France joins UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal in recognising Palestinian statehood at UN-backed conference United Nations/New York: UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday reiterated that nothing can justify the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, nor the “collective punishment” inflicted on the Palestinian people in their aftermath. Calling for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, he […]
“Today the world looks on in horror as the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continues to deteriorate to levels not seen in recent history,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, speaking from Jerusalem. He began by focusing on Gaza, which is “sinking deeper into disaster, marked by […]
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 […]
Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, stressed the need for unimpeded relief operations and a peaceful path out of crisis. “The UN remains concerned by ongoing violence in Myanmar, including aerial bombardment hitting civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said, at the regular press briefing in New York. “Civilians and humanitarian workers must be protected.” His remarks […]
Speaking Monday morning at the high-level conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution, the UN chief painted a stark picture of a conflict that continues to “take lives, destroy futures, and destabilise the region and our world.” “We know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured […]
Earlier this month, the UN agency began airdropping emergency food assistance in Upper Nile state after surging conflict forced families from their homes and pushed communities to the brink of famine. Nationwide, the picture is just as alarming, with half the country’s population – more than 7.7 million people – officially classified as food insecure […]
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 […]
On Sunday, violence erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida, two days after a Druze merchant was abducted on the highway to Damascus. The casualty figures are unclear according to local reports, but the death toll is at least 30, and hundreds have been injured. As violent unrest continued Monday, […]
In the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, housing remains one of the country’s most urgent humanitarian and recovery challenges. The destruction has been widespread and ongoing. According to the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, 13 per cent of Ukraine’s housing stock has been damaged since February 2022, impacting an estimated 2.5 […]
Speaking from the Goma region, whose main city was overrun by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in January, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher explained that people had suffered “decades of trauma”. The last few months have been “particularly horrific for so many”, he added, referring to the lawless fall-out from heavy fighting this year between the […]
Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the ongoing missile attacks between Iran and Israel are already having a tangible impact. “This conflict is already having an effect in Afghanistan, disrupting trade and increasing the prices of basic goods and fuel, and prompting the return […]
In a joint call to de-escalate, UN agencies have warned that further conflict risks triggering new displacement in a region already strained by decades of war and instability. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) noted military strikes have led people in both Iran and Israel to flee their homes in search of safety from tit-for-tat missile […]
They shared their experiences at an event this week at UN Headquarters to mark 20 years of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). The intergovernmental advisory body supports countries emerging from conflict in areas such as governance, justice, reconciliation, institution-building and sustainable development. Pain and promise “Liberia’s story is one of pain, but also of promise,” Ms. […]
Ambassadors met to debate how poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment are fuelling conflict and instability, at a time when hostilities are increasing and demand for humanitarian aid is rising as resources dwindle. Every dollar spent on prevention could save up to $103 in conflict-related costs, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sustainable development critical Conflicts […]
At least 48,384 individuals – mostly civilians – were killed in 2024, based on casualties recorded by OHCHR. “Behind every statistic is a story. Behind every data point, a person,” said UN rights chief Volker Türk. This alarming rise in civilian deaths exposes major failures to protect some of the most vulnerable in both peacetime and […]
The Council cleared its original schedule to address the rapidly evolving crisis, also hearing from the head of the UN-backed international nuclear watchdog, who warned of the grave risks to regional stability and nuclear safety. Overnight from Thursday into Friday, Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Natanz enrichment site. Media reports […]
Ahead of a memorial service at Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres told journalists that the men and women being honoured “were not just names on a list” but “extraordinary individuals – each one a story of courage, compassion, and service.” “They were driven by the pursuit of peace. By the urgency to ease […]
According to the UN, many frontline Ukrainian families are at risk of missing critical planting and harvesting windows. “Agriculture is a fabric of rural society. It’s not just a way to make a living – it’s a way of being. And vulnerable rural families are holding on. They need support not just to survive, but […]
“The ongoing conflict and displacement, in addition to fragile health infrastructure and limited access to affected populations, pose a risk of mass disease transmission,” the UN health agency said in a report issued Tuesday, urging immediate support to sustain surveillance, bolster outbreak response and preserve lifesaving health services. Since civil war erupted in April 2023, 14.5 […]
The latest displacement brings the total number of people uprooted by violence, cyclones and social unrest in Mozambique to nearly 1.3 million, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The situation is particularly dire in Cabo Delgado province, where attacks by non-state armed groups continue to drive displacement, destroy infrastructure and disrupt recovery efforts. “Thousands […]