“The siege on Gaza is the silent killer of children, of older people,” said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. “Families – whole families, seven or eight people – are resorting to sharing one can of beans or peas,” she told journalists in Geneva. “Imagine not having anything to feed […]
The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) launched the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) on Monday. The network is a key outcome from the first UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, held in September 2022. It brings together victims and survivors of terrorism, victims’ associations and civil society organizations from across the globe. The […]
Both the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, and the World Food Programme (WFP) report that food stocks are now exhausted, even as supplies of lifesaving assistance pile up at border crossings waiting to be brought in. Humanitarians continue to warn that hunger is spreading and deepening in the enclave, amid the blockage, access […]
Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres, General Assembly President Philémon Yang and Economic and Social Council President Bob Rae stressed the need for more resources and a global financial overhaul. Without an effective response, they stressed, the world risks falling even further behind on ending poverty, fighting climate change, and building […]
Speaking in the UN Security Council, Filippo Grandi said in conflicts across the world in places like Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti, “violence has become the currency of our age.” Forcibly displaced people are among the first victims of war. Worldwide, some 123 million people have had to flee […]
While the health sector worldwide plays a key role in stopping the abusive practice of FGM and supporting survivors, in several regions, evidence suggests otherwise. As of 2020, an estimated 52 million girls and women were subjected to FGM at the hands of health workers – that’s around one in four cases. “Health workers must […]
The ICJ, which sits in The Hague and is the UN’s top court, is expected to hear from 40 States and four international organizations in proceedings slated to last all week. Representing Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Legal Counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld reiterated his many calls for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach all people in […]
Speaking to journalists in Gaza City, Jonathan Whittall, OCHA‘s local Head of Office, painted a dire picture of life under what he called a “total and complete blockade” now approaching its third month. “The coming days in Gaza are going to be critical. Today people are not surviving in Gaza, those that aren’t being killed […]
Speaking in Port Sudan after a visit to Khartoum, Samantha Chattaraj, Emergency Coordinator for the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan, said that “vast parts of the city are destroyed. Levels of hunger and desperation are extremely high,” but she added “people remain hopeful.” Sudan is currently the only country in the world where […]
In a press statement issued on Friday, Council members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Governments of India and Nepal. They also extended wishes for a speedy and full recovery to those injured in Tuesday’s attack in which a group of gunmen fired on […]
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 […]