Relief News Updates
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
Yemen: Recent uptick in fighting contradicts desire for peace
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:29:23 -0500
A recent escalation in fighting between warring parties in Yemen contradicts their stated desire to peacefully end nearly five years of conflict, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday.
As north-west Syria violence reaches ‘horrifying’ new level, UN relief chief says ceasefire is only option
Mon, 17 Feb 2020 15:54:49 -0500
The crisis in north-west Syria has reached a “horrifying new level”, the UN Humanitarian Affairs chief warned on Monday.
Vital Idlib aid deliveries resume after ‘heavy bombing’ - WFP
Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:22:15 -0500
Urgently-needed aid deliveries to embattled civilians in north-west Syria have started again after a day-long break in distributions caused by escalating hostilities, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
$683 million appeal to deliver reproductive health services, where they’re most needed
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 16:46:59 -0500
With more than half of all maternal deaths occurring in countries affected by humanitarian crises and fragility, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for greater international support to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in these locations.
‘Don’t forget Madagascar’s children’, UN appeals for long-term help as emergency worsens
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:34:33 -0500
Since 2012, the plight of children in Madagascar has not improved and is in many cases getting worse, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Act now to prevent Desert Locust catastrophe in Horn of Africa: UN agencies
Mon, 10 Feb 2020 13:41:14 -0500
With the rainy season fast approaching, countries in the Horn of Africa are in a race against time to tackle a Desert Locust invasion amidst ongoing humanitarian challenges, the United Nations warned on Monday.
Syria: ‘Massive waves of civilian displacement and loss of life must stop now’: UN Special Envoy
Thu, 06 Feb 2020 17:06:17 -0500
Air and ground strikes in the region of Idlib, northwest Syria, are causing “massive waves of civilian displacement and major loss of civilian life”, causing unacceptable human suffering which must stop now, Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, told the Security Council on Thursday.
FROM THE FIELD: ‘Shock and horror’ of military onslaught against Syrians
Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:47:58 -0500
A military escalation in northern Syria which has trapped civilians in Idlib has “shocked and horrified” a senior UN humanitarian official.
Africa’s Sahel: Act now before the crisis ‘becomes unmanageable’, urges Grandi
Wed, 05 Feb 2020 15:10:38 -0500
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is stepping up response in Africa’s Sahel region where escalating violence has forced a rising number of people to flee their homes.
FROM THE FIELD: Chad returnees’ reluctant homecoming
Wed, 05 Feb 2020 08:12:21 -0500
Citizens of Chad who have spent most of their lives as refugees in neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) have been talking to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, about the challenges they have faced returning to their home country.
Syria: UN health agency highlights ‘critical health threats’ facing Idlib civilians
Mon, 03 Feb 2020 11:41:25 -0500
The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alarm on Monday over critical health threats facing hundreds-of thousands of Syrians forced to flee due to intensified hostilities in Syria’s northwest, where health facilities and workers have increasingly come under attack.
$1.4 billion needed this year to fund UN’s agency for Palestine refugees
Fri, 31 Jan 2020 17:13:33 -0500
A minimum of $1.4 billion is needed to fund the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, the acting chief said on Friday.
End Syria fighting to avoid ‘even greater humanitarian catastrophe’
Wed, 29 Jan 2020 15:26:03 -0500
The “dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation” affecting women and children in northwest Syria was the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator’s top concern on Wednesday morning as he briefed the Security Council in New York.
West Darfur tensions could see 30,000 flee across Sudanese border to Chad: UN refugee agency
Tue, 28 Jan 2020 15:30:38 -0500
The number of people fleeing to Chad to escape ongoing tensions in Sudan’s West Darfur state, could reach 30,000 in the coming weeks, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
Nearly 5 million children in need due to rising violence in central Sahel: UNICEF
Mon, 27 Jan 2020 19:35:05 -0500
A surge in violence in the central Sahel region in Africa means nearly five million children will need humanitarian assistance this year, up from 4.3 million, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
Deadly earthquake kills dozens in Turkey; UN stands in solidarity and offers support
Sat, 25 Jan 2020 21:58:30 -0500
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply saddened by the “loss of life and destruction of property” caused by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey on Friday night.
FROM THE FIELD: Niger supporting the most vulnerable, as crises mount
Fri, 24 Jan 2020 01:35:06 -0500
The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance in Niger, a country which the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, says is “being assaulted on all fronts”, is expected to increase in 2020.
Health services for Syrian women caught up in war, foster safety and hope: UNFPA
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 17:40:18 -0500
Continued displacement from conflict-affected areas in northeast Syria leaves women and girls in urgent need of safe spaces, shelter and reproductive health services, according to a Flash Update this week from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
‘Negative developments’ undermining two-State solution in Middle East
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:31:50 -0500
Recent heightened tensions in the Middle East underscore the critical need for dialogue and diplomacy in the region, the UN’s Political Affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Major humanitarian hub in northeast Nigeria burned in attack
Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:01:39 -0500
The top UN aid official in Nigeria has condemned a weekend attack against a major humanitarian facility in the north-east of the country.
Haiti earthquake victims honoured at UN, with pledge to safeguard the nation’s future
Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:12:53 -0500
More than 200,000 Haitians who perished in the devastating earthquake which struck the island nation ten years ago, were honoured in a solemn ceremony of remembrance at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, along with 102 staffers who died – the single greatest loss of life in the Organization’s history.
Aid to vulnerable Iraqis may ‘come to a complete halt within weeks’
Thu, 16 Jan 2020 16:37:13 -0500
Aid to vulnerable people in Iraq risks being completely blocked within weeks, warned the UN’s humanitarian chief in Iraq, Marta Ruedas, on Tuesday, as a result of the suspension of government documents allowing humanitarians to carry out critical missions.
Yemen resilient and ‘unscathed’ in face of latest Gulf crisis
Thu, 16 Jan 2020 16:13:50 -0500
Despite the threat posed by recent tensions in the Gulf, Yemen was able to weather the crisis thanks in part to restraint exercised by its political leaders, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Thursday.
UN peacekeepers protecting hundreds displaced by Central African Republic fighting
Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:45:22 -0500
Fresh clashes in the Central African Republic’s southeast have driven some 400 people to seek shelter at a UN base there, the United Nations Spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Philippines volcano: UN stands ready with support, as thousands told to flee
Wed, 15 Jan 2020 11:07:03 -0500
The UN is concerned over warnings issued by Philippines’ authorities that volcanic eruptions on the country’s most populous island could last “days, months or even years”.
Security Council beats midnight deadline, renews Syria cross-border aid in contentious vote
Fri, 10 Jan 2020 19:45:38 -0500
The Security Council on Friday evening renewed a UN operation delivering humanitarian aid across the Syrian border to millions of civilians, but some of the body’s members expressed disappointment that the “watered down” measure cut in half the number of crossing points and duration of the authorization.
Killings and violence targeting ethnic group in DR Congo ‘may amount to crimes against humanity’
Fri, 10 Jan 2020 11:34:56 -0500
The targeting of the Hema community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with violence, including killings and rape, may amount to crimes against humanity, said the UN on Friday.
Security Council calls for dialogue in Haiti
Thu, 09 Jan 2020 11:49:41 -0500
The UN Security Council has stressed the need to resolve the ongoing political impasse in Haiti between President Jovenel Moïse and a surging opposition movement.
Sudan: Intercommunal clashes displace tens of thousands in volatile Darfur region
Tue, 07 Jan 2020 14:28:27 -0500
Around 40,000 have been displaced in Sudan’s West Darfur state in recent days, following intercommunal clashes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday, citing Sudanese Government data.
Syria: Civilians face ‘daily nightmare’ in Idlib, says top UN official
Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:48:13 -0500
Following a sharp escalation of hostilities in southern Idlib, “at least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes” since mid-December, the UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria crisis said on Tuesday, voicing concern for their well-being.