Syria transition gains ground with Kurdish deal, but violence and humanitarian strain persist

A new agreement between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast is being viewed by the United Nations as a potentially significant step toward stabilising a region long shaped by conflict and competing authorities. Briefing members of the UN Security Council for the first time in his role as Deputy Special Envoy […]

Amid Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, Chad shows ‘act of solidarity’

  That’s according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who had discussions with over 40 leaders of Sudanese civil society in Northern State’s capital, Dongola, this week. “But these representatives have also found the solution,” Mr. Türk said in a video on X. “There needs to be an all-out effort, both within Sudan and by […]

UN honours fallen aid workers on World Humanitarian Day

UN honours fallen aid workers on World Humanitarian Day

The first eight months of 2025 show no sign of a reversal of this disturbing trend, with 265 humanitarian workers killed as of 14 August, according to figures released on World Humanitarian Day. Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets and operations violate international law and undermine the lifelines that sustain millions of people trapped in war […]

World Humanitarian Day 2025: Aid workers mull record toll of their own

World Humanitarian Day 2025: Aid workers mull record toll of their own

Speaking to UN News from the wartorn enclave to mark World Humanitarian Day, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that exhausted aid workers continue to show up for work “day in and day out”. Approaching two years since the start of the war in Gaza, Ms. Cherevko emphasized the commitment of […]

First Person: ‘Tomorrow is too late’ to scale up humanitarian aid in Haiti

First Person: ‘Tomorrow is too late’ to scale up humanitarian aid in Haiti

Women and girls face the brunt of this crisis. Gender-based violence (GBV) such as gang rape is rampant, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, and is exacerbated by precarious conditions in displacement camps. Yet, recent funding cuts have shut down centres for sexual and reproductive health and GBV services. Displacement and insecurity make the services that […]

World News in Brief: Cholera strikes Sudan and beyond, humanitarian needs grown for returning Afghans, rising insecurity in DR Congo

World News in Brief: Cholera strikes Sudan and beyond, humanitarian needs grown for returning Afghans, rising insecurity in DR Congo

So far this year, cholera has killed more than 4,300 people across 31 countries. These figures are underestimates and there is particular concern for those impacted by war in Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Yemen.   In Sudan, the disease has already claimed over 1,000 lives since 1 January. It […]

Gaza: ‘No one should ever be forced to risk their life to find food,’ says UN humanitarian agency

Gaza: ‘No one should ever be forced to risk their life to find food,’ says UN humanitarian agency

The months-long deprivation of most life-sustaining basic goods has led to a deepening of the crisis.  More than 100 people were killed, and hundreds of others injured, along food convoy routes and near Israeli-militarised distribution hubs in the past two days alone.   As one in three people currently going days without food, OCHA reiterated […]

UN warns of ‘catastrophic hunger’ in Gaza as Israel announces humanitarian pauses

UN warns of ‘catastrophic hunger’ in Gaza as Israel announces humanitarian pauses

But as starvation tightens its grip and “children are dying before our eyes,” UN officials and aid workers warn that the measures fall far short of the much-needed ceasefire and unfettered aid access that could help stem the spiralling humanitarian catastrophe. “Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through,” UN Emergency […]

World News in Brief: Thailand-Cambodia border hostilities, humanitarian efforts in Syria and attacks across Ukraine

World News in Brief: Thailand-Cambodia border hostilities, humanitarian efforts in Syria and attacks across Ukraine

The dispute dates to 1953 when France first mapped the border, but tensions resurfaced in May after the death of a Cambodian soldier in a border skirmish. Secretary-General António Guterres is “following with concern” reports of the clashes, his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York. “The Secretary-General urges both sides to exercise […]

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 […]

Sudan: UN scales up response plan as humanitarian needs spiral in Tawila

Sudan: UN scales up response plan as humanitarian needs spiral in Tawila

Over 380,000 people are currently displaced there, and the plan aims at increasing assistance for communities over the next three months. It focuses on food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter and protection, and requires $120 million for implementation, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA).  Spread of diseases The health situation in North Darfur […]

Gaza: Guterres condemns killing of people seeking food as humanitarian conditions deteriorate

Gaza: Guterres condemns killing of people seeking food as humanitarian conditions deteriorate

Stéphane Dujarric was speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York a day after dozens of Palestinians were killed seeking food aid. He said the Secretary-General deplored the growing reports of both children and adults suffering from malnutrition and strongly condemned the ongoing violence, including the shooting, killing and injuring of people attempting to […]

Sudan: Humanitarian needs deepen amid rising hostilities and heavy rains

Sudan: Humanitarian needs deepen amid rising hostilities and heavy rains

Nearly 27 months have passed since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a former ally, the paramilitary Rapid Security Forces (RSF), creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The UN voiced grave alarm over escalating hostilities in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur state.  Serious risk of renewed violence Large numbers […]

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 […]

Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’

Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire as humanitarian crisis reaches ‘horrific proportions’

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire. “Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to […]

Ukraine: Increasing hostilities displace civilians, limit humanitarian access

Ukraine: Increasing hostilities displace civilians, limit humanitarian access

Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy regions sustained the most damage, with several civilians reportedly killed, and many displaced, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular news briefing on Thursday. “Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a concern in front-line and border regions,” he added. According to a recent assessment by the […]

‘Still reeling’: Myanmar quakes worsen humanitarian crisis in fractured country

‘Still reeling’: Myanmar quakes worsen humanitarian crisis in fractured country

The 28 March quake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck central regions with deadly force, killing some 3,800 people and injuring over 5,000, according to UN estimates. The disaster devastated infrastructure and homes across Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway, displacing tens of thousands more in a country already grappling with over 3.2 million internally displaced […]