UN News - Humanitarian Aid
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
Deaths of children in northeast Syria ‘could have been averted’: UNICEF
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 02:06:28 -0400
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed “deep alarm” over reports that eight children – all under the age of five – have died in Syria’s Al Hol camp, where several thousand children are languishing in dire conditions.
Real Life Heroes: on a journey towards quality healthcare
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:30:05 -0400
In the remote Lamu region, on the northeast coast of Kenya, quality healthcare is hard to come by. Every month, medical staff from Safari Doctors, an NGO founded by Umra Omar, set sail on a boat filled with medicines, to provide free basic medicines to hundreds of marginalized inhabitants in several coastal villages.
Lebanon: WFP racing to help vulnerable, prevent food shortages
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 13:36:21 -0400
The World Food Programme (WFP) is racing to prevent food shortages in Lebanon as the country continues to reel from the triple shock of the devastating blast in Beirut, economic meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Real Life Heroes: heading into disaster, in the service of others
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:30:05 -0400
Growing up in Indonesia in the shadow of an active volcano, Agus Haryono has witnessed the deadly risks of living in a disaster-prone region. This prompted him to join the country’s Search and Rescue Agency, in the hope of saving lives, when disaster strikes.
Refugees also affected by Beirut blast as UN relief efforts continue
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:21:10 -0400
Dozens of refugees were among the victims of the deadly explosions at Beirut’s port a week ago that destroyed large areas of the Lebanese capital, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported on Tuesday.
Violence in Sudan’s Western Darfur forces 2,500 into Chad: UN refugee agency
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:52:11 -0400
Recent clashes in Sudan’s Western Darfur region has driven more than 2,500 people across the border into neighbouring Chad, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has reported.
‘You are not alone, we are in this together’, declare UN staffers in Lebanon
Mon, 10 Aug 2020 16:25:47 -0400
Last Saturday was another scorching August day in Lebanon’s shattered capital of Beirut, but UN staff members who had gathered outside UN House – itself damaged during the deadly port explosion - were determined to get straight to work, and stand in solidarity with the country they call home.
Guterres pledges continued UN support for Lebanon ‘in every possible way’
Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:36:24 -0400
The United Nations and humanitarian partners are working around the clock to support and mobilize emergency assistance in the aftermath of the deadly explosion in Beirut Port last Tuesday.
Beirut blast: ‘The faster we act, the better we can reduce human suffering,’ says UN deputy chief
Sun, 09 Aug 2020 11:27:05 -0400
To help Lebanon overcome the tragedy and recover better, “we will need all hands on deck”, deputy UN chief Amina Mohammed told a virtual donors conference on Sunday, convened to rally international support in the wake of last week’s massive explosion at the Beirut port, which killed some 150 people, wounded thousands and caused destruction throughout much of the city.
Beirut blast: Here’s how you can help the UN aid Lebanon's recovery
Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:15:40 -0400
After a devasting blast ripped through Beirut Port in Lebanon on Tuesday, wounding thousands and rendering hundreds of thousands homeless, the UN moved rapidly to step up its relief effort.
As Beirut rescuers search for survivors, UN warns of ‘huge’ needs
Fri, 07 Aug 2020 10:55:06 -0400
Across Lebanon, “the needs are immediate, and they are huge” in the aftermath of the explosion that destroyed Beirut city port, UN agencies said on Friday.
‘Immediate humanitarian assistance’ mobilized in force, to support Beirut after deadly blast
Thu, 06 Aug 2020 16:47:46 -0400
The response to Tuesday’s explosion in Beirut requires global support in order to “surmount the devastating impact” of the crisis facing the Lebanese people, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the country said on Thursday.
New humanitarian air service boosts COVID-19 response in the Pacific
Thu, 06 Aug 2020 13:13:27 -0400
A flight carrying protective masks, ventilators and other essential medical supplies for COVID-19 response, landed in Papua New Guinea on Thursday, marking the start of a humanitarian air service for the Pacific region, Governments and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have announced.
Philippines: UN and partners launch major COVID-19 response plan to aid 5.4 million
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:20:49 -0400
Prioritizing the safety and well-being of women and girls, the UN and partners launched on Tuesday a COVID-19 humanitarian response plan to assist some 5.4 million of the poorest and most marginalized people in the Philippines.
Across Sudan, heavy rains and flash floods destroy houses, wash away crops – UN relief wing
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 11:54:53 -0400
Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and vital infrastructure damaged due to riverine and flashfloods after heavy rains across large parts of Sudan, the United Nations relief wing has reported.
Storms, coronavirus pose ‘double threat’ for children in Central America and Caribbean – UNICEF
Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:44:20 -0400
Across Central America and the Caribbean, the more than 70 million children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic could soon face another threat – catastrophic hurricane storms, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday.
Ravages of acute hunger will likely hit six in 10 in Zimbabwe: WFP
Thu, 30 Jul 2020 11:43:38 -0400
The World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently seeking more international support to prevent millions of Zimbabweans plunging deeper into hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated an already severe hunger crisis in Zimbabwe, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.
Security Council: Poverty deepens, along with need, across Syria
Wed, 29 Jul 2020 15:47:25 -0400
Humanitarian operations across war-shattered Syria are reaching 6.8 million people a month, but a worsening economic crisis is deepening poverty and pushing more and more Syrians into humanitarian need, the Security Council heard Wednesday.
COVID-19 scapegoating triggers fresh displacement in Yemen, warns migration agency
Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:22:57 -0400
COVID-19 fears have prompted fresh displacement in war-torn Yemen, and forced many of those on the move to sell what little they have to survive, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
COVID-19: UN relief chief urges G20 to step up to avert ‘cascading crises’ in fragile countries
Thu, 16 Jul 2020 18:00:08 -0400
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession are set to trigger the first increase in global poverty in three decades, pushing 265 million people to the point of starvation by the end of the year, the UN’s top humanitarian official warned on Friday.
Yemen oil tanker wreck: Time running out to avert ‘looming environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe’
Wed, 15 Jul 2020 17:53:36 -0400
Time is fast running out for getting a UN team of experts aboard the Yemeni oil storage vessel Safer, before it spills its cargo of 1.148 million barrels of light crude oil into the Red Sea, triggering what would likely be a massive environmental and economic catastrophe, the Security Council heard on Wednesday.
In Yemen, thousands of Ethiopian migrants stranded, COVID-19 likely widespread
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 11:09:27 -0400
Tens of thousands of Ethiopian migrants have been stranded in war-ravaged Yemen where they continue to be subjected to arbitrary detention and exposure to COVID-19 infection, forcible relocation and abuse, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Women and girls deserve more protection in emergencies, UN rights council hears
Mon, 13 Jul 2020 09:54:22 -0400
The collective impact of climate change, COVID-19 and conflict mean that well over 200 million people will likely need humanitarian assistance by 2022, the UN’s deputy rights chief said on Monday.
BREAKING: Security Council extends for one year, lifesaving cross-border aid to Syria
Sat, 11 Jul 2020 19:16:53 -0400
On its fourth attempt this week, the Security Council has on Saturday, authorized for one year, cross-border humanitarian aid from Turkey into northwest Syria.
Lebanon ‘fast spiralling out of control’ leaving many destitute and facing starvation, warns Bachelet
Fri, 10 Jul 2020 12:05:22 -0400
Sounding the alarm over the crippling impact of “growing economic shocks, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic” in Lebanon, the UN human rights chief called on Friday for a unified response by politicians and the people to overcome the worsening socio-economic crisis there.
Finding hope in calamity: how UN humanitarians cope on the frontline
Fri, 10 Jul 2020 10:00:12 -0400
What does it take to help the world’s most vulnerable people, often in dangerous and unstable situations, and at considerable personal risk? In the latest season of the award-winning UN podcast, Awake At Night, host Melissa Fleming speaks to some of the Organization’s most prominent humanitarians to find out what motivates them, and how they cope.
Waiting to declare famine ‘will be too late for Yemenis on brink of starvation’
Fri, 10 Jul 2020 08:37:08 -0400
In Yemen, fears of famine have resurfaced as UN humanitarians also warned on Friday that 360,000 severely malnourished children could die unless they continue to get treatment and aid is stepped up. In an urgent appeal for funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that it needs $200 million per month to maintain assistance in the war-torn country.
Refugees in Africa ‘even more vulnerable than ever’ amid COVID crisis
Thu, 09 Jul 2020 11:13:52 -0400
Millions of refugees across Africa face even greater food insecurity because of aid disruption and rising food prices linked to the COVID-19 crisis, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.
Reggae classic ‘One Love’ re-issued to help children upended by COVID crisis
Wed, 08 Jul 2020 20:30:05 -0400
The iconic Bob Marley song One Love is to be re-released with the blessing of the musician’s family to support children whose lives have been upended by COVID-19, the UN said on Thursday.
Syria: Top UN officials appeal to donors to help end ‘shocking’ scale of suffering
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 16:16:52 -0400
The UN chief called on the world to step up “financial, humanitarian and political commitments”, to help end nearly a decade of brutal conflict and suffering across Syria, in a video message delivered to the fourth Brussels Donor Conference on Tuesday.