urgent Archives - Page 2 of 6

Myanmar: UN chief calls for urgent access as quake toll mounts

·April 4, 2025·3 min read

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the earthquake has “supercharged the suffering”. “Myanmar today is the scene of utter devastation and desperation,” he said. He emphasised that even before the disaster, the country was grappling with political turmoil, human rights abuses and...

Myanmar quake: UN calls for urgent protection for vulnerable women and girls

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·April 3, 2025·3 min read

As emergency aid trickles in, women and girls who were already vulnerable due to years of conflict, displacement and economic instability, now face even greater risks from gender-based violence and exploitation, according to a UN-led coalition responding to the crisis. “Girls are particularly vulnerable, especially when separated from their families...

‘Perfect storm’ in South Sudan demands urgent action, says Guterres

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·March 31, 2025·1 min read

“All the dark clouds of a perfect storm have descended upon the people of the world’s newest country – and one of the poorest,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. After finally gaining independence from neighbouring Sudan in July 2011, civil war broke out in South...

LIVE NOW: ‘Abject fear’ returns to Gaza, Security Council hears, as UN calls for urgent renewal of ceasefire and hostage releases

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·March 19, 2025·1 min read

The UN Security Council met in New York on Tuesday on the Middle East crisis, exactly two months since the start of the fragile Gaza ceasefire and hostages deal came into effect. That’s been shattered by deadly Israeli airstrikes overnight following a two-week aid blockade which has strained critical supplies....

Alarming trends in nuclear material trafficking highlight urgent security gaps

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·March 2, 2025·1 min read

New data released on Friday from the UN-backed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reveals that while the overall number remains consistent with previous years, the continued incidents of trafficking and radioactive contamination cases raises concerns over nuclear security. Three of the reported cases were directly linked to trafficking or malicious...

Urgent appeal launched as DR Congo crisis fuels mass displacement to Burundi

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·February 22, 2025·2 min read

As fighting escalates in eastern DRC, more than 40,000 Congolese refugees – primarily women and children – have crossed into Burundi since February, with over 9,000 arrivals recorded in a single day this week. Many are using makeshift boats to traverse the Rusizi River, a perilous crossing at the border...

Humanitarians underscore need for urgent and sustained support in Gaza

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·February 17, 2025·2 min read

OCHA cited Gaza’s Ministry of Health which stressed that oxygen supplies are critically needed to keep emergency, surgical and intensive care services running at hospitals, including Al Shifa and Al Rantisi hospitals in Gaza City. “Health partners are engaging with the authorities to bring in generators, spare parts and equipment...

DR CONGO CRISIS LIVE: Security Council hears call for ‘urgent and coordinated international action’ over Goma

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·January 28, 2025·1 min read

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”....

Staggering scale of Sudan crisis ‘demands sustained and urgent attention’

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·December 21, 2024·2 min read

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...

Syria: UN chief calls for urgent de-escalation by Israeli forces, withdrawal from Golan buffer zone

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·December 13, 2024·1 min read

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...

Record heat persists as WMO calls for urgent services and investment boost

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·November 8, 2024·1 min read

“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...

Adapt or perish: UN calls for urgent action at COP29 climate summit

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·November 7, 2024·3 min read

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,...