High Commissioner Volker Türk said the series of draft proposals before Israel’s Knesset raise grave concerns over discrimination, due process violations, and breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law. “When it comes to the death penalty, the United Nations is very clear, and opposes it under all circumstances,” he...
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain uprooted, many living in makeshift tents pitched on bare ground or squeezed into damaged buildings without reliable access to water, electricity, healthcare or sanitation. Winter rains have compounded the hardship, flooding shelters and turning camp pathways into heavy mud. Fragile hope Yet, amid the...
Heavy seasonal downpours are compounding an already dire humanitarian situation, as rainstorms cause war-damaged buildings to collapse, flood tents and soak people’s belongings, OCHA said. To respond swiftly to flood alerts, a coordinated system bringing together UN agencies and non-governmental organizations is distributing tents, tarpaulins, warm clothes, blankets and dignity...
The budget – approved by the 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday – authorizes $3.45 billion for the coming year, covering the Organization’s three core pillars of work: peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights. While the approved budget is roughly $200 million higher than the Secretary-General’s proposal prepared under...
The amendments, adopted on 29 December, to the Law to Cease UNRWA Operations “seek to further impede UNRWA’s ability to operate and carry out its mandated activities,” said a statement issued by the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “The Law and its amendments are inconsistent with the status and international legal framework...
Although COVID-19 no longer causes the widespread disruption seen during the global health emergency, the virus continues to hospitalize and kill people across Europe and neighbouring regions. Studies led by the WHO Regional Office for Europe confirm that people who receive timely booster doses are far less likely to develop...
According to MINUSCA, preliminary reports from observers indicate that more than 99 per cent of polling stations across the country opened as scheduled on election day. The transfer of envelopes containing the results from 19 prefectural capitals to the national capital, Bangui, is now underway, with logistical and security support...
Even as funding cuts, conflict and climate shocks strained health systems worldwide – disrupting essential services in many countries – governments and partners still recorded notable gains in disease control, prevention and preparedness. The UN health agency says the mixed picture of progress and pressure in 2025 underscores both what...
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), since 26 December, attacks nationwide also caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, leaving parts of the country without electricity, heating and water, as temperatures drop below zero. Across the country, authorities reported nearly 100 civilian casualties during this period....
In a statement, UNICEF identified the latest victim as seven-year-old Ata Mai; he drowned on 27 December during “severe flooding” in an improvised camp for internally displaced people in Sudaniyeh, northwest Gaza City. He is just the latest child in Gaza to succumb amid “extreme winter conditions and lack of...
The surge is unfolding against the backdrop of escalating conflict in eastern DRC, where renewed fighting has triggered mass displacement, eroded protection systems and deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis – placing children at heightened risk of abuse, exploitation and lasting trauma. UNICEF has repeatedly called for an immediate cessation...
Years of conflict, compounded by worsening food insecurity, recurrent natural disasters, climate change impacts and large-scale returns of displaced people, have left an estimated 45 per cent of the population – some 21.9 million people – in need of humanitarian assistance next year. Of those, 17.5 million people – more...
