Health and aid workers targeted in conflicts around the world, UN agency says

Health and aid workers targeted in conflicts around the world, UN agency says

Attacks against health facilities doubled between 2023 and 2024, and more than 900 health workers were killed last year, the agency reported. Humanitarian aid workers were also killed in record numbers in 2024. Yet, 2025 is outpacing even these dark statistics at a time when funding for humanitarian work is shrinking and support services established […]

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 […]

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

In an alert from the World Food Programme (WFP), the agency said that half a million people “are on the brink of famine”, a claim backed up by multiple humanitarian agencies. The latest worrying data is showing widespread acute malnutrition. A ceasefire is the only way to scale up aid deliveries, the UN agency insisted. It explained […]

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 […]

World News in Brief: Shipwreck off Italy kills at least 27, anniversary of Taliban takeover, Peru amnesty law

World News in Brief: Shipwreck off Italy kills at least 27, anniversary of Taliban takeover, Peru amnesty law

UNHCR is supporting at least 60 survivors who have been brought ashore, but the Italian coast guard warned more bodies could still be recovered.   According to local news reports, the passengers were travelling from Libya in the hopes of reaching Italy. Migrants and refugees heading to Italy from the African coast often use leaky […]

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

World News in Brief: Casualties in Ukraine, Burkina Faso aid helicopter blast, Uganda urged to release opposition leaders

The monthly total also marked a three-year high, topping June’s figure, with HRMMU verifying civilian deaths and injuries in 18 of Ukraine’s 24 regions.   “For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high,” said Danielle Bell, Head of HRMMU. “Only the first three months […]

World News in Brief: Sudan’s agony continues, Colombian presidential candidate dies, the world celebrates the steelpan

World News in Brief: Sudan’s agony continues, Colombian presidential candidate dies, the world celebrates the steelpan

The Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN aid coordination office (OCHA), Edem Wosornu, warned on Monday that over 60 people reportedly died from malnutrition during a single week in the besieged government-controlled city of El Fasher in North Darfur State. Most of the deaths are those in vulnerable groups, such as women and […]

World News in Brief: Uganda’s refugee funding crisis, academic freedom tested in Serbia, rural resilience in Afghanistan

World News in Brief: Uganda’s refugee funding crisis, academic freedom tested in Serbia, rural resilience in Afghanistan

Uganda has a progressive refugee policy which enables refugees to work and access public services. This coupled with its geographic proximity to crises has made it the continent’s largest refugee-hosting country. “Emergency funding runs out in September. More children will die of malnutrition, more girls will fall victim to sexual violence, and families will be […]

World News in Brief: Hunger in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, climate and displacement crisis in Somalia, World Breastfeeding Week

World News in Brief: Hunger in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, climate and displacement crisis in Somalia, World Breastfeeding Week

Across the region, nations face food-related challenges notably due to geographical remoteness, lack of local available resources and exposure to climate change.  “The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards and supply chain disruptions, which can cause increases in food prices,” said, Brian Bogart. head of WFP for the region. “It’s deeply concerning that many people […]

World News in Brief: First UN mission to Syria’s Sweida, fresh displacement in Haiti, new lightning record

World News in Brief: First UN mission to Syria’s Sweida, fresh displacement in Haiti, new lightning record

The team went to Sweida City, as well as two districts – Shahba and Salkhad – where they met with local community representatives and partners, in addition to visiting displacement sites and reception centres.  Members also conducted assessments in the three districts of the governorate, where hundreds of people have been killed, and some 175,000 […]