United Nations

More than 450 civilians were killed in recent “horrific attacks” in Sudan’s North Kordofan state which the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned in the strongest possible terms. 

New evacuation orders in Gaza issued by the Israeli military have uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians, amid ongoing bombardment, aid agencies have warned.

The ongoing 21-month-long war in Gaza has seen more than 58,000 killed and 100,000 wounded as Israeli attacks continue amid rising numbers of child deaths from malnutrition. In recent weeks, UN agencies have recorded nearly 900 deaths of desperate and hungry Gazans as they try to collect food – with most linked to private aid hubs run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Intensifying clashes in Sudan’s Kordofan region between rival militaries have killed hundreds and wounded many more in recent days, warned the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) on Tuesday. 

Global demand for meat, dairy and fish is projected to climb steadily over the next decade, driven by rising incomes and urbanisation in middle-income countries.

Inter-ethnic violence in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida has been met with government intervention, Israeli airstrikes – and on Tuesday, a reported ceasefire announcement by Syria’s defence minister. 

First, it was floods that inundated fields and washed away crops. Then, it was drought which led the levels of lakes to plummet and the crops to shrivel. 

Relentless missile and drone strikes by Russian forces have killed and injured hundreds of civilians in Ukraine this month, continuing a devastating pattern of attacks far from the frontlines.

Nearly 900 desperate and hungry Gazans have been killed in recent weeks trying to fetch food, with most deaths linked to private aid hubs run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

The Security Council on Monday renewed the mandate of the UN mission in Yemen’s key port city of Hudaydah, as regional tensions spike and international concern mounts over recent Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Escalating violence, displacement and heavy rains are deepening the needs of civilians caught in the war in Sudan, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Monday. 

Amid runaway gang violence and crumbling state authority, the Security Council on Monday unanimously extended the mandate of the UN’s political mission in Haiti until the end of the year. Aid agencies remain deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis playing out across the Caribbean island nation.

Clashes on Sunday between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militia have reportedly left at least 30 dead in Syria’s predominantly-Druze city of Sweida. 

Global life expectancy increased by an astonishing five years between 2000 and 2019. And then since the COVID-19 pandemic, it slid backwards by almost two. More than 110 million children have entered school since 2015 – but by 2023, 272 million children still had no access to the classroom. 

The head of UN child rights agency UNICEF has called for Israel to review its rules of engagement in Gaza after seven children were killed while waiting for water at a distribution point. 

A breakthrough HIV drug that only needs to be injected twice a year to offer near-total protection from the virus and developing AIDS should be made available “immediately” at pharmacies, clinics and via online consultations, the UN health agency said on Monday.

As the deadline for the 2030 Agenda looms, ministers, experts, and civil society leaders from around the world will convene in New York next week for a high-level UN forum to fast-track action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Garment factories around the world which have signed up to implement UN-backed labour standards may simply stop investing in improving working conditions, due to widespread uncertainty over tariff levels, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Smurfs are back – and this time they are smurfing up a global storm. Teaming up with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Paramount Pictures, the iconic blue characters are leading a campaign that encourages children and grownups everywhere to “Speak Up” for a better world.

The fuel crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, threatening to bring all humanitarian operations to a halt and endangering the lives of everyone reliant on aid inside the enclave, UN agencies warned in a powerful joint statement on Saturday.