United Nations Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres called Wednesday for Israel and Hamas to prolong a temporary truce, saying a âtrue humanitarian cease-fireâ is needed in the eight-week-old war. Meanwhile, a last-minute deal was struck on Thursday between Israel and Hamas to continue their cease-fire for a seventh day.
November 2023
A new United Nations report published Tuesday details a further, shocking rise in gang violence in Haiti as criminal gangs forge alliances and expand to rural areas previously considered safe â killing, raping, kidnapping, and destroying property, among other human rights abuses. The report, released by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), calls for the urgent deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission authorized by the UN Security Council in October, in accordance with international human rights norms and standards.
The United Nations and humanitarian partner organizations have today launched the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for South Sudan, targeting 6 million children, women, and men with the most acute needs. In the forthcoming year, 9 million people in the country - a slight decrease from 2023 - are projected to be in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. Among those requiring humanitarian aid will be 4.9 million children.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday urged all actors in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo) to stop the violence that is taking an enormous toll on the civilian population, in particular children. Violent clashes between non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and government forces have forcibly displaced more than 450,000 people in the last six weeks in Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu Province.
A scheduled four-day truce in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas came into effect Friday morning at 7 a.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT). According to Qatari officials, who brokered the deal, the truce includes a comprehensive cease-fire in north and south Gaza. According to the deal, which was reportedly facilitated by Egypt and the United States, 50 women and children, who were abducted from Israel by Hamas on October 7, are to be released in exchange for Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli prisons.
Seven years after the historic peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), entire remote communities remain caught in an endless cycle of conflict and confinements. The international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today strongly urged armed groups to cease confinement strategies, allowing people to regain fundamental rights and essential services.
The United Nations and partner agencies renewed a call Tuesday for countries to immediately suspend mass deportations of Afghan nationals, citing the onset of a harsh winter and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The call comes amid reports that Iran and Pakistan have collectively forced out more than 500,000 Afghans over the past two months, with the number of deportees growing by the day.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning of a looming halt to its food and nutrition assistance to 1.4 million crisis-affected populations in Chad â including newly arrived Sudanese refugees - due to funding constraints. Today's warning comes as aid agencies scramble to respond to a fresh wave of Sudanese refugees fleeing the unimaginable humanitarian crisis unfolding in neighboring Darfur amid reports of mass killings, rapes, and widespread destruction.
UN chief AntĂłnio Guterres says the number of civilians killed in Israelâs war on the Gaza Strip has been âunparalleled and unprecedentedâ compared to any other conflict since he took office in 2017. The statement comes as de-facto authorities in Gaza reported today that more than 13,300 people have been killed in the tiny enclave since October 7. The casualty numbers include more than 5, 600 children, which means that more than 100 children are killed daily by indiscriminate and disproportionate Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land.
The United Nations expressed its deep concern Friday about clashes, which erupted on Monday between armed groups in Haitiâs capital Port-au-Prince. The fighting affected the neighborhood of CitĂ© Soleil and its surroundings, including hospitals and health centers; there were reportedly many casualties, as well as incidents of sexual violence, the burning of houses and serious human rights violations.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says it is closely monitoring developments in Myanmar, where anti-military armed groups and their allies have made significant advances, and several hundred soldiers had reportedly chosen to lay down their weapons. In the fighting so far, around 70 people have been reportedly killed and over 90 wounded, with more than 200,000 internally displaced since the end of October.
The United Nations Security Council overcame weeks of inaction and bickering Wednesday to issue a call for "extended humanitarian pauses" in the Gaza Strip, especially for the protection of children, only to have the Israeli government immediately reject the measure. Meanwhile, Israeli bombardments from the air, sea, and land continue across Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians every day; the majority of them are children and women.
Hospitals in Gaza are on the verge of total shutdown as more have come under intense bombardment. Almost two thirds of all hospitals in Gaza are now completely out of service, and the rest are struggling to keep functioning while civilian casualties continue to rise. Bombardments and armed clashes around the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City have intensified since Saturday afternoon.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it is gravely concerned at the latest developments in Sudan as fighting escalates in the Darfur region. UNHCR warned Friday it was receiving deeply alarming reports of continued sexual violence, torture, arbitrary killings, extortion of civilians and targeting of specific ethnic groups in the region.
The United Nations reports that intense fighting in Myanmarâs northern Shan providence continues and has now extended to the north-west of the country. Within two weeks, some 90,000 people have been displaced in northern Shan and the region of Sagaing. In its latest situation report released Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a combination of âactive conflict, monsoon floods, and access barriersâ is worsening the humanitarian situation facing vulnerable communities nationwide.
With nearly 1.2 million people in Somalia already affected by heavy rains and flooding and more expected, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released US$25 million on Thursday to help people in the country brace against the impact of these disasters. OCHA reported Wednesday that torrential rains and floods have displaced some 335,000 men, women and children from their homes.
Collective punishment refers to the imposition of penalties, sanctions, or punitive measures on a group of people â such as families, communities, ethnic groups, populations, or nations - as a whole, rather than on individuals who may be responsible for a specific offense. This practice is considered a violation of principles of justice and human rights, as criminal responsibility can be attributed only to individuals. The concept behind collective punishment is to hold an entire group accountable for the actions of a few individuals within that group.
A senior official from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Tuesday warned that "an unimaginable humanitarian crisis" was unfolding in Sudan, with millions of people being forcibly displaced from their homes by an increasingly vicious conflict. Since the conflict started more than six months ago, over 6.2 million people have become displaced inside Sudan or have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
The Geneva Conventions are a series of international treaties that establish the legal framework for the protection of individuals who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities during armed conflicts. The conventions follow on the first adopted in 1864 in Geneva, Switzerland, and have been revised and expanded over the years. The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 are at the core of International Humanitarian Law.
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the laws of war or the law of armed conflict, is a set of rules and principles that aim to limit the effects of armed conflict and protect individuals who are not or are no longer taking part in the hostilities. It seeks to balance military necessity with humanitarian considerations, minimizing unnecessary suffering and safeguarding the rights of civilians and other non-combatants.
The heads of more than a dozen United Nations agencies and international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have issued a rare joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Gaza officials reported today that more than 10,000 Palestinians - including more than 4,100 children - have been killed since October 7 by Israelâs retaliatory attacks against the tiny enclave.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that the situation for civilians in Sudanâs volatile Darfur region is worsening as fighting between the countryâs two rival armed groups escalates and intercommunal tensions rise. OCHA reported Friday that renewed clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur âhave killed dozens of civilians and wounded many more; thousands have been displaced and civilian property has been destroyed or damaged.â
United Nations Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres says the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is horrific, as Israelâs siege on the small enclave and the denial of access to humanitarian aid for its 2.2 million inhabitants continue. Meanwhile, Israeli ground operations in northern Gaza are ongoing, with troops and tanks reportedly surrounding Gaza City from multiple directions. Intense bombardments continue across the Gaza Strip, including in central and southern areas, killing hundreds of civilians every day, the majority of them are children and women.
Climate change threatens to reverse decades of progress toward better health and well-being, particularly in the most vulnerable communities, according to a new report by the UN weather agency. In its annual State of Climate Services report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday warned that the climate crisis was generating a global health crisis and said that many ill effects of climate change could be tempered by adaptation and prevention measures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that disease outbreaks, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases are rising in war-torn Sudan, with devastating consequences for millions of people forced to flee their homes in the face of escalating violence. Since conflict erupted April 15, some 6 million people have become displaced inside Sudan or have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warn that acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots â comprising a total of 22 countries or territories including two regions â during the period from November 2023 to April 2024.