In his remarks, the Secretary-General celebrated the extraordinary life of the South African civil rights icon, affectionately known by his Khosa clan name, Madiba. “He endured the brutal weight of oppression, and emerged not with a vision of vengeance and division – but of reconciliation, peace and unity,” Mr. Guterres said. “Today, Madiba’s legacy is […]
Briefing the Security Council for the last time as head of the UN Verification Mission, Special Representative Carlos Ruiz Massieu said the peace agreement provided a roadmap for addressing the root causes of conflict. “The Final Peace Agreement of 2016 set out the path to be followed: a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for addressing deep-rooted […]
The workers we don’t pay or see are grandmothers, mothers, daughters — the women who take care of children, look after ill family members, and give dignity to the elderly. To do this vital care work, they give up formal employment with pay cheques. “Our system is designed as if women didn’t do care work. […]
Moving around Gaza has become ever more difficult amid the ongoing 21-month-long war. Mr. Saad, who was displaced from the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was waiting for the vehicle pulling the cart he was sitting in to move. “Transportation is very difficult and unsafe,” he told UN News. “The roads […]
Globally, $1.4 billion of the agency’s programmes are being shuttered or put on hold, UNHCR said in a new report. “We can’t stop water, you can’t stop sanitation, but we’re having to take decisions when it comes, for example, to shelter,” said UNHCR Director of External Relations, Dominique Hyde. “We’re have people arriving on a […]
Briefing reporters in Geneva, UN human rights office, OHCHR, spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani highlighted “credible” reports of “widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes” in the city of Sweida. “Among the reported perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the […]
Since February 2022, both legal and illegal economies in Ukraine have been severely disrupted by the war. The report examines the evolution of organised crime structures in the country and focuses on six distinct areas: drug trafficking and production, online scams and fraud, arms trafficking, economic crime, trafficking in persons, and the facilitation of illegal […]
The Druze-majority Sweida governorate, long relatively insulated from earlier phases of Syria’s 14‑year conflict, has now become a flashpoint. Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary‑General Khaled Khiari painted a grim picture: hundreds of casualties among soldiers and civilians –including women, children and the elderly – alongside reports of mass displacement, […]
Mr. Guterres was speaking to reporters after hosting Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at the UN Headquarters in New York. “Today’s discussions were constructive. Both leaders reviewed the progress on the six initiatives they agreed to in March to build trust,” he said. Out of these six initiatives, four […]
Three people were killed and at least 10 others were injured in the bombing of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, according to media reports. Stephanie Tremblay, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General, noted that the church was both a place of worship and a sanctuary for civilians. “Attacks on places of worship are unacceptable. […]
As of Thursday, nearly 2,000 families have been displaced from violence-affected areas in Sweida governate and are currently sheltering in a dozen collective sites. Many are unable to return home due to damage, looting or destruction of their homes. The health systems in Sweida and neighbouring Dar’a governorate remain under critical strain, operating without power […]
Accompanied by their parents and mentors from the midwestern state of Wisconsin, the group wore handmade ribbon skirts and vests featuring seven coloured bands, each symbolizing a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of personal significance, such as good health and gender equality. Also visiting the UN in New York for the first time that day was […]
The Security Council met on Thursday afternoon for an emergency session on Syria after deadly violence in the south and a wave of Israeli airstrikes that reportedly hit military sites and key locations in Damascus. Khaled Khiari, a senior UN political affairs official briefed ambassadors, warning that renewed bloodshed could derail prospects for a credible, […]
Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, reported at least 63 casualties and 290 injuries in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide toll since the seasonal rains began on 26 June to over 120 fatalities, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. The unfolding crisis – rising rivers, forecasts of further downpours, fragile rural homes collapsing […]
Since 10 July, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed at least 60 civilians in North Kordofan’s Bara locality, while civil society groups have reported that up to 300 were killed. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) also hit two villages in West Kordofan from 10 to […]
Amidst escalating hostilities and continued strikes on critical infrastructure, Ukraine is once again bracing for another harsh winter. As the cold season brings heightened risks, especially for people near the frontline, displaced persons living in collective sites, and other vulnerable populations, the Winter Response Plan aims to deliver essential multisectoral humanitarian assistance to over […]
Of the 234 million school-age children affected by conflict globally, 85 million children are completely out of school. The figures are “unprecedented,” Helena Murseli, who leads the UN Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Global Education in Emergencies team, told UN News. © UNICEF/Jospin Benekire UNICEF’s Helena Murseli. “These are not isolated incidents. They are part of […]
“The playing field is still far from level,” Mr. Türk said. In the past few years, topflight women’s sporting competitions have achieved increased global prominence with around a billion people watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. This visibility and attention have prompted important conversations about stereotypes and power dynamics in women’s sports. […]
Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said there was no “vocabulary” left to adequately describe conditions on the ground. “Food is running out. Those seeking it risk being shot. People are dying trying to feed their families. Field hospitals receive dead bodies, and medical workers hear stories firsthand from the injured – day after […]
But now, parts of the land have been restored. Crops are beginning to flourish and bees are buzzing around once again. The people responsible for this change are a hodgepodge group – former taxi drivers and miners, people who barely finished secondary school and some with higher education degrees. The unifying factor? Most have youth […]