Israel-Palestine crisis has region ‘at a tipping point’: UN relief chief

Israel-Palestine crisis has region ‘at a tipping point’: UN relief chief

In a statement, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths described the scale and speed of the unfolding crisis as “bone-chilling”. UN agencies have been working round the clock since Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched an attack on Israel four days ago, prompting intensive strikes by Israel and a complete siege of the Gaza Strip….

Read More
Middle East crisis: Guterres appeals for end to 'vicious cycle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization'

Middle East crisis: Guterres appeals for end to ‘vicious cycle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization’

António Guterres was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York following  meeting with senior UN leaders on what he called the “unprecedented developments” in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  “Let me begin by repeating my utter condemnation of the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the…

Read More
Middle East crisis: UN engages parties as Security Council meets

Middle East crisis: UN engages parties as Security Council meets

As the 15-member Council prepared to meet, UN agencies were reporting that hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured following the early Saturday morning rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian militants. The ensuing Israeli response to the Hamas attacks included airstrikes in Gaza, where the UN agency operating there, UNRWA, had reported massive…

Read More
World News in Brief: Middle East crisis, Afghan quake, Karabakh refugee appeal

World News in Brief: Middle East crisis, Afghan quake, Karabakh refugee appeal

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concerns for the civilian population, urging maximum restraint and that “all diplomatic efforts” are made “to avoid a wider conflagration”. Dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries continued to be reported during the day, including from rocket fire by Palestinian militants in Israeli cities and Israel’s airstrike response in the…

Read More
First Person: How youth and forests tackle Honduras’ water crisis

First Person: How youth and forests tackle Honduras’ water crisis

Montserrat Xilotl, a Regional Technical Advisor in Climate Change Adaptation for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), explains why. Montserrat Xilotl, Regional Technical Advisor in Climate Change Adaptation for the UN Development Programme (UNDP). “Forests are nature’s water filters and storage systems. When rain falls, the trees, and vegetation capture and absorb it, allowing it to…

Read More
Sudan conflict creates world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis: UN aid official

Sudan conflict creates world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis: UN aid official

“The past six months have caused untold suffering in Sudan” and forced more than 5.4 million people from their homes, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, the UN official noted that approximately 30,000 a day have fled fighting, “some fleeing…

Read More
World News in Brief: 'Horrifying' attack on Ukrainian village, autonomous weapons ban, Sudan crisis

World News in Brief: ‘Horrifying’ attack on Ukrainian village, autonomous weapons ban, Sudan crisis

“The images arriving from the locality, home to just above 300 people, are absolutely horrifying,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown said in a statement issued shortly after the attack. Speaking on behalf of the UN and the humanitarian community, she expressed condolences to the bereaved families. “Our thoughts are also with the people of Ukraine,…

Read More
World News in Brief: Water ‘being taken for granted’, global teacher crisis, Nipah in India update

World News in Brief: Water ‘being taken for granted’, global teacher crisis, Nipah in India update

“We must stop taking water for granted,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said at the opening of the Rome Water Dialogue, focused on its critical role relating to soils, land, climate change, biodiversity and agriculture. With agriculture accounting for more than 70 per cent of the planet’s freshwater withdrawals, “by increasing efficiency, reducing negative impacts and…

Read More