The attacks on some of Ukraine’s most important population centres, which reportedly involved almost 400 drones, also left thousands without electricity, heating and water. Temperatures in the country have dropped to -20° Celsius, and the attacks on energy infrastructure have left families in freezing conditions. Many older persons and people with disabilities are often stuck in their […]
Rosemary DiCarlo described Tuesday’s strike in a residential area of the Qatari capital – which targeted Hamas’s political leadership killing several affiliates along with a Qatari security officer – as potentially opening a “new and perilous chapter in this devastating conflict, seriously threatening regional peace and stability.” The attack occurred on 9 September in residential […]
At least 841 people have been put to death by the Government of Iran since the beginning of the year, with ethnic minorities and migrants “disproportionately targeted”, said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. Some executions have been carried out publicly, she added, with seven reported this year based on available information: “The real situation might be […]
Referencing the recent quarterly report from the Secretary-General on challenges facing the world’s youngest nation, Ms. Pobee underscored that since March, previous gains in the peace process have been largely eroded. Military offensives, primarily involving South Sudan’s rival militia which answers to the First Vice President and Government troops loyal to the President, have continued, and […]
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), renewed the call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy to end the devastation. “Ukrainian people have endured nearly three-and-a-half years of unimaginable horrors, death, devastation and destruction. They urgently need relief […]
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, told ministers and ambassadors that ongoing talks must lead to a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all hostages, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and for recovery and reconstruction to begin. He painted a grim picture of conditions on the ground, citing expanded Israeli military operations, […]
Ross Smith, director of emergency preparedness and response, briefed journalists in New York in the wake of a deadly incident on Sunday in which dozens of civilians were killed and injured while waiting to access food as a WFP convoy was entering northern Gaza. “Yesterday’s incident is one of the greatest tragedies we’ve seen for […]
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East Khaled Khiari said more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed since mid-June alone, many of them while seeking aid. Citing figures from the Gazan health authorities, he reported that the total number of Palestinian fatalities since 7 October 2023 had surpassed 56,500. “The […]
On Friday, the UN Security Council heard sobering briefings from Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, and Shayna Lewis, Sudan Specialist and Senior Advisor with Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities (PAEMA), a US-based organization. Ms. Pobee stressed that front lines continue to shift as the RSF and SAF press on with their military objectives, […]
December’s local, legislative and presidential elections “represent a crucial opportunity” to strengthen democratic governance, promote reconciliation and consolidate stability, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations told ambassadors in the Security Council. The timely holding of presidential and legislative elections is a constitutional requirement, and the Government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to holding local elections, […]
Imran Riza made the appeal following a visit to Bint Jbeil and Tyre districts on Tuesday. “What I saw in South Lebanon was both depressing and inspiring. The scale of destruction – to villages, health facilities, and water systems – is disturbing,” he said in a statement. Fighting, ceasefire and escalation The crisis stems from […]
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 […]