With internal displacement at a record high, aid chief backs action call

With internal displacement at a record high, aid chief backs action call

Martin Griffiths was speaking at a review of humanitarian efforts to help people uprooted by conflict, climate change or other emergencies. He echoed concerns that help for the world’s internally displaced isn’t being delivered quickly enough by the United Nations and its partners, as escalating conflicts, large-scale disasters, water scarcity and food insecurity continue to…

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Diplomacy and national leadership crucial in preventing war, Security Council hears

Diplomacy and national leadership crucial in preventing war, Security Council hears

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told ambassadors at the Security Council that conflict prevention is a cornerstone of the UN’s mission. “Prevention saves lives and safeguards development gains. It is cost effective,” she said. Recalling the Secretary-General’s policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace, Ms. DiCarlo said prevention needed to be…

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World News in Brief: $850 million plan to support Rohingya refugees, child rights, Haiti aid update

World News in Brief: $850 million plan to support Rohingya refugees, child rights, Haiti aid update

The 2024 Joint Response Plan backed by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and migration agency, IOM, is led by the Government of Bangladesh. It seeks to alleviate the plight of around one million Rohingya refugees living in densely-populated camps in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char after they fled ethnic violence in…

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‘Historic milestone’ as child mortality hits record low of 4.9 million in 2022

‘Historic milestone’ as child mortality hits record low of 4.9 million in 2022

Figures released by the UN Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) reveal the global under-five mortality rate has declined by 51 per cent since 2000. Some countries such as Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia and Rwanda reduced under-five mortality rate by over 75 per cent over the time period. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell praised…

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World News in Brief: WFP boosts aid in Chad amid Sudan crisis, Ukraine education boost, counter-terrorism, the right to privacy

World News in Brief: WFP boosts aid in Chad amid Sudan crisis, Ukraine education boost, counter-terrorism, the right to privacy

The World Food Programme announced the operation on Tuesday and warned that lifesaving programmes in Chad will stop because of a funding crunch “in a matter of weeks”. Thousands of Sudan refugees continue to stream over the border into Chad to escape heavy fighting between warring generals that began last April.   Around one million…

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With internal displacement at a record high, aid chief backs action call

Chaos across Haiti amid high risk of famine

The lack of goods and resources is worsening an already precarious economic situation, with water and basic services being “stretched to the limit”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said. The UN Secretary-General called on all Haitian stakeholders to act responsibly and expressed appreciation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and partners’ for facilitating a way forward to resolve…

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5 ways to accelerate women’s economic empowerment

UN chief calls for global action to defend women’s rights amid disturbing trends

Addressing the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the pivotal forum dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the rights of women and girls worldwide, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the disproportionate impact of wars on women. “In conflict zones around the globe, women and girls are suffering most from wars waged by men,”…

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World News in Brief: Syria violence intensifying, heavy weapons threat in Myanmar, justice call for Thai lawyer

World News in Brief: Syria violence intensifying, heavy weapons threat in Myanmar, justice call for Thai lawyer

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry, which reports to the Human Rights Council, warned that fighting escalated on 5 October last year, when consecutive explosions at a military academy graduation ceremony in government-controlled Homs killed at least 63 people, including 37 civilians. The Syrian Government and Russian forces “responded with bombardments” that struck at least…

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