Yemen: UN Sounds Alarm as Famine, Fighting, Detentions Exacerbate Crisis

Yemen: UN Sounds Alarm as Famine, Fighting, Detentions Exacerbate Crisis

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Monday that the turmoil in Yemen cannot be seen in isolation. “Yemen is both a mirror and a magnifier of the region’s volatility,” he said, noting that progress toward peace is hampered by regional rivalries, cross-border dynamics, and internal divisions. Mr. Grundberg highlighted a dangerous […]

WHO sounds alarm as mental health conditions soar past one billion worldwide

WHO sounds alarm as mental health conditions soar past one billion worldwide

Disorders such as anxiety and depression are exacting a heavy toll on individuals, families and economies, yet most countries are failing to provide adequate support. Mental health problems are widespread across every society and age group and remain the second leading cause of long-term disability. They drive up healthcare costs for families and governments while […]

Sudan: UN sounds the alarm as health and food crises worsen across the country

Sudan: UN sounds the alarm as health and food crises worsen across the country

As conflict between rival militaries rages on, millions of people keep on being displaced. While the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance to newly displaced families in North Darfur, “nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support,” said Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, at a daily press […]

UN sounds alarm over Syria as sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes escalate

UN sounds alarm over Syria as sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes escalate

The Druze-majority Sweida governorate, long relatively insulated from earlier phases of Syria’s 14‑year conflict, has now become a flashpoint. Briefing an emergency meeting of the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary‑General Khaled Khiari painted a grim picture: hundreds of casualties among soldiers and civilians –including women, children and the elderly – alongside reports of mass displacement, […]

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, […]

World Environment Day: UN sounds alarm on plastic pollution crisis

World Environment Day: UN sounds alarm on plastic pollution crisis

Between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, and without urgent action, this figure is expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2040. Plastic pollution is contaminating every corner of the planet, threatening ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Microplastics are found in food, water and air, with the […]

Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

Civilians ‘trapped and terrorised’: UN sounds alarm over collapse of critical protections

Speaking at a high-level open debate in the Security Council on protection of civilians in armed conflict on Thursday, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described a grim picture of accelerating harm, disintegrating norms and growing impunity. “The scaffolding built last century to protect us from inhumanity is crumbling,” he said. “Those who will die […]

‘On thin ice’: UN chief sounds alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt

‘On thin ice’: UN chief sounds alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt

António Guterres issued the warning in a video message to the inaugural Sagarmatha Sambaad, or “Everest Dialogue,” convened by the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu. “Record temperatures have meant record glacier melt,” he said. “Nepal today is on thin ice – losing close to one-third of its ice in just over thirty years. And your […]