‘Step back from the brink,’ to avert full-scale Middle East conflict, says UN chief
“It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East…Now is the time for maximum restraint,” the UN Secretary-General told delegates at the opening of an emergency meeting of…
Guterres welcomes creation of transitional council in Haiti to choose new leaders
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Spokesman, the UN chief welcomed the publication on Friday, 12 April of a decree formally establishing the Transitional Presidential Council, which is tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and Cabinet. “[He]…
Guterres condemns Iran’s attack on Israel, calls for immediate end to hostilities
“I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities,” said the Secretary-General in a statement issued in New York early Saturday evening, shortly after what media reports suggest had been hundreds of drones and missiles launched by Iran at Israel….
Gaza: No improvement in aid access to north, insists senior UN aid official
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator overseeing crisis relief in Gaza, pushed back at Israeli claims that more than 1,000 trucks had entered Gaza in the last few days, but only around 800 had been collected on the Palestinian side….
UN pays tribute to victims and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
The commemoration in the General Assembly Hall was held to remember the victims and honour the survivors and those who tried to stop the genocide. Focus was also on young people who have grown up in its shadow, and on…
Wave of increased food insecurity hits West and Central Africa
This is a four million increase in the number of people currently dealing with food insecurity in that region. Mali is facing the worst situation – around 2,600 people there are presumed to be experiencing catastrophic hunger – IPC food…
Rape, murder and hunger: The legacy of Sudan’s year of war
Suffering is growing too and is likely to get worse, Justin Brady, head of the UN humanitarian relief office, OCHA, in Sudan, warned UN News. “Without more resources, not only will we not be able to stop a famine, we’re…
Nigeria first country to introduce ‘revolutionary’ meningitis vaccine
The Men5CV vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W, Y and X – which cause the disease. Known by the brand name MenFive, it provides broader protection than the…
Russian attacks ‘a daily destructive pattern’ in Ukraine, Security Council hears
Miroslav Jenča, an Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav in the UN Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, warned that the escalation threatens regional stability, international security and, above all, the people of Ukraine. Affected regions include Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv,…
General Assembly debates Russia’s veto of DPR Korea sanctions panel
This is the third time this year that the world body has met to examine veto use among the Security Council’s permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States – including on the situation in Gaza regarding…