More than 170 people were killed and over 200 more injured, many with grievous burns and in a critical condition, in an explosion at a crowded fuel depot along the route taken by those entering Armenia last Monday. ‘Heart-breaking’ scenes WHO Special Envoy Robb Butler, who visited a burns treatment centre in the Armenian capital,…
“I am appealing to the international community to avail resources to help refugees and displaced persons who crossed into South Sudan,” Mr. Kiir told world leaders attending the UN General Assembly’s annual debate. He added: “While the world is dealing with multiple crisis, we call for a provision of sustained support to these displaced persons…
He called for solidarity with the people of the two countries and spoke of the tragedy of people looking desperately for their loved ones for days on end. In Libya, “some have lost 50 or more family members”, he said. Immediate deployment Asked whether the UN was “ready” when disaster struck, Mr. Griffiths answered: “unequivocally,…
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that the UN was ready to assist the Government in any way needed, to help those impacted. According to the UN humanitarian hub Reliefweb, the powerful quake struck shortly after 10pm local time, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale at a depth of 18.5…
Since the crisis began when rival military groups clashed in mid-April, projections of growing numbers of people trying to escape fighting have sharply spiked upwards. “The crisis has triggered an urgent demand for humanitarian assistance, as those arriving in remote border areas find themselves in desperate circumstances due to inadequate services, poor infrastructure and limited…
“The Bahamas needs long-term financial planning to address its climate vulnerability and economic dependence on tourism,” said Attiya Waris, the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt, international financial obligations and human rights, in a statement at the end of a 10-day visit to the country. Financial aid challenges Ms. Waris noted that The Bahamas’ status as a…
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was speaking at the opening of the first global conference on the topic. Corruption costs the world roughly $2.6 trillion annually, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) – money that could go towards fighting hunger, providing healthcare, and ensuring all children have access to quality education. “Developing a…
Fuelled by record temperatures and high winds, the deadly fires that began across the country in July have so far claimed 27 lives, including two children – both asylum seekers, according to news reports. They were among 18 bodies discovered by Greek authorities on 22 August in the national forest of Dadia, in the northeast,…
This week marks six years since over 700,000 mostly-Muslim Rohingya men, women, and children joined the hundreds of thousands of others already sheltering in Bangladesh, following a brutal crackdown by security forces in Myanmar. As humanitarian conditions in the world’s largest refugee settlement worsen, however, the challenges surrounding this protracted crisis continue to increase. Funds…
Ted Chaiban of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and Edem Wosornu with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, briefed journalists on their recent mission to the country and Chad, one of several neighbouring nations hosting some 900,000 people who fled the violence. Fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) recently…
