Ongoing hostilities across the Gaza Strip have been “particularly intense” in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians warned on Monday, as the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, reported that its shelters were now four times over-capacity.
Five countries have been awarded for their efforts towards eliminating mass-produced trans fats in food, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.
The international community’s failure to execute warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and subsequent lack of accountability are fuelling the violence stemming from the war between rival militaries in Sudan, ICC Prosecutor told the UN Security Council on Monday.
Continuing intercommunal clashes in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan have left more than 50 people dead including two peacekeepers, the UN said on Monday.
A humanitarian worker in Gaza has been documenting her struggles after being displaced on numerous occasions as she and her family flee ongoing bombardments by Israeli forces.
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Secretary-General António Guterres has asked the head of the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees, UNRWA, to “swiftly” investigate “extremely serious allegations” that several agency staffers were involved in the 7 October terror attacks in southern Israel.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday declared that Palestinians had a right to be protected from acts of genocide, calling on Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent such actions and allow the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the war-shattered enclave.
Mass evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military to the people of Gaza continue to push them “into ever smaller areas” amid “ever-intensifying violence” in likely violation of international humanitarian law, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has warned of dramatic humanitarian suffering throughout Ukraine and worsening conditions as war-affected civilians suffer through the harsh winter.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday declared that Palestinians had a right to be protected from acts of genocide, calling on Israel to “take all measures within its power” to prevent such actions and allow the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid into the war-shattered enclave.
Yesterday, it was reported that a Russian IL-76 military transport plane crashed in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, near the border of Ukraine, killing everyone on board.
According to Russian authorities, the plane was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six Russian crew members and three Russian military personnel.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the plane may have been carrying missiles for Russia’s military system.
We understand both Russia and Ukraine are conducting separate investigations into the incident, and Ukraine has called for an international probe.
The United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports or the circumstances of the crash.
What is clear is that the incident took place in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war. To avoid further escalation, we urge all concerned to refrain from actions, rhetoric, or allegations that could further fuel the already dangerous conflict.
Mr. President,
In one month, we will mark the tragic milestone of two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine - in blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law.
And today is already the Security Council’s fourth meeting on Ukraine since the beginning of the year.
In recent weeks, the scale and intensity of attacks against Ukraine have only grown, highlighting the dangerous trajectory of the war.
Shelling and missile strikes on civilian areas continue to kill and maim civilians and cause massive destruction to critical infrastructure.
In total, since February 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 10,312 civilians killed, including 576 children, and 19,530 more injured, including 1,277 children.
These figures continue to rapidly rise. On 23 January, at least 18 civilians were reportedly killed, and more than 130 injured, in Russian missile strikes across Ukraine.
In Kyiv, the latest attacks injured civilians and caused damage to civilian buildings, including next to the United Nations office.
In Kharkiv, 10 civilians were reportedly killed and 66 injured. The city continues to experience repeated air strikes, and the consequences are devastating.
The recent month is the most intense in terms of attacks and civilian casualties that the city has experienced since September 2022.
Aerial assaults also caused loss and destruction in Dnipro and Odesa.
Furthermore, on Sunday, 21 January, 28 civilians were reportedly killed and 30 injured, in shelling on the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
Cross-border strikes are also reportedly expanding inside the Russian Federation, reaching beyond the immediate border regions.
The Secretary-General has been unambiguous in condemning all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur. They are prohibited under international law and must stop immediately.
The recent incident in the Belgorod region, with its claimed link to a planned prisoner exchange, reminds us of the plight of prisoners of war. We remain deeply concerned about their treatment.
Since February 2022, the UN has interviewed over 280 Ukrainian POWs who returned from Russian captivity. Just in the past week, our colleagues in the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine interviewed 31 prisoners of war who returned in early January.
What we hear in these interviews is harrowing.
Only very few had been able to communicate with their families during their internment.
Over 90 per cent say they were tortured.
Many said they did not receive enough food or medical treatment they urgently needed.
We continue to urge the Russian Federation to provide independent international monitors unfettered access to POWs.
The parties must fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. We commend Ukraine for the progress made in this regard.
Earlier this month, we welcomed the latest exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Notwithstanding the circumstances of yesterday’s incident, the fate of POWs should not be instrumentalized.
We urge the parties to continue pursuing exchanges of prisoners of war.
Families on both sides are waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.
Mr. President,
The war in Ukraine is a war of choice. Its tragic consequences are clear for all to see.
The longer it lasts, the more death and destruction it causes, and the more it eats away at the norms agreed to ensure and maintain a peaceful and secure world.
The United Nations remains ready to support any meaningful efforts to lay the groundwork for just, lasting and comprehensive peace – in line with the UN Charter, international law, and resolutions of the General Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. President.
War in Sudan is putting the future of its 24 million youngest citizens at risk, the Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country has warned.
Attacks on buildings in Gaza where terrified civilians are sheltering are “abhorrent and must stop immediately”, a top UN humanitarian official insisted on Thursday following a direct hit on a United Nations training centre.
The UN “is not in a position” to verify reports surrounding the crash of a Russian aircraft near the border with Ukraine, the Organization’s top political affairs official said on Thursday, calling on the warring sides to avoid fuelling “the already dangerous conflict.”
The UN expert working to eliminate rape during wartime has been invited to Israel by the Government to gather information on sexual violence reportedly committed in the context of the 7 October Hamas attacks and their aftermath.
Attacks against shipping in the Red Sea by Houthis are devastating for global trade and supply chains, already reeling under the impacts of the war in Ukraine and climate change-linked conditions in the Panama Canal, said the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD, on Thursday.
More than 8,400 people were victims of gang violence in Haiti last year, including killings, injuries and kidnappings – a 122 per cent increase over 2022, the UN Special Representative for the country told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Nine people were killed and 75 injured on Wednesday in a direct hit on a training centre turned shelter in southern Gaza run by the UN agency that assists Palestinians, UNRWA, according to initial reports.
The UN Security Council will hold a second day of debate on Wednesday in search of an end to the devastating conflict in Gaza amid growing tensions in the Middle East, as UN humanitarians reiterated grave concerns for extremely vulnerable Palestinians forced once again to flee the war and evacuation orders.
When fighting between rival militaries erupted last April across the Sudanese capital, UN worker Mohammed Ginish went from providing humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons to becoming displaced himself in Port Sudan, along with many of his colleagues.
Work harder to end the war in Gaza and recognize the State of Palestine were the messages once more from many countries on Wednesday, taking part in the two-day Security Council debate over the Middle East crisis.
In just a matter of years, Africa has become the “global epicentre of terrorism”, with groups such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates exploiting local conflicts and fragilities to serve their own ends, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday, calling for violent extremism to be rooted out.
Houthi authorities in Yemen on Wednesday have ordered UN and other humanitarian staff holding US and UK passports to leave the country within a month.
Nine people were killed and 75 injured on Wednesday in a direct hit on a training centre turned shelter in southern Gaza run by UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinians, according to initial reports.
When fighting between rival militaries erupted last April across the Sudanese capital, UN worker Mohammed Ginish went from providing humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons to becoming displaced himself in Port Sudan, along with many of his colleagues.
Amid continuing heavy fighting in Gaza on Tuesday morning including reported attacks on hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians expressed deep concern for patients and others seeking treatment who had “no way in and out”.
Top diplomats debated the deepening crisis in the Gaza Strip and the whole Middle East in the UN Security Council on Tuesday against the backdrop of Israel’s unrelenting military operation, mounting death toll and escalating global calls for an immediate ceasefire. The UN Secretary-General told ambassadors and foreign ministers that any refusal to accept a two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict "must be firmly rejected", as the Council is poised to reconvene on Wednesday afternoon to hear more from the wider UN membership.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine on Tuesday condemned the latest round of Russian air strikes on the two biggest cities in the country, which killed at least seven people and wounded dozens more, according to news reports.
“Intense” Israeli bombardment in Gaza continued on Monday along with rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian armed groups as UN humanitarians reported that more than 25,000 have died in the enclave since war began on 7 October.
The human rights expert appointed by the UN High Commissioner to monitor Sudan, Radhoune Noucier, told UN News on Monday that everything from basic human rights to the economy and the legal system, have been decimated by the on-going war between rival militaries.
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Monday strongly condemned a weekend attack on the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine which left scores dead and injured.
“Intense” Israeli bombardment in Gaza continued on Monday along with rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian armed groups as UN humanitarians reported that more than 25,000 have died in the enclave since war began on 7 October.
Developing countries must lead efforts to reform outdated multilateral institutions and frameworks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to the third summit of the Group of 77 (G-77) and China, which opened in Kampala, Uganda, on Sunday.
Developing countries must lead efforts to reform outdated multilateral institutions and frameworks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to the third summit of the Group of 77 (G-77) and China, which opened in Kampala, Uganda, on Sunday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres repeated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages, in an address to the latest summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which concluded in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday.
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Women and children account for roughly 70 per cent of people killed in the war in Gaza, with two mothers killed every hour since hostilities erupted more than 100 days ago, according to a UN Women report published on Friday.
Unprecedented flooding in the Republic of the Congo has left more than 350,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Friday.
Babies are being “delivered into hell” in Gaza with many others likely dying as a result of conflict with Israel and increasingly dire conditions in the enclave, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.
The President of the UN General Assembly on Friday reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages as the “only credible course of action” to address the conflict.
