News

Two arson attacks and growing protests forced UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA to temporarily close its office in East Jerusalem this week, but its vital work will continue as war rages in Gaza and violence rises in the West Bank, Senior Communications Manager Jonathan Fowler told UN News on Friday.

A UN independent human rights expert warned on Friday that the recent increase in student protest attacks across campuses in the United States indicates an “erosion of intellectual freedom and democratic principles within educational settings.”

The first-ever UN civil society conference held in Africa wrapped up in Nairobi on Friday hearing calls for “bold and honest” conversations among governments and civil society to drive forward shared vision for reinvigorated multilateralism, a better world and a brighter future for all.

With the situation in Rafah “on a knife’s edge”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed again on Friday for Israeli and Hamas leaders “to demonstrate political courage and spare no effort” in reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza and free all hostages. 

The UN General Assembly is set to convene again at 10:00 AM New York time for an emergency special session on the Gaza crisis with the fate hundreds of thousands of civilians in Rafah hanging in the balance as Israeli forces continue their advance on the southern city.

With no let-up in the Israeli military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah into Friday and reports that hospitals there have begun emptying of patients and staff, UN humanitarians issued renewed calls for a ceasefire as “the only hope” to avert further bloodshed and suffering.

The head of the UN Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) has temporarily closed its headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem after an arson attack on Thursday following weeks of protests. 

The UN independent human rights expert on Somalia on Thursday called on authorities to step up efforts to address the country’s complex and serious security challenges.

‘Meaningful participation’ and ‘inclusion’ were the buzzwords at the opening on Thursday of a major UN conference in Nairobi, Kenya, where governments were urged to heed the diverse voices of civil society, which were well-placed to work alongside them in building a fairer and more just future.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to work with partners to address migration and forced displacement in the Americas.