General Assembly meets over Gaza veto by US in Security Council
Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang of Senegal, holding the gavel in the General Assembly Hall and deputizing for President Dennis Francis, read out a statement on his behalf. General Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang chairs the Emergency Special Session meets on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Mr. Francis said he…
Read MoreAid relief is arriving in Gaza but ‘too little, too late’, warns WHO
“Even if there is no ceasefire, you would expect humanitarian corridors to operate… in a much more sustained way than what’s happening now,” said Sean Casey, Emergency Medical Teams Coordinator for the World Health Organization (WHO), speaking from Rafah in southern Gaza. Humanitarian assistance – and particularly food – is desperately needed across Gaza, particularly in…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief, Bangladesh democracy call, accountability for Israeli victims of sexual violence, plastic pollution in the Antarctic, powering Ukraine
High Commissioner Volker Türk voiced his concern that Sunday’s poll which saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secure a fifth term in office, was “marred by violence and repression of opposition candidates and supporters”, according to a press release from rights office OHCHR. “In the months leading up to the vote, thousands of opposition supporters have…
Read MoreGaza crisis: another hospital facing dire shortages, warns WHO
In central Gaza, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Sunday that medics at the only functioning hospital in Deir al Balah governorate “had been forced to cease lifesaving and other critical activities…and leave” after an evacuation order issued amid “increasing” Israeli military activity. Only five doctors reportedly remain at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the…
Read MoreTrans in Türkiye: The UN ‘breathed life back into my dreams’
first glance, one would not notice the tumultuous journey that Shiraz has faced in order to find her place in the world. She is studying programming, and dreams of becoming a heart surgeon. She enjoys belly dancing, with her TikTok videos racking up thousands of views and likes. However, the perceptive observer would notice scars…
Read MoreThe price of peace and development: Paying for the UN
The UN is tasked with tackling many urgent issues of global importance, from humanitarian crises to peacekeeping operations and the climate crisis. This all comes at a cost, but not as much as you might think. With the 2024 budget recently approved, we crunch the numbers.
Read MoreWorld News in Brief: Griffiths demands end to ‘ruinous’ Sudan conflict, Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange, Iran bombings latest
The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said in a statement that as the conflict continues to spread “human suffering is deepening, humanitarian access is shrinking and hope is dwindling.” He said a grim turning point between government troops and their rival RSF militia has been reached with the recent fighting in Aj Jazirah state, the country’s…
Read MoreWorld News in Brief: Gaza relief ‘an impossible mission’, COVID spreading fast again, food prices fall
“Its people are witnessing daily threats to their very existence – while the world watches on”, warned Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths in a statement, adding that “hope has never been more elusive” amidst deteriorating conditions. “The humanitarian community has been left with the impossible mission of supporting more than two million people, even as…
Read MoreGaza: Nearly 600 healthcare attacks since start of war, says WHO
Some 613 people have died within facilities as a result since 7 October last year and more than 770 have been injured, according to latest data on healthcare attacks from the World Health Organization (WHO). Condemning the continuing fighting and bombardment, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that the “ongoing reduction of humanitarian space plus the…
Read MoreStories from the UN Archive: Stevie Wonder’s boost for World Braille Day
“Yet, out of millions of publications each year, fewer than five per cent are made available in accessible formats for visually impaired persons in developing countries,” he added. The global superstar, who lost his sight shortly after birth, was designated as a Messenger of Peace in 2009 with a focus on persons with disabilities. He…
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