Relief News Updates
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
UN News - Humanitarian Aid
South Sudan plagued by violence and corruption, Human Rights Council hears
Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:31:13 -0400
South Sudan continues to be “plagued” by violence and corruption, the Human Rights Council heard on Thursday, jeopardizing the young nation’s efforts to establish lasting peace and put it on the road towards sustainable development.
Millions in Yemen ‘a step away from starvation’
Wed, 22 Sep 2021 17:16:08 -0400
The crisis in Yemen, now in its seventh year of war, continues unabated, with thousands of people displaced and millions “a step away from starvation”, the UN Humanitarian Relief Coordinator said on Wednesday during a high-level side event on the margins of the 76th General Assembly.
First Person: The ‘bravery’ of Afghanistan's girls and women
Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:41:43 -0400
Afghanistan’s girls and women are showing “bravery” in the face of real “fears and pressures” following the formation of the new, de-facto authorities in Afghanistan, according to a UNICEF member of staff, one of the few westerners to remain in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s healthcare system on brink of collapse, as hunger hits 95 per cent of families
Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:41:33 -0400
Afghanistan’s health system is on the brink of collapse, the head of the World Health Organisation, WHO, warned on Wednesday, while on the streets of Kabul, the hunger families are suffering is as acute in urban areas as the drought-stricken rural parts of the country.
FROM THE FIELD: Haiti’s gruelling post-quake road to recovery
Sat, 18 Sep 2021 06:35:05 -0400
Thousands of Haitians continue to take refuge in neighbours’ houses, makeshift shelters, chapels or informal displacement sites, a month after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the west of the Caribbean island where they live. That’s according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) which has been assisting in recovery efforts.
Lebanon crisis: More international assistance needed urgently - WHO chief
Fri, 17 Sep 2021 11:19:13 -0400
Lebanon’s enduring economic crisis risks reversing decades of gains in people’s wellbeing, the head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Syria ‘caught in a downward spiral’ UN relief chief tells Security Council
Wed, 15 Sep 2021 17:24:05 -0400
The UN humanitarian affairs chief warned on Wednesday that Syria, after more than a decade of war, remains “caught in a downward spiral” and that “the country will continue to be a place of tragedy, so long as the conflict continues.”
New South Sudan Parliament can ‘infuse urgency’ into peace process
Wed, 15 Sep 2021 14:31:49 -0400
South Sudan has made history with the appointment of two women to senior leadership positions within its Transitional National Legislature, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday, as he encouraged parties to build on these gains in efforts to overcome significant political and security headwinds.
First humanitarian flight to Kabul marks 'turning point' in crisis: WFP
Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:57:51 -0400
The return of humanitarian flights to Kabul since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is a turning point in the crisis, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
$1 billion pledge a ‘quantum leap’ in commitment to Afghanistan: UN chief
Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:50:00 -0400
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday hailed significant international financial support pledged to the people of Afghanistan following a meeting in Geneva, which nearly doubled the initial $606 million flash appeal for the country.
South Sudan: Cash shortage triggers food suspensions for 100,000 displaced
Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:41:10 -0400
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday that beginning next month, funding shortages will force it to suspend lifesaving food assistance for more than 100,000 displaced people in parts of South Sudan until the start of 2022.
Support Afghans in their most perilous hour, urges UN’s Guterres
Mon, 13 Sep 2021 09:05:34 -0400
The international community should urgently offer a “lifeline” to millions of vulnerable Afghans “who face perhaps their most perilous hour”, the UN Secretary-General said on Monday.
Yemen: As conflict drags on, ‘no quick wins’ – UN envoy
Fri, 10 Sep 2021 12:30:23 -0400
The complexities of the years-long war in Yemen “multiply as the conflict drags on”, the country’s new UN envoy told the Security Council on Friday, adding that he was “under no illusions about the difficulty of the task” at hand.
Hunger spikes in Haiti following deadly earthquake
Thu, 09 Sep 2021 16:07:54 -0400
Around 980,000 Haitians in the four districts most affected by the August 14 earthquake are now living with acute food insecurity, according to new UN food security data released on Thursday.
UN warns of 'urgent imperative' to avoid acute Afghan food insecurity
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:18:47 -0400
With food aid running out, Afghanistan is facing the collapse of basic services, said UN agencies on Tuesday, releasing a flash appeal for more than $600 million to support around 11 million across the crisis-wracked country to the end of the year.
‘Unprecedented funding gap’ for 7 million facing hunger in Ethiopia: WFP
Tue, 07 Sep 2021 11:45:44 -0400
The World Food Programme (WFP) is facing an unprecedented funding gap of $426 million for its operation in Ethiopia, as the UN agency ramps up delivery to meet the needs of up to 12 million people this year.
Afghanistan: UN humanitarian chief calls for ‘rights…well-being’ of women
Sun, 05 Sep 2021 19:43:33 -0400
Women in Afghanistan play a “critical role” in delivering aid, the top UN Humanitarian told the leadership of the Taliban in Kabul on Sunday, calling on all parties to “ensure their rights, safety and well-being”.
Syria: Prevent ‘entire generation from being lost’, urges UN humanitarian chief
Sat, 04 Sep 2021 12:56:52 -0400
Some 13.4 million Syrians throughout the beleaguered country are in need of assistance, the UN humanitarian office said on Saturday, calling for “greater access and expanded funding”, to better help them.
FROM THE FIELD: Bringing aid to Haiti, a country at breaking point
Sat, 04 Sep 2021 05:05:05 -0400
Humanitarian workers supporting relief efforts in Haiti following the devastation caused by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, are contending with widespread insecurity, including gang violence, as well as logistical challenges, as they try to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.
Haiti earthquake: Waterborne disease poses new threat to children
Fri, 03 Sep 2021 12:40:04 -0400
A crippling earthquake followed by plummeting rains have put some 540,000 children in southwest Haiti at risk of life-threatening waterborne diseases, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
'Major' humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan, as UN convenes fundraising conference
Fri, 03 Sep 2021 11:38:48 -0400
A major humanitarian crisis is looming in Afghanistan, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned again on Friday, amid ongoing uncertainty about the situation for vulnerable Afghans seeking shelter across the country's borders. To address the crisis, the UN announced a major fundraising conference to take place in Geneva on 13 September.
UN experts urge Afghanistan’s new rulers to prohibit torture ‘in any circumstances’
Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:04:14 -0400
Experts serving on a UN human rights treaty body called on Thursday for the new Taliban-led authorities of Afghanistan to uphold “the international obligations of the State”, particularly in complying with all provisions of the Convention against Torture, outlawing the practice “in any circumstances”.
Tigray aid situation worsening by the day, warn UN humanitarians
Thu, 02 Sep 2021 12:02:46 -0400
The aid crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region is worsening, the UN said on Thursday, with stocks of relief aid, cash and fuel “running very low or depleted”.
Afghanistan crisis: Food supply for millions could run out this month
Wed, 01 Sep 2021 16:29:36 -0400
Food stocks in Afghanistan could run out as soon as this month, a senior UN official warned on Wednesday, urging the international community to step up support for the country.
UN commits to staying in Afghanistan, with basic services close to collapse
Tue, 31 Aug 2021 11:13:42 -0400
The flights evacuating civilians from Afghanistan may have come to an end, but a deepening humanitarian crisis remains, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Tuesday, as several senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.
UN health agency secures life-saving medical supplies to Afghanistan
Mon, 30 Aug 2021 11:28:27 -0400
Lifesaving medical supplies reached Afghanistan by air on Monday, the first UN shipment to arrive since the Taliban takeover more than a week ago, as UN human rights experts called on the country's new rulers to live up to their promise to fully protect the rights of women and girls in the country.
Afghan children ‘at greater risk than ever'
Sun, 29 Aug 2021 11:18:59 -0400
With the needs of Afghan children greater than ever before, the world “cannot abandon them now”, a senior official with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Sunday after concluding a visit to the country.
Catastrophe ‘unfolding before our eyes’ in Ethiopia’s Tigray region – UN chief
Thu, 26 Aug 2021 17:08:19 -0400
A military confrontation that started 10 months ago in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is spreading, with serious political, economic and humanitarian implications for the country and the broader region, the Secretary-General warned the Security Council on Thursday.
WFP steps up support in Haiti
Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:24:29 -0400
The World Food Programme (WFP) is stepping up ongoing support to Haitians who are now facing destroyed homes, lost livelihoods and little or no access to food in the wake of the 14 August earthquake, the UN agency reported on Thursday.
UN migration agency launches $24 million appeal for Afghanistan
Thu, 26 Aug 2021 09:49:17 -0400
In response to the growing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday launched a $24 million urgent appeal to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced within the country over the past two months.
