As the Afghan economy faces stalled local production and weak job creation, Afghanistan continues to heavily rely on imports and international assistance. “UNDP’s current analysis and new data indicate the continuation of a deeply troubling trajectory for the Afghan people, who have been grappling with extreme vulnerability over the past decade,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN […]
“We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He cautioned that abrupt withdrawals of funding are jeopardising hard-won medical progress, including efforts to combat tropical diseases, which are now re-emerging in some regions. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he told […]
“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” Volker Türk said in a statement calling for an end to the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and former ally the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now in its third year. He noted that three days ago, the RSF launched coordinated attacks from multiple directions on […]
The mission continued to receive reports that Afghan women are being denied the opportunity to join the workforce, are unable to access services without a male relative while girls are still deprived of their right to education. Since the Taliban took over the country from the democratically-elected Government in August 2021, women and girls have […]
UN News: You have said that that policymakers who signed off on aid cuts should come to Afghanistan to see the effect they’re having on the population. You said the effect of aid cuts is that millions die. Do you use this kind of blunt language when you’re talking to these policymakers in private? Tom […]
In a powerful statement on Thursday, Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, condemned Israel’s decision to halt humanitarian assistance as a “cruel collective punishment” of the Palestinian population. “Two months ago, the Israeli authorities took a deliberate decision to block all aid to Gaza and halt our efforts to save survivors of their military […]
The announcement came from UN culture agency (UNESCO) on Wednesday, as this year’s day was being celebrated in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi. The focus there was on ‘Arabic Jazz’, a tapestry of musical traditions, which included the use of classical instruments from the region such as the oud, qanun and ney. Following the […]
Between January 1 and March 31, at least 1,617 people were killed and 580 others injured in violence involving gangs, self-defence groups, or other members of the population, as well as during security force operations, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). At least 161 kidnappings for ransom were recorded, 63% of […]
“It’s a grave threat to the right of those children to education,” Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs for the West Bank, told UN News. The development follows two Israeli laws that went into effect in late January which ban UNRWA from operating in its territory and prohibit Israeli authorities from having any contact with […]
He described the latest clashes as “unacceptable” and warned of the risk of further escalation in what he called an “extremely fragile situation”. Fighting erupted earlier this week in Ashrafiah Sahnaya, a town southwest of the capital, when unknown gunmen attacked a security checkpoint. The following day, another deadly clash took place in the nearby […]
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the deteriorating situation in North Darfur, where the regional capital, El Fasher, is under intense and sustained attack. The onslaught comes just two weeks after deadly assaults on the nearby Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, where […]
Imran Riza made the appeal following a visit to Bint Jbeil and Tyre districts on Tuesday. “What I saw in South Lebanon was both depressing and inspiring. The scale of destruction – to villages, health facilities, and water systems – is disturbing,” he said in a statement. Fighting, ceasefire and escalation The crisis stems from […]
“Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about…the impact of aid cuts is that millions die,” warned Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. Speaking from an overcrowded hospital in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan where three or four patients have to share a bed, Mr. Fletcher warned that the financial crisis has […]
Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo addressed ambassadors alongside UN deputy relief chief, Joyce Msuya, who updated on the dire humanitarian situation in the country amid ongoing Russian attacks. Ms. DiCarlo said the meeting was taking place at a potential inflection point in the three-year war, as the past few weeks have seen intensified shuttle diplomacy towards a […]
Addressing a Security Council debate on Tuesday, António Guterres said the Middle East stands at a critical crossroads. “The promise of a two-State solution is at risk of vanishing altogether,” he said. “Political will to achieve that goal feels more distant than ever.” He stressed that this erosion undermines the rights of both Palestinians and […]
UN Secretary-General Guterres has spoken to leaders on both sides on India-Pakistan tensions. “This morning, he spoke separately by telephone with Muhammad Shebaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and he also spoke earlier in the day with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs of the Republic of India,” said […]
The High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs), held on 28 and 29 April, was attended by senior representatives from 24 MICs, many of which are highly indebted, leaving them little room for spending on developing their economies. Since 2000, only 27 countries transitioned from middle income to high-income status, and many have experienced reversals back […]
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), over 250,000 Afghans returned in April alone – among them, 96,000 who were forcibly deported. The agency voiced particular alarm over the fate of women and girls, who face increasing repression under Taliban rule. The large-scale returns are putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and […]
Aid agencies warned on Tuesday that more than 6.3 million people remain in urgent need of support in the worst-affected central areas around Mandalay. “People [are] forced to sleep outside, safe water is scarce, health services are disrupted,” said UN aid coordination office, OCHA, in an appeal for more support from the international community. The […]
The Security Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot presiding. The UN Secretary-General is expected to brief ambassadors as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with reports from the UN Palestine refugee relief agency (UNRWA) this morning that children are “going to bed […]