Regional conflicts, murderous militias, the exploitation of natural resources, innocent civilians forced to flee their homes; these recent developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are just the latest in the central African nation’s troubled history.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan has again urged warring parties to stop targeting civilians.
The United Nations on Tuesday condemned a deadly car bomb attack in the Syrian city of Manbij that killed 20 people, mostly women, and left many others critically injured.
Gang violence in Haiti continues to have a devastating impact on the population, according to a new report from the UN office in the country (BINUH) on human rights violations recorded during the last quarter of 2024.
Two people who have fought on opposing sides of the decades-old conflict between Palestinians and Israel have come to together through “grieving and crying” to discuss how Israeli Jews and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.
Escalating hostilities in the occupied West Bank are putting the fragile ceasefire in Gaza at risk, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned in a statement on Monday.
The worsening security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced many mpox patients to flee treatment centres, increasing the risk of transmission, the UN health agency (WHO) warned on Monday.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria said on Monday that Syrians across the political spectrum share a deep conviction that the country’s political transition must succeed.
The UN Secretary-General expressed deep alarm on Monday over reports of summary executions of civilians in the Sudanese city of Khartoum North, allegedly carried out by fighters and militias allied with the forces of the military Government.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed deep alarm over relentless attacks on populated areas in Ukraine and their devastating impact on children.
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The head of UN Peace Operations has underscored the need for continued diplomatic efforts to end the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and avert the potential for wider conflict.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has voiced deep alarm over reports of summary executions of civilians allegedly carried out by fighters and militias allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the city of Khartoum North, calling for an immediate halt to the killings.
The largest UN agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNRWA, said on Friday that its staff are still providing aid to the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem who depend on them “for their sheer survival”, a day after the Israeli parliament ban on its activities entered into force.
Humanitarians warned on Thursday that Syria continues to face major security and aid challenges in the northeast and beyond, in the uncertain aftermath of the overthrow of the Assad regime.
After days of intense fighting, the humanitarian situation in Goma, capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has reached alarming levels – with humanitarian needs now massive and response capacities severely strained.
The UN Secretary-General on Thursday said Myanmar’s military must relinquish power to allow a return to civilian rule through an inclusive democratic transition, as the country marks four years since the junta seized power.
As UN agencies reported “relative calm” on Wednesday in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), humanitarians warned that the chaos caused by advancing M23 rebel forces could fuel a region-wide health emergency.
Four years after the military coup which plunged Myanmar into turmoil, the country is facing an unprecedented “polycrisis,” marked by economic collapse, intensifying conflict, complex climate hazards and deepening poverty, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
As more than 423,000 displaced Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza following the opening of key roads, UN agencies are scaling up humanitarian aid and addressing the growing risks posed by unexploded ordnance such as landmines (UXO).
Israeli legislation banning the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is due to enter into force in the coming hours, bringing fundamental changes to its operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to the agency and Palestinians they serve in Gaza who spoke with UN News on Wednesday.
The Security Council met for the second time in three days on Tuesday over the escalating crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with UN agencies and partners on the ground reporting chaos in the streets of the regional capital Goma amid rising death and displacement as the M23 armed group takes over towns and villages. App users can follow our live coverage as it happened, here.
The latest reports from Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from UN teams on the ground indicate a fast-deteriorating situation on Tuesday amid an ongoing assault by M23 rebels on the provincial capital.
The implementation of new Israeli laws banning the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA – set to take effect on Thursday – will heighten instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Security Council has heard.
The Security Council met for the second time in three days on Tuesday over the escalating crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with UN agencies and partners on the ground reporting chaos in the streets of the regional capital Goma amid rising death and displacement as the M23 armed group takes over towns and villages. App users can follow our live coverage here.
At least one girl and three boys were killed, and three boys injured, during an attack on the Saudi Hospital in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, North Darfur, on Friday.
The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma – the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
A report from UN human rights investigators for Syria released on Monday has laid bare the systematic use of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances by the deposed Assad regime.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday called on the UN Security Council to act decisively to address the worsening atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region.
As fighting intensifies between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group and Congolese forces, UN chief of Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix underscored the critical state of the battle for eastern DRC’s regional capital Goma, describing the crisis as “volatile and dangerous”.
Spiralling violence and killings in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo triggered an emergency Security Council meeting Sunday morning amid peacekeeper and civilian deaths along with sharp calls for action from top UN officials. App users can follow our coverage of the meeting and reports from colleagues on the ground here.
Top UN officials in Lebanon are calling for compliance with the ongoing ceasefire after reports that Israeli forces killed 15 people, including a Lebanese soldier, along the buffer zone with Israel, which Israel was due to withdraw from on Sunday under the agreement.
More than 1,100 UN peacekeepers are currently deployed in the Golan, a demilitarised zone along the Israel-Syria border at what is a tense and dangerous time in the history of the region. But, why are the Blue Helmets there?
The UN is temporarily relocating non-essential staff from Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Saturday without interrupting its operations in the country at a time heightened security concerns.
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Intensifying hostilities on the outskirts of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond involving the non-state armed group M23 have caused further mass displacement in the mineral-rich region, with fears that the regional capital Goma could come under attack, UN agencies warned on Friday.
The UN has suspended all official movements by its teams into and out of Houthi-held areas of Yemen, after more UN staffers were detained on Thursday.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday expressed grave concerns over escalating violence in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank, condemning the use of “unlawful lethal force” by Israeli security forces.
Mister President,
Members of the Security Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to highlight our long and multifaceted cooperation with the League of Arab States, a key regional organization that will mark the 80th anniversary of its founding in March.
I take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency, Mr. Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League, ahead of this auspicious occasion.
We meet today in the early days of the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. This critical and long-awaited agreement offers a ray of hope, a long-overdue moment that provides much-needed relief for Palestinians in Gaza and for the hostages reunited with their loved ones.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States of America have all made significant efforts to broker the agreement. The United Nations is now doing its part to ensure the rapid scaling up of the humanitarian relief. We must all work together to ensure its success.
In this regard, UNRWA must be enabled to carry out its mandate, as adopted by the General Assembly, in all its areas of operation. We again commend the League of Arab States for its vocal support of this vital UN agency.
The United Nations Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the continuing violence in the occupied West Bank, particularly the ongoing large-scale military operation in Jenin, which has reportedly resulted in Palestinian casualties.
The League has always supported the Palestinian people, including through its efforts to rally international support for a ceasefire.
The international community has a shared responsibility to support efforts toward a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A negotiated two-state solution remains the only viable path to ensuring peace, security, and coexistence for both Israelis and Palestinians.
As Syria seeks to chart a new course following the fall of the Assad government, Special Envoy Pedersen continues his close engagement with the League and its Member States to coordinate support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned inclusive political process, based on the key principles of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).
The UN stands ready to do everything it can to support the Syrian people to realize their legitimate aspirations.
In Lebanon, the election of a President after a vacuum of more than two years and the appointment of a Prime Minister can pave the way to ensuring the country’s security and stability. The United Nations stands ready to support the government of Lebanon, once formed, in its reform and reconstruction efforts.
We also commend the role played by the League of Arab States in contributing to the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel through tireless advocacy and engagement.
In Yemen, political progress has stalled amidst Houthi attacks on commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea and on Israel. We hope that the ceasefire and hostage deal will lead to de-escalation in the region.
Looking forward, the support of regional partners – including the League of Arab States – will be crucial to promote de-escalation, rebuild trust and move towards a UN roadmap for a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement of the conflict in Yemen.
The political deadlock persists in Libya and the fragile status quo risks being destabilized through unilateral actions.
To help break the status quo, UNSMIL recently launched an inclusive, intra-Libyan political initiative to take the country to elections.
In this regard, the League is an important partner for the United Nations and is well positioned to rally and demonstrate collective Arab support for Libyan-led and Libyan-owned solutions to the political deadlock through the UN-facilitated process.
Finally, we remain extremely concerned about the situation in Sudan, which continues to deteriorate. The fighting is devastating the lives of Sudanese civilians, threatening the future of the country and increasingly impacting a region already beset by deep fragility, conflicts and displacement.
Diplomatic efforts must be intensified to finally bring an end to the conflict.
Personal Envoy Lamamra is working tirelessly to support mediation efforts and promote dialogue to bring an end to the war.
We commend the efforts of the League, including in bolstering multilateral coordination by convening the first iteration of the Consultative Group on Sudan in June last year.
Mister President,
While the situation in the Middle East remains fragile and several key conflicts continue unabated, the ceasefire in Gaza, the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and developments in Syria together represent an opportunity for significant positive change in a region that has been in acute crisis for far too long.
The extreme challenges across the Middle East come at a time when the international system has been struggling.
Climate change, inequality and other global issues continue to grow increasingly intense, often exacerbating the conflicts themselves or risking others being drawn towards disaster.
In September last year, Member States came together to bolster our joint efforts to strengthen multilateralism and restore trust in our institutions. With the Pact for the Future, they reaffirmed the importance of the United Nations and called for a recommitment to international cooperation based on respect for international law.
Our cooperation with the League, in line with Chapter VIII of the Charter, itself is an important aspect of implementing the Pact. As highlighted last July at our biennal United Nations – League of Arab States General Cooperation Meeting, our strengthened cooperation extends across all pillars.
In this context, we look forward to the League’s hosting of our sixteenth sectoral meeting, on the theme of “Cooperation in the field of women’s rights and child protection in armed conflict” later this year.
In recent years, the UN has supported the League on the Youth, Peace and Security agenda, efforts that have culminated in the landmark Arab Regional Youth, Peace and Security Strategy and work towards a draft action plan for its implementation.
Implementing the strategy is an investment in the future of the entire region.
In a region where young women and men constitute as much as 60 per cent of the population, listening to their voices and offering them opportunities are vital steps that can help strengthen peace and stability.
Mister President,
The League of Arab States was founded in March 1945, several months before our own organization was established in October of that year. We have since enjoyed a strong partnership based on robust cooperation for decades, and we see this continuing far into the future.
We commit to continue our partnership with the League of Arab States to augment our joint efforts to improve the lives of people across the Arab region and beyond.
Thank you. Shukran
The United Nations and the League of Arab States are deepening their collaboration to tackle critical peace and security challenges in the Middle East and beyond, a senior UN political affairs official told the Security Council on Thursday.
