The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is just one of the UN agencies working to help the most vulnerable in worst-hit central areas, but much more help is needed. “When it rains, they can’t sleep, and when the rain stops, they still can’t sleep because they feared the wind might have their only shelter away,” […]
In 2024, 122 million people were forcibly displaced — a number expected to rise in the coming years, according to Bob Rae, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), addressing a meeting on the pressing issue in New York on Thursday. As population movements become much more complex due to wars disproportionately impacting […]
Four and a half months after the fall of the Assad regime, the interim authorities have begun taking formal steps towards political reform, the Security Council heard on Friday. These include the formation of a broader, more diverse cabinet and initial plans to establish an interim People’s Assembly. However, the process remains tenuous and incomplete, […]
“Attacks on frontline regions (are) increasing and it’s always civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said UNHCR Representative Karolina Lindholm Billing. Since January, more than 3,500 newly displaced people have transited through a centre in Pavlohrad towards central Ukraine; in total, more than 200,000 people have been evacuated or displaced from frontline areas […]
“We’re pushed to our limits,” said Ayaki Ito, Director for Emergencies for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. One mother was so desperate to reach safety she crossed the 100-metre wide Rusizi river separating DRC and Burundi with her three small children and their belongings, Mr. Ito told journalists in Geneva: “I saw this plastic sheeting […]
On Friday, WFP announced it had delivered its last remaining supplies to kitchens preparing hot meals which are expected to be completely gone within days. The UN agency warned that it may be forced to end critical assistance to families unless urgent action is taken. Back to ‘breaking point’ “The situation inside the Gaza Strip […]
Launched on Thursday, The State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples exposes a stark imbalance: while Indigenous Peoples make up just six per cent of the global population, they safeguard 80 per cent of the planet’s remaining biodiversity – yet receive less than one per cent of international climate funding. The report offers a sobering assessment of […]
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a news briefing at UN Headquarters on Thursday that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly. “Children are going hungry, patients remain untreated, and people are dying,” he said. “It is time to lift those restrictions immediately.” According to latest reports, the disruption in the flow of goods […]
“This is a particularly timely meeting,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, at a press conference in New York on Thursday. “It’s a unique opportunity to underline the added value of peacekeeping and ensure we remain ready, as a peacekeeping family, to respond with Member States to any new mission that may arise.” The UN […]
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, recent weeks have seen an increase in the deportation of women, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as well as children and newborn babies. The agency has emphasised the heightened risks these groups face being returned to Haiti, where access to basic services remains severely limited. On […]
Violent clashes between armed militias and forces of the military Government have escalated dramatically across North Darfur in recent weeks as Sudan marked two years of civil war. The El Fasher and Zamzam camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were forced to flee their homes because of the conflict, were disproportionately affected. “The bombs were […]
According to the World Social Report 2025 launched on Thursday, the sobering sentiment indicates a widespread lack of confidence in the future. Despite people living longer, being better educated and more connected than ever before, many believe that life today is worse than it was 50 years ago. Close to 60 per cent of people […]
Ahead of World Malaria Day on Friday, UN health agency WHO is calling for renewed efforts at all levels – from global policy to community action – to accelerate progress towards elimination. Malaria is spread by some types of mosquitoes and is mostly found in tropical countries. Symptoms – which can be mild or life-threatening – […]
Investment in organic farming, sustainable textiles and eco-tourism is helping mountain communities in Central Asia adapt to global warming, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday, urging greater support for regions often overlooked in climate discussions. Mountain residents relying on family farming are among the world’s poorest people, said the agency’s Director-General […]
Reports indicate that the latest Russian strikes damaged 12 buildings in the capital, causing widespread damage to homes, businesses and key services, while phones have been heard ringing from the rubble. Other Ukrainian cities targeted included Zhytomyr – due west of Kyiv – and the northeastern cities of Sumy – where a daytime missile strike killed […]
Cuts to global health funding are leading to a rise in outbreaks of diseases that vaccines had nearly wiped out, the UN health agency, WHO, is warning on Thursday. In Africa’s “meningitis belt”, which spans parts of sub-Saharan Africa, vaccination campaigns had successfully eliminated meningitis A. Similarly, improved routine immunization and emergency vaccine stockpiles drastically […]
Closing this gap is not optional. There were189 million fewer women than men online in 2024. The disparity is about more than access, it reflects deeper systemic barriers, according to Doreen Bogdan-Martin who heads the UN telecommunications agency, ITU. “That’s too many missed opportunities to learn, to earn and to shape our shared digital […]
In a new report highlighting the universal impact of the technological revolution now underway, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) insisted that it offered a way out from so-called 3D jobs that are “dirty, dangerous and demeaning”. Health and safety But the ILO also warned that greater oversight is needed to prevent unexpected safety issues […]
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, responding to inquiries, emphasised the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the attack. Media reports indicate that a gunman opened fire on a group of people near Pahalgam, in the region’s south, leaving more than two dozen dead. Mr. Guterres extends his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, said Mr. Dujarric, underscoring “that attacks […]
In the makeshift coastal encampments of Al Mawasi families have no choice but to live in unsanitary conditions that are rapidly turning deadly, Louise Wateridge, Senior Emergency Officer at Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, told UN News. She described an increasingly dire situation: malnourished children and families, already worn down by months of war, battle unrelenting […]