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 […]

First Person: On Ukraine’s frontlines, humanitarians risk all to bring hope

First Person: On Ukraine’s frontlines, humanitarians risk all to bring hope

“Sometimes it feels like we’re swimming against a current that never slows down,” says Ms. Tiutiunnyk, a protection specialist working in Ukraine for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Viktoria herself is a displaced person from Luhansk, forced to flee following the onset of hostilities. “I was not a part of the humanitarian community”, she recalls, […]

First Person: From aid worker to refugee and back in war-torn Sudan

First Person: From aid worker to refugee and back in war-torn Sudan

Sudan is one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises, with more than 30.4 million people – over half the population – urgently needing humanitarian assistance, yet the 2025 Sudan humanitarian needs and response plan is severely underfunded, with only 13.3 per cent of the required resources received so far. Forced to flee […]

First Person: Echoes of war as aid arrives in Syria’s historical city

First Person: Echoes of war as aid arrives in Syria’s historical city

Eleonora Servino was on the first UN aid convoy to Suweida, which saw a recent escalation of violence that left many dead and thousands displaced. As the International Organization for Migration (IOM) chief of mission to Syria, Ms. Servino said the difference on the road to Bosra is stark. “You know that feeling when you […]

First Person: How many more children must die before the world acts?

First Person: How many more children must die before the world acts?

Juliette Touma, the director of communications for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, has visited Gaza several times during and before the war and has been reflecting on the children she has met there and in other conflict zones. “Adam has been on my mind lately, more so than usual. I met Adam years […]

AIDS still killing one person every minute as funding cuts stall progress

AIDS still killing one person every minute as funding cuts stall progress

More than 30 million people are receiving lifesaving treatment worldwide however, making the UN’s AIDS response a “clear example of a multilateral success,” said Amina Mohammed, UN Under Secretary-General on Thursday, as the General Assembly reviewed progress being made to end AIDS and prevent HIV infections. ‘Series of threats’ “Global commitment is fading. Funding is falling. […]

First Person: Myanmar aid workers brave conflict and harsh conditions to bring aid to earthquake victims

First Person: Myanmar aid workers brave conflict and harsh conditions to bring aid to earthquake victims

Thein Zaw Win, Communications and Advocacy Analyst in the Yangon Office of the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) saw the devastating consequences of the quake during a week-long visit to the Mandalay region, one of the regions most severely affected by the disaster. Thein Zaw Win, Communications and Advocacy Analy​st at UNFPA’s Yangon […]