UN News - Humanitarian Aid
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
Yemen: Combatants ‘have to find strength’ to end fighting, says UN humanitarian official
Sun, 18 Oct 2020 07:49:28 -0400
Parties to the conflict in Yemen must do more to protect civilians, a senior UN humanitarian official there has said, as the number of civilian deaths has witnessed a sharp rise over the last few weeks in the war-ravaged country.
Violence, COVID-19, contribute to rising humanitarian needs in the Sahel
Fri, 16 Oct 2020 15:01:30 -0400
A surge in armed violence, coupled with the economic and social fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to worsening conditions for children in the Central Sahel, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Friday.
An ‘airlift of hope’ in Yemen, UN envoy tells Security Council
Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:49:24 -0400
An “airlift of hope” agreed by Yemen’s warring parties to return more than 1,000 detainees to their families has been welcomed by UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, who has urged both sides to agree to further peace-building measures.
Thousands displaced by fighting in southern Afghanistan
Wed, 14 Oct 2020 05:47:38 -0400
Thousands of people have been displaced and critical health services interrupted, after fighting erupted last weekend between security forces and Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the UN humanitarian office has reported.
FROM THE FIELD: Cultivating a response to disasters in Malawi
Tue, 13 Oct 2020 12:40:04 -0400
Farmers in Malawi who are struggling with the dual threats of climate change and an economic crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, are learning how to more accurately predict the weather and prepare for the eventuality of natural disasters, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Bad situations ‘only get worse’ without disaster risk governance, UN chief says on International Day
Tue, 13 Oct 2020 02:30:07 -0400
With nations facing multiple crises simultaneously and a dramatic rise in extreme weather events in recent decades, the UN Secretary-General has called for strengthening disaster risk governance, to build a safer, more resilient world.
The World Food Programme: a three-year experiment that became indispensable
Fri, 09 Oct 2020 11:09:31 -0400
The need for the World Food Programme, the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, to exist is starker than ever. From conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to flooding in South Sudan, and the civil war in Yemen, man-made and natural disasters are leaving tens of millions of people unsure if they will have enough food for themselves and their families to survive on.
DR Congo: Children suffering ‘unrelenting violence’, UNICEF deeply concerned
Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:50:46 -0400
Thousands of children continue to suffer grievously as unrelenting violence persists across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, expressing deep concern.
First Person: ‘I’m happy to be able to give back’
Sat, 03 Oct 2020 00:25:06 -0400
Luis Jose Faife, a UN refugee agency (UNHCR) worker from Mozambique, survived the devastation of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, which killed more than 600 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and displaced some 2.2. million people, in March 2019. Now COVID-19 is posing a new challenge to humanitarian workers, and the people they help.
Sudan alert: Flooding and surging inflation threaten humanitarian assistance
Fri, 02 Oct 2020 09:24:33 -0400
Catastrophic flooding and rising food and health costs in Sudan, have driven up the number of people in need, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday.
Top humanitarian award winner ‘nothing short of heroic’: UN refugee chief
Thu, 01 Oct 2020 11:57:10 -0400
An educator and rights defender who has spent more than 20 years rescuing exploited and trafficked children in Colombia, represents “the best of us”, the UN refugee chief said on Thursday, as she was named the winner of this year’s Nansen Refugee Award.
Flooding leaves South Sudan facing threat of ‘catastrophic’ hunger levels
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 10:02:21 -0400
Torrential rains and flooding across South Sudan have created the threat of “catastrophic” levels of hunger and left hundreds of thousands homeless, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Nobel laureate Nadia Murad denounces lack of will to end sexual violence as a war tactic
Mon, 28 Sep 2020 16:32:09 -0400
With one in three women around the world affected by gender-based violence – a crime that skyrockets more than 200 per cent in conflict settings – Nobel laureate Nadia Murad brought governments and UN leaders to task on Monday, for failing to provide the resources needed to create meaningful change for traumatized communities.
UN reform is ‘the need of the hour’: India premier
Sat, 26 Sep 2020 11:09:36 -0400
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, declared that United Nations reform is “the need of the hour”, as he addressed world leaders in a video address to the General Debate of the General Assembly, on Saturday.
FROM THE FIELD: COVID-19’s ‘deadly layer of complexity’ depicted in photos
Sat, 26 Sep 2020 00:20:05 -0400
The fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic is adding a “deadly layer of complexity” to the global challenge of preventing more people from falling into poverty, a view articulated in a photographic exhibition sponsored by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
INTERVIEW: ‘Famine is preventable, if there is political will’
Thu, 24 Sep 2020 16:43:05 -0400
The UN is warning of an impending hunger pandemic across the world, partly a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the World Food Programme (WFP) preparing to launch an unprecedented food aid operation, UN News spoke to WFP Assistant Executive-Director Valerie Guarnieri, on the devastating rise in hunger, and the scale of funding needed to feed those most vulnerable.
Deadly flooding adds new danger to communities fleeing Sahel violence
Thu, 24 Sep 2020 13:14:26 -0400
Humanitarians have stepped up assistance to communities “on the brink”, who have been affected by devastating flooding in Africa’s Sahel region, where several hundred thousand people have been displaced by seasonal rains.
Put ‘people before politics’ in Lebanon, urges Guterres, following Beirut disaster
Wed, 23 Sep 2020 12:55:48 -0400
It’s time that leaders across Lebanon put “people before politics” following last month’s explosions in Beirut port, said the UN chief on Wednesday, which must serve as a wake-up call following a year of upheaval and clamour for reform on all fronts.
Violence leaves more than 300,000 ‘completely reliant’ on assistance in northern Mozambique
Tue, 22 Sep 2020 07:04:28 -0400
Worsening conflict, combined with a precarious humanitarian situation, has forced more than 300,000 people to flee their homes and villages in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, leaving them completely reliant on humanitarian assistance, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has said.
New wave of famine could sweep the globe, overwhelming nations already weakened by years of conflict, warn UN officials
Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:34:36 -0400
The global hunger crisis caused by conflict – and now compounded by COVID-19 – is moving into a dangerous phase, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday, stressing that without resources, a wave of famine could sweep the globe, overwhelming nations already weakened by years of instability.
Syria COVID spread may be much higher than figures suggest, Lowcock tells Security Council
Wed, 16 Sep 2020 23:19:10 -0400
Reports from inside Syria are pointing to a much broader spread of COVID-19 than the number of confirmed cases – currently 3,618 – suggests, the UN’s top humanitarian official says.
South Sudan: Progress on peace agreement ‘limps along’, UN envoy tells Security Council
Wed, 16 Sep 2020 15:41:49 -0400
Although the transitional government in South Sudan continues to function, with state governors now appointed, among other developments, progress on the 2018 peace agreement “limps along”, the top UN official in the country told a virtual meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
Famine threat returns to Yemen, amid upsurge in fighting
Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:23:11 -0400
The spectre of famine has returned to Yemen as donor countries fail to make good on their 2020 pledges, amidst an upsurge in fighting, fresh hurdles for aid deliveries, and ongoing efforts to nail down a nationwide ceasefire, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.
New fires at Greek island refugee camp destroy last remaining shelters
Fri, 11 Sep 2020 10:41:48 -0400
Fresh fires at a Greek island centre for thousands of refugees and migrants, have destroyed all remaining accommodation for those affected by the initial blaze on Tuesday evening.
Distrust of public institutions, health inequities could push more countries into conflict, UN political affairs chief warns
Wed, 09 Sep 2020 17:41:48 -0400
The erosion of trust in public institutions, unequal access to health care and tensions around delicate peace negotiations, are among the risks amplified by COVID-19, which if not mitigated, could push more countries into violence, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Greece: Devastating fire compounds overcrowding and COVID-19 challenges in refugee camp
Wed, 09 Sep 2020 15:47:18 -0400
UN agencies have offered support to Greek authorities on Wednesday after a major fire ripped through an overcrowded refugee camp overnight, destroying dwellings and forcing thousands to flee, many reportedly suffering from smoke inhalation.
Burkina Faso: Over 535,000 children under five ‘acutely’ malnourished
Tue, 08 Sep 2020 02:52:21 -0400
New data from UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed worsening nutritional situation for children in Burkina Faso, with more than 535,000 children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition – an unprecedented level.
UN agency for Palestinian refugees launches $95 million appeal to keep COVID at bay
Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:41:22 -0400
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a health and socio-economic emergency across the occupied Palestinian territory, the UN agency for the region warned on Friday, noting a swell of coronavirus cases in recent weeks.
Beirut facing acute environmental crisis, warns UN energy specialist
Tue, 01 Sep 2020 14:20:06 -0400
Contamination from hazardous chemicals, landfill sites at capacity, and water pollution, are among the most urgent challenges faced by the Lebanese authorities and UN teams tackling the huge task of clearing up Beirut, following the massive explosion in the city’s port on 4 August.
UN agencies support flood response in Sudan but warn aid stocks ‘rapidly’ depleting
Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:11:41 -0400
The UN and its partners are supporting the Sudanese Government as it responds to recent severe flooding, which has killed 90 people and affected 380,000 others, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.