Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations at the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), described the situation as a “crisis of staggering scale and cruelty”. “It demands sustained and urgent attention,” she emphasized. Ms. Wosornu detailed the catastrophic toll of the conflict, which...
In a note to correspondents issued on Thursday, António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the recent and extensive violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Airstrikes, incursions Since the de facto authorities of the HTS armed group took control of Damascus on Sunday, Israeli forces reportedly took over...
“Humanity’s torching the planet and paying the price,” warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres responding to WMO’s latest global temperature analysis covering January to September 2024. Youth-led momentum for change In a powerful video message to 19th Climate Change Conference of Youth, Mr. Guterres emphasized their critical role in driving climate...
In its Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come Hell and High Water, UNEP warned that vulnerable communities are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts through extreme weather and disasters. “Climate change is already devastating communities across the world, particularly the most poor and vulnerable. Raging storms are flattening homes,...
According to the Lebanese health ministry over 2,000 Lebanese have been killed and nearly 10,000 wounded since the start of Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza a year ago. Israel intensified its bombing campaign across the whole of Lebanon following the killing of Hezbollah’s leader last month, and Iran’s ballistic...
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...
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s grim milestone, Spokesperson Liz Throssell reiterated the need for OHCHR staff to have access to Israel and all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory to investigate human rights violations by all parties. Fourteen weeks have passed since Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups carried out bloody...
“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...
8:30 PM The US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield emerged from the closed door meeting telling reporters that after working hard over the past week, her country was ready to vote on a draft resolution, if compromises made remained in the latest draft. 7.15 PM Ambassadors are still locked in consultations over...
3:45 PM According to the latest information from the Security Council, the revised programme indicates that an anticipated meeting due to take place at 5:00 PM to vote on a resolution from the UAE which has been under negotiation for days, has again been delayed. Draft resolution: Key points Video...
Greater investments in meteorological monitoring, data collection and risk assessment can help respond quickly to drought emergencies and minimize impacts, it said, calling also for international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and environmental and social justice. Snapshots The publication includes important drought data, including on geographic spread, agriculture and forests, water conditions,...
The UN chief delivered his impassioned appeal at the high-level opening of the Global Climate Action Summit, which will see world leaders and Heads of State and Government taking centre stage for the next two days in the Al Waha Theatre in Dubai’s iconic Expo City. Warning that “humanity’s fate...