Escalating violence in Syria raises fear of ‘large-scale war’
After over a decade of brutal fighting, the Commission Chair, Paulo Pinheiro, said that deadly dynamics are causing new waves of hostilities.“The recent direct...
Afghanistan quake: Aid teams still scrambling to reach survivors
The magnitude six quake has already left more than 800 dead and at least 2,000 injured, but the total impact could be in the...
Freedom of expression also under fire in Gaza war, rights expert says
“Rarely have we seen – and this is what bothers me - extensive patterns of unlawful, discriminatory and disproportionate restriction by States and private...
Forging Peace in Syria: Great opportunities, grave risks
As the fighting intensified, the UN never stopped working behind the scenes to bring about a political solution that would deliver dignity, freedom and...
‘RC blog: ‘It will take years to help people deal with the invisible consequences...
“I am continually inspired by the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people. As I have travelled to Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and...
UN urges de-escalation, protection of civilians as conflict roils Syria
On Sunday, violence erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida, two days after a Druze merchant was abducted on the...
Syria emergency: Four children a day killed by leftover explosives
Ricardo Pires, UNICEF Communication Manager for Emergencies, told journalists from Damascus that in the last nine years, at least 422,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance...
UN rights office condemns continuing Israeli military operation in West Bank
Since the start of the offensive on 21 January, Israeli forces have killed at least 44 Palestinians, including five children and two women, in...
Syria risks grave division and destruction, Security Council hears
Geir Pedersen told the Security Council the country faced grave risk of further division that was in no Syrian’s interest.“As I brief you today,...
Gaza: Despite challenges, UNRWA says ‘unparalleled progress’ made during ceasefire
Agency teams have worked around the clock to provide services to a people who are overwhelmed following 15 months of constant bombardment, forced displacement,...
UN appeals for restraint after further devices explode across Lebanon
International media reported that walkie-talkies used by members of the Hezbollah militant group blew up on Wednesday, a day after hundreds of pagers across...
Gaza: Polio could spread unless vaccines reach war-torn north
“It is imperative to stop the polio outbreak in Gaza before more children are paralysed and the virus spreads,” said Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for...
GAZA LIVE: UN General Assembly to vote on resolution demanding immediate, unconditional and permanent...
The General Assembly meets at 3pm in New York on Thursday in emergency session following the Security Council’s failure to adopt a resolution on...
Gaza: ‘Bring them all home now’, freed hostage tells Security Council
Briefing ambassadors, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General at the Department of Political Affairs (DPPA), reiterated the UN’s unequivocal condemnation of the horrific attacks by Hamas...
Gaza: Paramedic still missing after aid worker killings, Palestinian Red Crescent Society calls for...
Last Sunday, a joint PRCS and UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) mission uncovered a shallow grave in Rafah. The bodies of eight PRCS paramedics, six civil...
UN chief condemns Gaza killings, urges full respect for ceasefire
“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killings due to Israeli airstrikes of civilians in Gaza yesterday, including many children,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents...
Fragile progress in Syria, at risk from exclusion and foreign interference, UN warns
They warned that foreign military action, political exclusion and dwindling resources threaten to undo fragile gains.UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen – who announced that...
Gaza City: Daily bombardment, more displacement amid escalating military offensive
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said people are once again on the move after Israel placed the entire city under displacement orders. Aid partners recorded...
WHO ‘working tirelessly’ to help save lives as Middle East crisis grinds on
Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, was speaking during a press briefing on emergencies in the occupied Palestinian territory and...
First Person: How many more children must die before the world acts?
Juliette Touma, the director of communications for the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, has visited Gaza several times during and before the war...
Gaza: UN agencies warn of escalating attacks, mass displacement and famine
The UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR) says Israeli military tactics in Gaza City – including strikes on homes and schools –...
Over half a million people severely impacted by unprecedented flooding and windstorms in Yemen
“Yemen is facing yet another devastating chapter in its relentless crisis, exacerbated by the intersection of conflict and extreme weather events,” emphasised Matt Huber,...
Syria: Deadly sectarian violence displaces thousands in Sweida; healthcare attacked
Since 13 July, around 176,000 people have been displaced from Sweida, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).Mostly migrating...
Syrians face staggering needs amid insecurity and healthcare crisis
Wrapping up a visit to the country, Edem Wosornu, who heads operations and advocacy for the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said that...
