Occupied Palestinian Territory: Security Council hears of ongoing violence, ‘relentless’ Israeli settlement expansion
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), presented the latest quarterly report on the implementation of Council resolution 2334 (2016). It calls for Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in…
Winter rains and aid obstacles worsen ordeal for one million Gazans
In an update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not stopped, “particularly in North Gaza, where the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports appalling conditions at Kamal Adwan Hospital – and where 61…
Syria: UN envoy concludes talks in Damascus, citing hope for democratic future
“It’s early days,” Geir Pedersen said referring to the dramatic events of less than two weeks ago that ended decades of dictatorship. “But I think it is important to say that there is a lot of hope that we can…
VOA Kurdish: Syrian currency gets boost in value, but prices remain high
After the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the value of the Syrian currency increased against the U.S. dollar, but the price of goods remains high. Residents say that traders are exploiting this situation and that official monitoring institutions…
UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal
Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on developments surrounding the 2015 accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and implementation of Council resolution 2231 (2015) which endorsed it. The JCPOA set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions…
Syria crisis: ‘Key priority’ is preserving evidence of crimes, say UN investigators
The head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria (IIIM), Robert Petit, told reporters in Geneva that with an “interlocking series of crime scenes” across the country now accessible, there is the possibility of accessing…
Middle East crisis: Live updates as Security Council meets on Syria
Senior UN officials have been meeting representatives of the new caretaker authorities in Damascus in the past few days, following the overthrow of the Assad regime. This morning in New York, the Security Council met to discuss the future of…
Syria faces uncertain future after regime’s collapse amid humanitarian crises
Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefed ambassadors via video link from Damascus, where they are engaging with key stakeholders to ramp up UN support and pushing for an inclusive and credible political transition….
In Damascus, top UN envoy stresses need for credible, inclusive, ‘Syrian owned’ transition
The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria also called on Monday for all parties to prioritize the protection of civilians as the country grapples with a worsening humanitarian crisis and ongoing violence, including in the Golan. Special Envoy Geir…
Gaza death toll passes 45,000 as UN school suffers new deadly strike
Images taken at the school in Khan Younis showed the apparent impact point of one shell in a concrete upper floor where people had been living at the time of the attack late Sunday night. According to the UN agency…