Rising hunger and displacement pose growing economic risk, UN tells Davos

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has reported that an estimated 318 million people worldwide now face crisis levels of hunger or worse, with hundreds of thousands already experiencing famine-like conditions. It cautioned that deep funding shortfalls are forcing it to cut rations and scale back assistance at a time of surging needs. Current forecasts […]

From Haiti to Ethiopia: voices of climate displacement at COP30

At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) is pressing negotiators to make climate mobility a core part of adaptation plans. “People and communities who choose to stay must be safe, and those who decide to move must have the option to do so with dignity,” Ugochi Daniels, IOM’s Deputy Director […]

Sudan: Intensifying hostilities bring new displacement, more casualties

Hostilities have been intensifying between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and two armed groups – the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia that has been battling the military government for control since April 2023 and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North. Over the weekend, drone attacks targeted a UN base killing six peacekeepers from the UNIFSA mission, while […]

Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said people are once again on the move after Israel placed the entire city under displacement orders. Aid partners recorded more than 25,000 displacements between Sunday through Wednesday. Some critical services have already been suspended while some humanitarian facilities have suffered severe damage, disrupting operations and the delivery of essential services. […]

‘Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar

‘Wars, disasters, displacement, hunger’ continue to burden Myanmar

Four years after the military coup which deposed the democratically elected government, Myanmar’s civil conflict grinds on, leaving millions displaced and without a home. “The suffering of millions of people across Myanmar is immense,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. “With aerial bombardments, destruction of property, and forced recruitment, they live in daily fear for their […]

UN refugee agency urges support to end displacement for millions of Syrians

UN refugee agency urges support to end displacement for millions of Syrians

That’s the message from Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, speaking on Tuesday after concluding a five-day visit to Lebanon and Syria. “The international community cannot afford to be mere observers, assessing and judging the developments in Syria,” she said. “They must take an active role supporting stabilization and recovery […]

Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement

Record starvation and malnutrition in Gaza; more West Bank displacement

That warning comes from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in a tweet posted on Tuesday, calling for more aid to be allowed into the enclave by Israeli authorities.  Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that five people died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation, the UN Office for the Coordination of […]

World News in Brief: Hunger in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, climate and displacement crisis in Somalia, World Breastfeeding Week

World News in Brief: Hunger in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, climate and displacement crisis in Somalia, World Breastfeeding Week

Across the region, nations face food-related challenges notably due to geographical remoteness, lack of local available resources and exposure to climate change.  “The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards and supply chain disruptions, which can cause increases in food prices,” said, Brian Bogart. head of WFP for the region. “It’s deeply concerning that many people […]

World News in Brief: First UN mission to Syria’s Sweida, fresh displacement in Haiti, new lightning record

World News in Brief: First UN mission to Syria’s Sweida, fresh displacement in Haiti, new lightning record

The team went to Sweida City, as well as two districts – Shahba and Salkhad – where they met with local community representatives and partners, in addition to visiting displacement sites and reception centres.  Members also conducted assessments in the three districts of the governorate, where hundreds of people have been killed, and some 175,000 […]

Haiti: Violence and displacement driving humanitarian crisis as funding needs go unmet

Haiti: Violence and displacement driving humanitarian crisis as funding needs go unmet

Nearly 1.3 million people in the Caribbean country have fled their homes, with an additional 15,000 uprooted last week after armed attacks in the communes of Dessalines and Verrettes in the Artibonite department. Further, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have screened more than 217,000 children for acute malnutrition in 2025. Some 21,500 […]

Syria: Ongoing violence fuelling mass displacement in Sweida

Syria: Ongoing violence fuelling mass displacement in Sweida

More than 93,000 Syrians have been displaced across Sweida, neighbouring Dar’a governorate and Rural Damascus due to escalating violence in the city,  UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at Monday’s daily press briefing in New York. Most displaced people in Sweida are staying with local communities or in one of 15 reception centres, while around 30 […]

Humanitarians report more deaths, displacement and desperation in Gaza

Humanitarians report more deaths, displacement and desperation in Gaza

“Every day brings more preventable deaths, displacement and desperation,” the agency said in a humanitarian update. On Friday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order, this time for parts of North Gaza. OCHA said it continues to receive deeply troubling reports of malnourished children and adults being admitted to hospitals with insufficient resources available to treat them. […]

World News in Brief: violence spurs displacement in Syria, Israeli forces cross the Blue Line in Lebanon, mall fire kills dozens in Iraq

World News in Brief: violence spurs displacement in Syria, Israeli forces cross the Blue Line in Lebanon, mall fire kills dozens in Iraq

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 […]

Displacement, poverty and insecurity fueling violence against women in Gaza

Displacement, poverty and insecurity fueling violence against women in Gaza

In the past three months, a third of Gaza’s population (714,000 people) have been forced to move once again, separating families and dismantling local support systems. Women and girls are bearing a heavy burden, fearing for their lives on the streets – at delivery points, and in overcrowded, makeshift shelters that lack privacy and security […]

UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan as displacement, hunger and disease escalate

UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan as displacement, hunger and disease escalate

The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries. Those remaining in El Fasher are facing “extreme shortages” of food and clean water, with markets repeatedly disrupted, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the […]

UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades

UN chief ‘appalled’ by worsening Gaza crisis as civilians face displacement, aid blockades

Multiple attacks in recent days have killed and injured scores of Palestinians at sites hosting displaced people and others attempting to access essential supplies, according to a statement from UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the loss of civilian life,” Mr. Dujarric said. On just one day this week, nearly 30,000 […]

Sudan: UN warns of soaring displacement and looming floods

Sudan: UN warns of soaring displacement and looming floods

At Tuesday’s regular briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric relayed warnings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA), citing urgent concerns across the country. “Across Sudan, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing fighting, which is escalating displacement and driving […]

UN rights office sounds the alarm over forced displacement in the West Bank

UN rights office sounds the alarm over forced displacement in the West Bank

Israeli authorities have stepped up measures to transfer large numbers of people from long-standing Palestinian towns and communities, according to OHCHR’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. On 18 June, the High Planning Council in the Israeli Civil Administration issued a directive to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, […]

Displacement doubles while funding shrinks, warns UNHCR

Displacement doubles while funding shrinks, warns UNHCR

In December last year, the overthrow of the Assad regime by opposition forces reignited hope that most Syrians could see home again soon. As of May, 500,000 refugees and 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) returned to their areas of origin. But that’s not the only reason Syria is no longer the largest displacement crisis […]