Around 90 per cent of the population across the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, forced to move to avoid Israeli military operations. Many have been displaced repeatedly, some 10 times or more. Much of Gaza is rubble, while Israeli airstrikes and military operations have damaged or destroyed around 60 per...
In his traditional new year address to the General Assembly setting out his key priorities for the global organization, the UN chief acknowledged the “turmoil of our world” and conceded that “it is understandable to get overwhelmed”. Nonetheless, Mr. Guterres urged delegates to “never lose sight of progress and potential”,...
That’s the warning from UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaking to reporters in New York on Thursday morning. He said there is “a real risk that progress could unravel,” without an “inclusive, credible and peaceful” political transition that is Syrian led, on behalf of all its citizens. “The people of Syria stand...
“It’s early days,” Geir Pedersen said referring to the dramatic events of less than two weeks ago that ended decades of dictatorship. “But I think it is important to say that there is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria.” He emphasised...
“It is a moment of great importance, especially for the civilians who were paying an enormous price for the fact that this conflict is not only dragging on, but is also gaining increasingly worrying dimensions,” he said. The Secretary-General was speaking in the Portuguese capital at a joint press conference...
“There was a strong call for peace, putting an end to violence and conflict and calls for diversity and fighting against discrimination,” said the UN Alliance’s High Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos at the closing session. The three-day forum drew participants from more than 150 countries, Mr. Moratinos said, also announcing...
Briefing reporters in Geneva from central Gaza, UNRWA senior emergency officer Louise Wateridge warned that amid looming famine in the Gaza Strip and as winter approaches, those forcibly displaced are sleeping on the floor in makeshift shelters surrounded by sewage. “We are extremely concerned when the rains come to the...
That day was in November 2023, around a month into the war in Gaza. Ala’a is among an estimated 155,000 pregnant women and new mothers in the Gaza Strip who for the past year have been forced to give birth under fire, in tents, while fleeing bombs and often without assistance,...
“We need urgent and ambitious action now to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could be the difference between a future breakdown or a breakthrough to a better world,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Echoing the stark assessment of the latest UN-partnered...
“Humanity is strongest when we stand together. 2024 must be a year for rebuilding trust and restoring hope,” expressed Mr. Guterres in his New Year’s message. “Let’s resolve to make 2024 a year of building trust and hope in all that we can accomplish together,” he urged, concluding with warm...
The deaths of over 10,000 civilians have been verified by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, since the invasion began in February 2022, although the actual number of fatalities could be much higher. Over 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 6.3 million who...
Dennis Francis, a veteran diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago, said he had returned from a visit to Haiti at the end of last month “with hope and the full knowledge that while Haiti is facing extraordinary challenges, its future holds indomitable promise.” The country has seen almost 4,000 killed and...