over a century away from full equality.

Iceland remains the global leader on this front.

In defense news, on Friday the 13th, Sweden’s prime minister confirmed that the country will meet NATO’s new 5% GDP defense spending target. That breaks down into 3.5% for core military needs and another 1.5% for things like civil defense, cybersecurity, and infrastructure. Sweden currently spends about 2.7%, and plans to ramp up by twenty thirty to hit that core 3.5%, then cover the rest. Alongside Sweden, the Netherlands has made the same commitment ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague.

This comes amid pressure in Europe — especially from the U.S. and rising concern over Russia — to shoulder more defense spending.

On Tuesday the 17th, a think tank report forecasted that EU gas demand will dip by about 7% by twenty thirty, from 326 to 302 billion cubic meters—continuing a 19% drop since twenty nineteen. This shift is driven by expanding renewables and rising electrification, with wind and solar expected to generate two‑thirds of electricity. However, the EU also plans to boost liquified natural gas import capacity by over 50%, a mismatch that could leave gas terminals underused and expensive to maintain.

In Asia, on Sunday the 16th, Cambodia officially asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to step in and settle four disputed border areas with Thailand. The move follows a deadly skirmish three weeks ago that killed one Cambodian soldier and rattled both militaries along their frontier. Cambodia’s prime minister emphasized that the country wants a peaceful, legal solution, but Thailand says it doesn’t accept the court’s authority.

Tensions are still high—Cambodia’s threatening to stop buying Thai electricity, internet services, and goods. The fight looks far from over.

In energy news, on Monday the 16th the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries released its mid‑year outlook, saying the global economy has held up well in the first half of twenty twenty-five and should stay solid through the rest of the year. They kept their oil demand forecasts for both twenty twenty-five and twenty twenty-six unchanged, even with trade hiccups and Middle East tensions.

The organization frequently predicts how the oil market will change, although unexpected conflicts and political developments like what’s happening in the Middle East right now can drastically shift the situation.

On Friday the 13th, the UN Development Program is pushing for more help for people forced to flee their homes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over a million more have been displaced this year due to fighters taking over large towns in the country. Many are stuck in rough camp conditions, risking outbreaks of disease.

A UN official shared the story of a mother of five who just wants to get back to farming. On top of that, local businesses are barely functioning. The UN hopes to kick-start job creation, rebuild basics, and especially support women and girls facing serious violence.

On Monday the 16th, the World Food Program shared that Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali are facing severe levels of hunger right now. Things could get even worse over the next few months without serious global action. Conflict, economic stress, and natural disasters are making it harder to get aid where it’s needed, and funding is tight. Thirteen countries are on the radar overall, with Yemen, Myanmar, and Nigeria also in bad shape. The report calls for fast, coordinated help to stop things from spiraling further.

In some positive news, on Friday the 13th, the International Labor Organization agreed to develop binding global rules for gig-economy workers—a move championed by more than thirty civil society groups, including Human Rights Watch.

These new standards aim to safeguard people doing platform-based jobs by tackling pay unpredictability, misclassification as contractors, lack of social security, and algorithmic control without transparency. Groups also want gig workers to have clear grievance channels, data privacy protections, and recognition of waiting time as working hours.

This treaty could reshape protections for millions in the digital workforce.

In South America, on Friday the 13th the Inter-American Development Bank launched a multi-donor fund to boost regional resilience, security, business growth, and food security in the Caribbean. Most notably, the bank is granting almost $300 million US dollars to support Haiti through its twenty twenty-five–twenty thirty recovery, including school meals, hospital upgrades, infrastructure, and private-sector projects outside Port-au-Prince. Canada and the UK have pledged an initial $13 million dollars to the fund, and the bank is inviting other nations to join in supporting Caribbean integration efforts.

On Friday the 13th, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe organized a meeting of over 130 professionals from Central Asia and Turkey for realistic, scenario-based training to tackle human trafficking. They role-played complex, cross-border cases covering labor and sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and trafficking of vulnerable groups, like children, migrants, and people with disabilities. The goal was to build teamwork across agencies so they can work smoothly together in real-world cases.

Going back to Asia for a bit, on Monday the 13th, energy officials from the Association of South East Asian Nations and several partners like the US, China, Japan, and the World Bank began a three-day conference. They're reviewing their current energy strategy and laying the groundwork for the next phase, beginning next year. A big focus is on their collective power grid—upgrading grid links across borders, improving energy security, and boosting renewables financing. The goal is to get consensus on policy moves before the energy ministers meet in October.

For our final story this week, let’s talk about health: on Wednesday the 11th, the heads of the Organization of American States and the Pan American Health Organization met to strengthen collaboration on key issues across the Americas. They’re prepping for the December Summit by aligning efforts on public safety, health, food, energy, and economic security, with special focus on Haiti and youth. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States highlighted the need for a holistic plan in Haiti—covering security, aid, political reforms, and elections.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

We’re looking for someone to write the Ocean Update!

Send us an email info@rorshok.com with Ocean Writer Position in the subject line if you’d like to join the Rorshok team.

The job description is waiting for you in the show notes.

See you next week!