Unrest began on 12 July when mutual kidnappings escalated into armed conflict between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes, drawing in Syrian security forces. The violence spiralled, with reports of extrajudicial executions, desecration of corpses and looting. Footage circulated widely on social media fanned sectarian tensions and disinformation. Nearly 200,000 displaced In a presidential statement adopted […]
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, UN officials warned on Monday, describing overflowing hospitals, critically malnourished children, and desperate civilians risking their lives to secure food for their families.
“For over 150 days, not a single truck from UNRWA has been permitted to deliver food, medicine or other essentials into Gaza,” the agency said on Friday. “This denial of access is costing lives every single day.” Nearly 100 children dead from malnutrition According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, cited by the UN, at least […]
Instead of having seeds which sprout reliably, farmers contend with batches which may grow only 40 or 50 per cent of the time. This not only diminishes their yield and profit but also decreases their ability to sustain their livelihoods. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working with the Ministry of Agriculture in […]
Two top UN officials warned that the Israeli cabinet’s green light this week for a fresh offensive aimed at gaining total military control of Gaza City – home to around one million Palestinians – would only risk igniting “another horrific chapter” of displacement, death and destruction. Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and […]
The UN Security Council is meeting in New York following the Israeli cabinet’s decision to again expand its military operation inside the Gaza Strip and take full control of the key population centre of Gaza City. UN chief António Guterres described it as a “dangerous escalation” for the two million civilians trapped in the enclave […]
Sunamganj is a district in the wetland ecosystem in northeast Bangladesh, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Floods arrive quickly and suddenly and can last for weeks. They disrupt life, displace families and cut off access to services. For the over 670,000 women of reproductive age living in the area, increasingly extreme weather events […]
“We stand at a pivotal moment, one that marks a profound shift from viewing these nations as isolated and constrained by geography to recognizing them as dynamic land-linked economies at the heart of Africa’s socio-economic resurgence,” said Samuel Doe, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ethiopia. A new UNDP position paper […]
Inspired by the hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings at the end of World War Two who turned their suffering into a powerful appeal for peace, António Guterres renewed his call for a world free of nuclear weapons in a video message to the 11th General Conference of Mayors for Peace in Nagasaki. United against […]
An estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples live across 90 countries, representing 5,000 different cultures. Without proper safeguards, AI risks harming Indigenous rights through inequitable distribution of the groundbreaking technology, environmental damage and the reinforcement of damaging colonial legacies. The growing amount of electricity generation needed for AI data centres and other infrastructure is also intensifying […]
“The real challenge is still ahead of us,” Stephanie Loose, Programme Manager in Afghanistan, told journalists in Geneva on Friday. “We’re speaking about the reintegration of people who’ve lost their homes, who’ve lost their assets and also their hope.” Millions on the move Afghanistan is currently facing an unprecedented returnee crisis. Since September 2023, some […]
The announcement following an Israeli cabinet meeting “marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians, and could further endanger more lives, including of the remaining hostages,” it said. The statement noted that Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure a humanitarian catastrophe of horrific proportions. More displacement, death and destruction The UN chief warned that this further escalation will […]
Held under the theme Driving Progress Through Partnerships, the four-day forum known as LLDC3, brought together Heads of State, senior UN officials, development partners, and private sector leaders to tackle persistent challenges faced by LLDCs, including high trade costs, inadequate infrastructure, and vulnerability to climate change. Anchored by the Awaza Programme of Action for 2024–2034, […]
“People told me multiple times that when they were fleeing from Zamzam [displacement camp], armed people would threaten them while they were in flight, saying sure, ‘Flee, go to that place, run here, run there, we will follow you, we will find you’,” said Jocelyn Elizabeth Knight, a Protection Officer for the UN refugee agency, […]
“A complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted,” insisted Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, after the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan for a full-scale Israeli military takeover in the battered enclave. The development runs contrary to international law, Mr. Türk continued, referring to a ruling of […]
In July alone, nearly 12,000 children under five were identified as acutely malnourished out of 136,000 screened, according to aid partners. Of these, more than 2,500 were found to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the most life-threatening form, and 40 had to be hospitalized in stabilisation centres. More children affected The proportion of children with […]
Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the widespread impact of mistreatment and the necessity of placing respectful care at the centre of all maternal and newborn health strategies. WHO’s Human Reproduction Programme (HRP), and partners released a new compendium on Wednesday aimed at ending mistreatment and promoting respectful maternal […]
Particularly hard hit is El Fasher, where hunger is growing, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warning of a deteriorating situation that is putting even more civilians’ lives at risk. OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, who is currently in the country, said the suffering is immense, with people […]
Operating within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the group aims to amplify their voices in global climate talks, where their distinct vulnerabilities have long been overlooked. Disproportionate climate risks Although LLDCs account for approximately 12 per cent of the world’s land surface, they have experienced nearly 20 per cent of the world’s […]
UN Women – which champions gender empowerment and equality – alongside the international humanitarian agency CARE International and partners, issued the call in a report published on Thursday that also highlights the key challenges and needs of women aid workers assisting the returnees. The Gender Alert comes amid a surge in returnees to Afghanistan, where […]