UN demands hostage release, urges protection and aid for Gaza civilians
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations for humanitarian coordination wing, OCHA, were briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, against the backdrop of the recovery of the bodies of six hostages killed in Gaza and…
Gaza: Disease and war stalk children, despite vaccine success
It’s been nearly 11 months since war erupted in the enclave following Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel. Today more than nine in 10 people have been forcibly displaced by the fighting, leaving them vulnerable to hunger, malnutrition and sickness. “So…
Migrant shipwreck leaves 21 more missing off coast of Lampedusa
The boat “capsized repeatedly, leaving people clinging to the side of the boat as their family members drowned around them,” Nicola Dell’Arciprete, the UN Children Agency (UNICEF) country coordinator for Italy, said in a statement posted online. The survivors, all…
Ukraine: Top official underscores need to protect civilians amid ‘massive’ attacks
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen intensifying attacks affecting civilians and public infrastructure”, WHO Ukraine said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Since the weekend, parts of Ukraine including the eastern city of Kharkiv,…
Asia-Pacific nations commit to ‘visionary blueprint’ for inclusive digital world
The Astana Ministerial Declaration, named after the conference host city in Kazakhstan, is particularly significant for the region marked by stark disparities in digital access and usage. While an estimated 96 per cent of the population in Asia and the…
UN reports ‘lethal tactics’ by Israeli forces in West Bank
Stéphane Dujarric informed journalists at the regular press briefing in New York that operations have resumed in Tulkarm and continue in Jenin. “The UN has recorded more than two dozen fatalities over the past week, including children,” he said. He…
Gaza: UN humanitarians ahead of polio vaccination target
“We think that we will need another day tomorrow to actually wrap-up the central zone completely,” said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Speaking from Gaza, he explained that day three of the campaign was…
Humanitarians support civilians affected by recent attacks in Ukraine
“Our colleagues in Ukraine just told us that new attacks today struck Poltava in the centre of the country. Initial reports indicate a number of civilian casualties,” he told journalists attending his daily briefing at UN Headquarters, in New York….
New UN report details Nicaragua’s ongoing human rights crisis
Human rights violations in Nicaragua have been ongoing since 2018 when university students and other civil society activists began protesting a new Social Security Act and calling for the president to step down. The violent crackdown by security forces directed…
Venezuela: UN rights office describes pervasive ‘climate of fear’
“It is a climate of fear in the country at the moment. We are urging the government to ensure that all steps are taken in line with international human rights law with transparency and that steps are taken to resolve…