Rising food prices, growing displacement and disruptions to global supply routes are placing millions of people across the Middle East at greater risk of hunger, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), which warns that the humanitarian system is struggling to keep pace with expanding needs.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday he was appalled by the devastating impact on civilians of increasing drone attacks in Sudan, amid reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drones since 4 March alone, in the Kordofan region and White Nile state.
The UN chief on Thursday urged all combatants to cease hostilities in the Middle East, uphold international law, protect civilians and make an immediate return to the negotiating table.
Scores of Ukrainian children are still missing after being deported far and wide across Russia and occupied territories while their families continue to search for them, human rights investigators said on Thursday.
Lebanon is facing a “perfect storm of unpredictable challenges” as conflict, mass displacement and dwindling humanitarian resources converge, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, has warned.
As war continues in the Middle East, the UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a Bahrain-led resolution condemning Iranian attacks on several regional states, while a separate draft resolution introduced by Russia on the wider crisis failed to pass.
The crisis in the Middle East continues to reverberate across the region and beyond. Oil prices have climbed to around $100 a barrel as attacks on shipping and energy infrastructure disrupt key supply routes. Strikes and counterstrikes between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran continue, while ships have reportedly been hit in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, raising fears of wider shocks to global markets. Meanwhile, UN agencies are expanding humanitarian relief efforts as displacement rises and civilian needs grow across the region. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The UN’s emergency relief chief on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war in the Middle East, at a time when humanitarian needs are soaring and aid funding is falling dangerously short.
As the war in the Middle East enters its twelfth day, the UN has continued to call for all parties to ensure that civilians are protected across the region, in line with international law and the United Nations Charter. Stay with us for updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow the coverage here
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned accounts of “gruesome killings” of civilians in South Sudan, the destruction and poisoning of key water sources and fresh waves of mass displacement.
Around two-thirds of children worldwide report an increase in cyberbullying, with one in two say they don’t know how to get the right support, according to a recent poll carried out by the UN’s top official who works to end violence against children.
The UN chief on Tuesday applauded civil society groups for “shaking the foundations of privilege” in a male-dominated world, addressing a range of questions during a townhall meeting on the margins of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at UN Headquarters.