World News in Brief: Ethiopia food aid resumes, ‘Stop the Lies’ campaign against big tobacco, Syria ruling, climate action – key to peace

World News in Brief: Ethiopia food aid resumes, ‘Stop the Lies’ campaign against big tobacco, Syria ruling, climate action – key to peace

WFP food aid in the country, which was suspended in June, will aim to reach 3.2 million people after the relaunch. ‘Working around the clock’ WFP chief Cindy McCain said that the agency’s teams and partners “have been working around the clock to get to this point.” The UN agency’s new approach will rely on…

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Gaza: Lack of fuel threatening to shut down entire humanitarian operation

Gaza: Lack of fuel threatening to shut down entire humanitarian operation

In a wide-ranging briefing to journalists in Geneva, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reiterated calls for a ceasefire and addressed misinformation targeting the agency, including claims that aid is being diverted. He said he has also received reports of UN schools being used “for military purposes”. Commitment in crisis During the briefing, Mr. Lazzarini said he had received reports that Gaza was under…

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Security Council reform a must, to end ‘paralysis’

Security Council reform a must, to end ‘paralysis’

Speaking at the Assembly’s annual debate assessing the UN’s premier forum for peace and security, Dennis Francis said that without structural reform, the Council’s performance and legitimacy will inevitably continue to suffer. “Violence and war continue to spread in regions across the world, while the United Nations seems paralyzed due largely to the divisions in…

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Stories from the UN Archive: Marlon Brando, the UN’s first frontman for water

Stories from the UN Archive: Marlon Brando, the UN’s first frontman for water

The Oscar-winning actor helped the UN amplify the need for clean water in a South American village in a unique podcast (even before they were called podcasts) almost 70 years ago. Soundcloud The Hollywood legend memorably narrated The Well of Happiness in 1956, following a UN-led project in the South American country long before the 2030 Agenda…

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Israel-Palestine crisis: UN emergency relief chief unveils 10-point plan ‘to rein in the carnage’

Israel-Palestine crisis: UN emergency relief chief unveils 10-point plan ‘to rein in the carnage’

The initiative from veteran aid chief Martin Griffiths, head of the UN aid coordination office OCHA, comes more than five weeks since Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took around 240 hostages. The full-scale Israeli siege and assault that followed has levelled thousands of buildings in Gaza and reportedly claimed more than 11,000…

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First Person: UNICEF chief in Gaza bears witness to grave violations against children

First Person: UNICEF chief in Gaza bears witness to grave violations against children

Catherine Russell visited Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the south of the besieged enclave on Wednesday. “Today I visited the Gaza Strip to meet with children, their families and UNICEF staff. What I saw and heard was devastating. They have endured repeated bombardment, loss and displacement. Inside the Strip, there is nowhere safe for Gaza’s one million children to turn.  The parties to…

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World News in Brief: Dozens dead in Yemen shipwreck, Pakistan expulsions ‘must stop’, FAO aids Sudan farmers

World News in Brief: Dozens dead in Yemen shipwreck, Pakistan expulsions ‘must stop’, FAO aids Sudan farmers

More than 64 people are missing and feared dead after the vessel they were travelling in capsized on Sunday. Approximately 90 migrants, including 60 women, were on board the vessel, which was heading to Yemen from the coast of Djibouti. Twenty-six survivors were rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard. Global cooperation needed  IOM is collaborating…

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