‘The people of Haiti are in a perfect storm of suffering,’ warns UN chief

‘The people of Haiti are in a perfect storm of suffering,’ warns UN chief

Six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while 1.3 million people – half of them children – having been forced to flee their homes, he added. ‘Shamefully overlooked’ Haiti now ranks among the five hunger hotspots worldwide that are of “highest concern,” said the UN chief. Yet it remains the world’s least funded […]

World News in Brief: Haiti funding cuts bite, civilian suffering intensifies in Myanmar, Belarus deaths in custody alert

World News in Brief: Haiti funding cuts bite, civilian suffering intensifies in Myanmar, Belarus deaths in custody alert

Ongoing violence is compounding the country’s food crisis, disrupting local food production in critical areas such as the commune of Kenscoff and the Artibonite department, often considered the breadbaskets of Haiti. While the UN and its partners are responding “wherever and whenever possible,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said this Wednesday that humanitarians have only been […]

Gaza: ‘Unbearable’ suffering continues, UN official tells Security Council

Gaza: ‘Unbearable’ suffering continues, UN official tells Security Council

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 […]

‘Behind each crisis, people are suffering,’ Türk tells Human Rights Council

‘Behind each crisis, people are suffering,’ Türk tells Human Rights Council

“We are on an indefensible path of escalating conflict and open disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law,” said Volker Türk, addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Offering a global overview, he painted a stark picture of a world in crisis – with surging armed conflict, deepening climate disruption, emerging technological threats, […]

Yemen at breaking point as UN envoy urges action to end suffering

Yemen at breaking point as UN envoy urges action to end suffering

Speaking via videoconference, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the country remains trapped in a prolonged political, humanitarian and development crisis. “Yemen is so much more than the containment of a threat,” he said. “The cost of inaction is high.” Mr. Grundberg stressed the urgent need for progress towards a sustainable political solution, calling […]

Gazans’ suffering goes on amid intensifying Israeli strikes

Gazans’ suffering goes on amid intensifying Israeli strikes

In occupied East Jerusalem, meanwhile, Israeli protesters illegally entered a compound of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA. The development comes after the Israeli military coordination unit COGAT said on Saturday that 388 trucks had entered Gaza since last Monday – the first aid to arrive in well over two months of blockade that […]

World News in Brief: UK cedes sovereignty over Chagos Islands, suffering in Sudan deepens, UN releases new emergency relief funds

World News in Brief: UK cedes sovereignty over Chagos Islands, suffering in Sudan deepens, UN releases new emergency relief funds

Before granting Mauritius independence in 1968, Britain unlawfully separated the Chagos archipelago to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. In doing so, it expelled 1,500–2,000 islanders to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island, to the United States for joint military use. Under the agreement, the UK will lease the island of Diego Garcia for the […]