‘Enough death and destruction’: Gazans hope for ceasefire and a better future
Around 90 per cent of the population across the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, forced to move to avoid Israeli military operations. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more. Much of Gaza is rubble, while Israeli airstrikes…
A decade of conflict: ‘Almost 40 million Yemenis have waited far too long’
Special Envoy Hans Grundberg highlighted the alarming trend of escalation provoked by Yemen’s Houthi forces who began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea last year in support of Hamas operations in Gaza, provoking retaliatory strikes by multiple states, including…
Guterres hails Gaza ceasefire deal as ‘critical first step’
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters, António Guterres commended mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States for their dedicated efforts in brokering the agreement. “Their unwavering commitment to finding a diplomatic solution has been critical in achieving this breakthrough,” he…
UN rights chief in historic meeting in Syria’s with caretaker authority in Damascus
Speaking from Damascus after meeting the leader of the caretaker authorities, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Mr. Türk said that he had been “assured…of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society”. Syria’s de…
UN pledges continued humanitarian support to Ukraine, as war enters fourth year
More than 12.7 million people inside Ukraine require aid, as do the more than 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees worldwide. On Tuesday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher visited the Kharkiv region, located in the east. Support in frontline areas He…
US: UN rights expert welcomes court ruling reaffirming sex-based protections in education
Independent rights expert Reem Alsalem hailed the landmark 9 January decision by the Kentucky court declaring the US Department of Education’s regulations implementing the Title IX legislation as unlawful. The ruling extends nationwide. Title IX is a 1972 law to…
Haiti: spiralling gang violence has left more than one million displaced
Latest data from the International Organization for Migration indicates that more than one million people have been displaced across Haiti so far, up from the 315,000 recorded on 20 December 2023. “The most concrete data we have is that around…
Syria emergency: Four children a day killed or injured by leftover explosives
icardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance – or UXO – were reported in 14 governorates across Syria, “with half estimated to have…
Humanitarians continue to call for Israel to facilitate aid delivery in Gaza
Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach Palestinians with vital aid, the agency said, noting that only seven out of 22 UN planned humanitarian movements on Sunday were facilitated. Of this number, six were denied outright, five were…
First Person: Syrian refugee shipwreck survivor vows to help reconstruct shattered country
After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Ms. Al Zamel and her family relocated to Egypt. She stayed there with her family for three years but the situation for refugees deteriorated and, in 2014, she and her Syrian…