Addressing the UNHCR Executive Committee in Geneva, High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said that nowhere is “uncertainty and anxiety more palpable at the moment than in Lebanon”. “Uncertainty clouds the lives of ordinary civilians in Lebanon today. Surely, if airstrikes continue, many more will be displaced and some will also decide...
The incident took place early on Sunday morning (local time), when two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate and forcibly entered the position, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. About two hours later, after the tanks had left, several rounds were fired nearby, emitting smoke that affected...
Hearing loss already costs the continent $27 million annually, exacting profound impact on lives and economies, according to the report, which was launched at the African Summit on Hearing Impairment in Nairobi, Kenya. Widespread hearing loss disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable populations. WHO warned that without urgent interventions it will...
The development came as UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned “escalation after escalation” in the Middle East on Tuesday, as a report from his Office underscored the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since the 7 October attacks, settlement activities increased markedly, reaching a record...
The mission was authorized last October to assist Haiti’s beleaguered police force. Led by Kenya, it currently has around 410 police officers on the ground and is expected to grow to around 2,500. For now, the country remains mired in crisis. The renewal comes as the mission tries to curb...
Tackling insecurity in the Caribbean country must be the utmost priority, the report said, urging the authorities and the international community to do more to protect people and prevent further suffering. “No more lives should be lost to this senseless criminality,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk....
Alice Edwards, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on Torture, also condemned the killing of six Israeli hostages earlier this month and called for an immediate end to hostilities on all fronts. Approximately 250 Israelis and foreign nationals were taken hostage during the 7 October 2023 terror attack by...
Speaking at the annual Peace Bell Ceremony, António Guterres warned that war is spreading, inequalities are growing, and new technologies are being weaponized without safeguards. “International institutions must be better positioned to respond,” he stressed. The Secretary-General’s appeal comes ahead of a pivotal moment for global cooperation. Later this month,...
In a statement released via his Spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the latest Israeli attack on a school serving as a shelter in Nuseirat on Wednesday, which killed six staffers from the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, along with at least 12 others, including women and children. “This incident raises...
Secretary-General António Guterres said the past year had been marked by ongoing poverty, inequality and conflict, emphasizing that it was also the hottest year on record. Addressing the session’s final plenary meeting, he highlighted the “hope and inspiration” in what can be achieved if the global community worked as one....
“A traumatized and exhausted population” is being “crammed into a smaller and smaller sliver of land,” UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths warned on social platform X on Friday. But serious obstacles persist to bringing more aid to those in need amid relentless Israeli bombardment and intense fighting on the...
Since the onset of the invasion the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has meticulously monitored the situation. As of December 4, there have been over 10,000 civilian deaths, including 560 children, with an additional 18,500 civilians confirmed injured, with actual figures believed to be much higher due to the difficulties...