In a briefing to the Security Council, Tor Wennesland emphasised the urgent need for all sides to change course. “We must reach an agreement to release the hostages and put in place an immediate ceasefire. There is absolutely no time to lose,” he said, stressing that halting the fighting is essential for a comprehensive humanitarian…
This time it was an “arson attempt by Israeli children and young people on UNRWA”, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a social media post on Tuesday. “This has got to stop,” he said. Last Thursday evening, Mr. Lazzarini said Israeli residents had set fire twice to the perimeter of the UNRWA headquarters when staff from several…
For roughly two months, demonstrations have been held outside the East Jerusalem compound, which is in an area where many Israeli settlements are located. The situation came to a head on Thursday evening when Israeli residents lit fires at two locations on the perimeter of the grounds. Mr. Fowler was among the small number of…
Posting on social media, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said “Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter” on Thursday evening. UNRWA personnel and staff from other UN agencies were inside the compound at the time. “Our director with the help of other staff had to put out the fire themselves as it took the Israeli fire extinguishers and police a while…
In an alert, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that torrential rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and mudslides while also severely damaging roads, bridges and dams. More than 637,000 people have been affected by weeks of deluges including 234,000 displaced in just the last five days. There is no official figure for the number of…
The experts detailed the far-reaching impacts of the violence and lawlessness that has led to chaos across the capital, Port-au=Prince, and other areas under gang control this year. “The outbreak of violence in Haiti has resulted in loss of livelihoods and food insecurity, widespread and multiple displacement, the collapse of education, breakdown of healthcare and…
Torrential rains could worsen with the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Hidaya, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Friday. Prepare for impact The tropical cyclone is the first of its kind to develop in eastern Africa and is due to have a “very big impact”, WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis told journalists in Geneva. She said Tanzania was expected to suffer in particular…
In a statement released late on Wednesday the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had been deeply distressed to hear of the hundreds of lives lost and many others affected by the deluge in Kenya as well as Burundi, Somalia, Tanzania and other parts of East Africa. He extended his condolences to the Governments and…
“The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond,” he said in a statement issued by his Office. Echoing those concerns, UN atomic energy agency chief Rafael Grossi urged “extreme restraint”…
“Failure to make progress towards a two-State solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region, who will continue to live under the constant threat of violence,” he said. Regional conflict, global impact With the Middle East “on a precipice”, he appealed for maximum restraint, warning against the…
