UN News Today 17 November 2025 |

Gaza clear-up operation begins with help from UN agencies

While the Security Council in New York was expected on Monday to vote on a US-led resolution including the deployment of an international force to Gaza, over in the shattered enclave, a UN-backed renewal campaign is underway.

The initiative which launched in Gaza City at the weekend is called “We Will Rebuild Gaza”.

It involves local organizations, UN agencies and volunteers. An initial aim is to remove debris left by the war, as the fragile ceasefire holds.

Here’s Alessandro Marakic from the UN Development Programme, UNDP:

“We are providing dignity again to the people, to stay and continue living in their city.”

More than 60 million tons of debris will need to be cleared from Gaza, after more than two years of war between Hamas fighters and Israel.

UNDP’s contribution includes daily solid-waste collection while plans are also in preparation for the winter season to ensure proper management of water and wastewater.

Sahel displacement crisis has made four million people homeless: UNHCR

To the Sahel region now, where a lesser-known – but massive – displacement crisis is playing out, that’s impacting around four million people.

In a new alert, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, explained that Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and neighbouring countries have all been affected by violence, poor access to services or work – and extreme weather emergencies.

With more, here’s UNHCR’s Eujin Byun:

“Growing food insecurity and climate shocks are pushing more families to flee often across borders increasing strain in host communities. Yet, despite these hardship, communities across the Sahel continue to show solidarity and help integrate displaced families. But the region cannot face this crisis alone.”

The UN agency appealed for sustained international support to help the displaced people of the Sahel as funding for its work has dropped.

This has placed strain on already limited resources, at a time when nearly 15,000 schools have closed, affecting three million children alone, in the Sahel.

In addition, more than 900 health facilities have shut down, leaving millions without essential care, UNHCR said.

World is getting closer to being free from cervical cancer: WHO

A future free of cervical cancer is possible and it’s getting closer to becoming a reality.

That’s the welcome announcement on Monday – which is World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day – from the World Health Organization (WHO), which highlighted global progress in tackling the fourth most common cancer in women.

The UN agency supports efforts around the world to eliminate cervical cancer.

Its strategy involves ensuring that 90 per cent of girls are vaccinated against the virus which causes cervical cancer – in this case, human papillomavirus (or HPV).

WHO also recommends screening 70 per cent of women and treating 90 per cent of those who have pre-cancer and invasive cancer, while also aiming to ensure that every woman and girl has access to life-saving care.

The highest rates of cervical cancer cases and deaths are in low and middle-income countries where vaccination rates are historically low, as they are for cervical screening to identify pre-cancerous lesions and treatment.

“Cervical cancer can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly,” WHO said, noting that it claims more than 350,000 lives every year.

The UN agency welcomed efforts around the world to scale up HPV vaccination from Angola to China to Pakistan, whose national inoculation campaign reached over nine million girls alone – the largest single campaign any country has ever conducted, WHO said.

Daniel Johnson, UN News