Ukraine: Dam destruction ‘monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe’: Guterres

Ukraine: Dam destruction ‘monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe’: Guterres

Water from the reservoir of the Kakhovka dam is also used to cool the nearby Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), Europe’s largest, which has been under constant threat since being occupied by Russian forces early in the conflict.  The UN Office in Ukraine tweeted that “thousands of people in Ukraine are in peril” following the major…

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Sudan: Crisis fuels ‘desperate’ situation for civilians, as Security Council demands unhindered humanitarian access

Sudan: Crisis fuels ‘desperate’ situation for civilians, as Security Council demands unhindered humanitarian access

In a press statement issued late on Friday, the UN Security Council expressed its “deep concern” over the continued clashes, condemning all attacks on civilians, and calling for “rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Sudan”. The 15-member body emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, and reaffirmed its backing for the UN transition mission…

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Sudan’s warring generals take ‘important first step’ on humanitarian protection

Sudan’s warring generals take ‘important first step’ on humanitarian protection

Volker Perthes – Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the country (UNITAMS) – underscored that the rival military leaderships had agreed to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and withdraw fighters from hospitals and medical facilities. Mr. Perthes also noted that the Sudanese…

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Guterres dispatches UN 'relief chief' to Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens

Guterres dispatches UN ‘relief chief’ to Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens

“The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan. We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan, and the broader region,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. The UN again urged the warring sides to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe…

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Sudan: UN aid operation continues amid dire humanitarian conditions

Sudan: UN aid operation continues amid dire humanitarian conditions

Ten days of fighting between rival military forces have had a devastating impact on the country’s population. The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warned that people are lacking food, water, medicines and fuel, power is limited, and the prices of essential items as well as transport have skyrocketed. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporter in…

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UN coordinator calls for urgent ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Sudan, as death toll mounts

UN coordinator calls for urgent ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Sudan, as death toll mounts

“I am horrified by the toll the clashes are having on civilians”, said Abdou Dieng. “At least 331 people have been killed nationwide, including five aid workers, and nearly 3,200 have been injured.” The fighting between troops from the national army and a powerful rival militia known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted six days ago, and…

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‘The world cannot abandon the people’: Top humanitarian official in Afghanistan

‘The world cannot abandon the people’: Top humanitarian official in Afghanistan

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said that amid severe underfunding, the move would “further undermine humanitarian partners’ ability to support the population, especially the most vulnerable such as women and girls”. “The world cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan at this precarious moment,” Dr. Alakbarov insisted, before urging the international community “not…

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Afghanistan still a grave humanitarian crisis, senior aid official says

Afghanistan still a grave humanitarian crisis, senior aid official says

Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, updated journalists in New York on developments in a country where 28 million people now depend on aid to survive.  Immense humanitarian needs  “Afghanistan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in 2023, notwithstanding, of course, the recent devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria,” he…

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