“As we move into 2023, the Syrian people remain trapped in a profound humanitarian, political, military, security, economic and human rights crisis of great complexity and almost unimaginable scale,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. Outlining recent developments, he reiterated his previous calls for calm on the ground, good faith engagement in Syria’s stalled Constitutional Committee…
The UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA is calling for $4.3 billion to reach the 17.3 million most vulnerable people in need, whose lives have been turned upside down because of protracted war, displacement and economic collapse, compounded by recurrent natural disasters. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebels took the capital, Sana’a, forcing…
Presenting his latest report, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan updated ambassadors on proceedings against Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as “Ali Kushayb”, charged with 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These atrocities were allegedly committed during the Darfur conflict which began in 2003, pitting Sudanese Government forces, backed by militia groups known…
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has published a joint assessment of the situation in Afghanistan, warning that women and girls are at risk of persecution under the Taliban regime. In the light of this review, the country guidance that has been issued under the Afghan women have been declared eligible for refugee status…
More than 150 people have died due to severe cold weather in Afghanistan. Taliban officials say that the death toll has doubled in less than a week due to the extreme cold. Taliban officials said that around 70,000 cattle across Afghanistan have also died due to severe cold. According to the US media, millions of…
Globally, the number of victims detected fell by 11 per cent in 2020 from the previous year, driven by fewer detections in low and medium-income countries. The number of convictions for trafficking offences also fell by 27 per cent over the same period, accelerating a longer-term trend registered by UNODC since 2017. Sharper decreases were registered…
Head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, told journalists in Geneva that competing global crises, and skyrocketing levels of poverty and unemployment among Palestine refugees, have put immense strain on them – and the agency – which started the year some $70 million in arrears. “On the one hand we are asked to deliver public-like services to…
He called for countries to deliver education systems “that can support equal societies, dynamic economies and the limitless dreams of every learner in the world.” Data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) shows that some 244 million boys and girls are still out of school this year. Additionally, 70 per cent of…
The UN fears risk of these atrocities is heightened given current global crises that include conflict, soaring food and energy costs, and deepening inequalities and tensions, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. In her opening remarks, ECOSOC President Lachezara Stoeva highlighted how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, together with global commitment…
“Years of hard-fought recovery gains are being undone, and Haitians are grappling with setting the country back on a path to democracy,” said Helen La Lime, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti. Turf wars Briefing the 15-member Council, Ms. La Lime said more than 2,100 murders and some 1,300 kidnappings were reported in 2022,…
