WORLD NEWS

The amendments, adopted on 29 December, to the Law to Cease UNRWA Operations “seek to further impede UNRWA’s ability to operate and carry out its mandated activities,” said a statement issued by the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “The Law and its amendments are inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and must…

Aksonethip Somvorachit spoke to UN News about the challenges she has faced as a staff focal point for PSEA. “Early in my UN career, I took on the responsibility of serving as the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) focal point. I acted as the confidential contact for anyone raising a concern—providing a safe space…

The UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents creates, for the first time, a single document that can be used for trains, trucks and planes which allows logistical changes to be made for goods already on the move.  That means valuable cargo can be sold, rerouted or used to secure financing during what could be a…

The 11th Global Forum opened in Riyadh on Sunday with a blunt message for a world riven by distrust: dialogue is not a luxury – it’s a survival strategy. Over the next two days, participants gathered in the Saudi capital are expected to insist that cooperation across cultures, religions, and communities remains the only viable…

According to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, 998,918 people across all 25 districts have now been affected, with 212 deaths reported and 218 people missing. More than 180,000 people from over 51,000 families are sheltering in 1,094 government-run safety centres as search and rescue efforts continue. Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on 28 November before…

Years of conflict, compounded by worsening food insecurity, recurrent natural disasters, climate change impacts and large-scale returns of displaced people, have left an estimated 45 per cent of the population – some 21.9 million people – in need of humanitarian assistance next year. Of those, 17.5 million people – more than three-quarters of them women…

Issued by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, the report describes how civilians – including many from besieged El Fasher – endured torture and abductions during a three-day offensive by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on nearby Zamzam camp for displaced persons in April this year. Highlighting the report’s findings, UN rights chief Volker Türk noted…

“The Security Council resolution is very clear about not calling anything a border or anything else, it is about a territory that needs to be respected in its entirety,” he said, referencing a resolution adopted by the Council on 17 November in support of a comprehensive plan to end the conflict. “We call on all parties…

In a statement by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres condemned “in the strongest terms” the killing of Mr. Bol Rhoch Mayol Kuot, a South Sudanese national employed as a Language Assistant with UNMISS. Mr. Guterres extended his deepest condolences to the staff member’s family and loved ones and reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to providing…

“I am alarmed by reports that areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery,” he said.   “Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount.”   Renewed fighting Since fighting reignited on 7 December, Cambodia has reported 18 civilian…