Eastern Afghanistan reels from fatal storms; dozens dead, hundreds homeless
Nangarhar province, including its capital Jalalabad, is reported to be the hardest hit. This province also suffered from devastating floods in April. Other affected provinces include Badakhshan, Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan. During the daily press briefing in New York, UN…
Books offer novel way to counter prison overcrowding in the Philippines
The initiative supported by the UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Philippines is also expected to help ease chronic overcrowding in detention centres across the Southeast Asian nation. Dave*, who is one month into a six-month sentence,…
Over 1,000 attacks on healthcare in Occupied Palestinian Territory since October
In a press briefing, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza, told journalists there are currently no functional hospitals in the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah, following Israel’s recent offensive there. The availability of hospital beds…
Security Council debates Gaza crisis, as civilian suffering continues unabated
Addressing ambassadors on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Chef-de-Cabinet Courtenay Rattray warned that on top of the dire situation in the war-ravaged enclave, the spectre of further regional spillover is increasing by the day. End collective punishment Reiterating his…
Haiti: Displaced women face ‘unprecedented’ level of insecurity and sexual violence
A new report by UN Women reveals the dire living conditions and lack of security faced by some 300,000 displaced women and girls amid ongoing political instability, escalating gang violence and the threat of the current hurricane season. In constant danger Women and…
Less ‘sleeping like sardines’, as Philippines adopts Nelson Mandela Rules for jails
The Nelson Mandela Rules, which are named after the former South African president who was unjustly incarcerated for 27 years, are playing a key part in prison and penal reform in the Philippines. Ahead of Nelson Mandela International Day marked annually on 18…
Gaza: Multiple strikes kill dozens near UN aid hub as thousands flee fighting
Reports of strikes landing near an aid centre in Deir Al-Balah came from the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, who provided updates on the situation in the besieged enclave. “The [aid] operations are continuing,” he told journalists…
Sudan: 800,000 still trapped in El Fasher where supplies running out, warns WHO
In an alert, Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative to Sudan, said that heavy fighting between Sudan’s rival militaries had made access to El Fasher “completely impossible”, as the country’s warring parties continue to hold talks in Geneva. The latest warning…
UN and EU humanitarians appeal for more support for Haiti
“What Haitians want the most is peace, that will allow them to return to school, to farm their fields, to access basic services such as going to a hospital,” Edem Wosornu, Operations and Advocacy Director with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said…
DPR Korea: Forced labour is institutionalized and dangerous, warns UN rights office
In a report based on 183 interviews with victims and witnesses of forced labour who managed to escape DPRK and now live abroad, OHCHR cited one person’s testimony that if a daily work quota was not met, workers would be…