“I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today,” the Secretary-General said in an online message. “I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will […]
In a message released ahead of the Day, Mr. Guterres honoured the “extraordinary” contributions of people of African descent across every sphere of human endeavour. The Secretary-General also recognised the “long shadows” of slavery and colonialism, which include systemic racism, unequal economies and societies, and the digital divide (between those who are able to benefit […]
Like thousands of Palestinian farmers, he faces growing restrictions from Israeli forces and settlers, who have made the olive harvest season – running from September to November – a time of uncertainty and struggle. In recent years, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has supported olive farmers and cooperatives to improve access to […]
Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, was speaking a day after the latest wave of Russian airstrikes across the country, with at least 23 people killed in the capital, Kyiv. “The mounting death toll and devastation caused by the intensifying fighting over the summer, run counter to the significant efforts […]
At least 841 people have been put to death by the Government of Iran since the beginning of the year, with ethnic minorities and migrants “disproportionately targeted”, said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. Some executions have been carried out publicly, she added, with seven reported this year based on available information: “The real situation might be […]
Their work, said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, is “the beating heart of education, the cornerstone of sustainable development, and the guardians of our future.” Speaking Thursday at the opening of the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers in Santiago, Chile, Ms. Mohammed called for urgent global action to address the deepening teacher crisis. “Let us […]
The UN Security Council met in emergency session in New York on Friday afternoon following overnight strikes early on Thursday by Russia on Ukrainian cities including the capital, which left at least 23 dead, including four children. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča told ambassadors that diplomatic momentum towards a possible peace deal was “at risk of […]
Four years after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the scale and severity of the women’s rights crisis continues to intensify. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited to attend secondary school. Yet, in a nationwide door-to-door survey of over 2,000 Afghans, more than nine in 10 supported girls’ right […]
António Guterres said he was “appalled by the relentless attacks” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on the North Darfur state capital, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. The paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling for control of devastated country since April 2023 and El Fasher has […]
Although the private aid platform run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continues to receive its own supplies, “we are on a descent into a massive famine”, insisted Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, on Friday. Referring to the latest catastrophic assessment of food insecurity in Gaza from the […]
“I can tell you that the Secretary-General is aware that today, the Security Council received this joint letter from the three countries,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists. The three European nations were signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement that granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for strict limits […]
Six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while 1.3 million people – half of them children – having been forced to flee their homes, he added. ‘Shamefully overlooked’ Haiti now ranks among the five hunger hotspots worldwide that are of “highest concern,” said the UN chief. Yet it remains the world’s least funded […]
But the resolution stipulates it will then begin a one year “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of its personnel”, in close consultation with the Lebanese Government. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established by the Security Council in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south and has played […]
Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy for the humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, briefed journalists on her recent visit to Sudan and neighbouring Chad – a critical entry point for aid and a haven for some 850,000 people who have fled fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The war […]
Haitians are enduring a “perfect storm of suffering” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday as gang violence continues to paralyse daily life across the island. Around 1.3 million people – half of them children – have fled their homes and six million are relying on humanitarian assistance. Follow our live Meetings Coverage as […]
“Israel’s initial steps to militarily take over Gaza City signals a new and dangerous phase,” he told journalists in New York. “Expanded military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences. Hundreds of thousands of civilians – already exhausted and traumatized – would be forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril. This […]
The youngest victim of the bombing raid was two-and-a-half years old, according to the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, which released video footage showing smoke billowing from a Kyiv apartment block with a massive hole where its roof had been. Leading condemnation of the attacks, the UN Secretary-General said that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure violated […]
Even worse, the number could triple if countries do not meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to ensure that climate financing prioritises social and climate resilience services for children. The finding comes in a report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UN Children’s […]
Around 260,000 civilians – including 130,000 children – remain trapped in the area’s main camp for internally displaced people, enduring desperate conditions without aid for more than 16 months. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been battling forces of the military government for control of Sudan for over two years, has cut off all […]
Unveiled on Wednesday, it creates new opportunities for work, education and family reunification, while strengthening migration governance and placing migration at the heart of stability and economic development. It is being led by Iraq’s ministry for migration and the displaced, with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of the […]