At least 71 civilians have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon since the 27 November 2024 ceasefire, according to an initial review by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Among the dead are 14 women and nine children. More than 92,000 people remain...
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference in Geneva, Tedros said that in around 25 per cent of countries, some health facilities have had to close completely due to cuts, according to figures from more than 100 countries compiled by WHO. Severe disruptions Out-of-pocket payments for health services have led to...
Speaking at an event commemorating Sunday’s International Day of Zero Waste, Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action to curb the textile industry’s devastating impact on the planet. “Dressing to kill could kill the planet,” he stressed. The fashion industry is one of the world’s most polluting sectors, responsible for...
The death toll for under-fives was 4.8 million in 2023 – a significant decline – with stillbirths falling marginally to around 1.9 million, data released by the UN shows. Despite this, decades of hard-won progress in child survival is under threat as a result of funding cuts, health system challenges...
“We will see a …real surge in this disease – [we] will see it come back, and we see people dying the way we saw them in the 90s and in 2000s,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima who noted a “tenfold increase” from the 600,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded globally...
21 March marks the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and honours the legacy of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, when South African police opened fire on a peaceful protest against apartheid, killing 69 people. A toxic legacy Despite decades of progress, racism...
Briefing Member States in Rome, FAO officials called for urgent action to strengthen biosecurity, surveillance and rapid-response mechanisms to curb the outbreak. FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi stressed that the crisis threatens to have “serious impacts on food security and food supply in countries, including loss of valuable nutrition, rural...
Unanimously adopting resolution 2777 (2025), the 15-member council stressed the “critical importance” of a continued presence of UNAMA and other UN agencies across Afghanistan. The council also expressed appreciation for the UN’s long-term commitment to the country and its people, reiterating its full support for UNAMA and the Special Representative...
“This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, told ambassadors in the Security Council. Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and...
The agency said that despite the huge influx of humanitarian goods into Gaza during phase one of the ceasefire which began on 19 January, it has not been enough to make up for the 15 months of war when supply convoys were frequently blocked, impeded or cancelled by the Israeli...
Data from gender-based violence service providers in Sudan reveals the scale of the horror: more than 220 reported cases of child rape since the start of 2024. “Children as young as one being raped by armed men should shock anyone to their core and compel immediate action,” said UNICEF Executive...
In its 2024 Annual Report, released on Tuesday, the INCB explains that unlike plant-based drugs, these substances can be made anywhere, without the need for large-scale cultivation, making them easier and cheaper for traffickers to produce and distribute. The rise of powerful opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes – potent enough...