Month: March 2019

As Syria conflict enters ninth year, humanitarian crisis ‘far from over’, Security Council hears

Eight years ago this month, the Syria conflict began, leading to a humanitarian crisis that remains “far from over”, the UN Security Council heard on Wednesday. 11.7 million need humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 5.6 million Syrians are living as refugees across the region. Although fighting in the country has diminished, a growing […]

Yemen hospital airstrike under investigation amid resurgence of deadly cholera

UN human rights staff in Yemen are investigating an apparent airstrike on a hospital in opposition-held territory which reportedly killed at least seven civilians on Tuesday, amid fears that cholera is spreading “like wildfire”, one of the organization’s senior humanitarian officials has warned. Condemning the attack on Kitaf District in northern Sa’ada Governorate – and […]

Brazilian officer a ‘stellar example’ of why more women are needed in UN peacekeeping

Training gender advisors and focal points in the Central African Republic (CAR) has earned a Brazilian United Nations peacekeeper a special gender advocate award, it was announced on Tuesday. Secretary-General António Guterres will bestow naval officer, Lieutenant Commander Marcia Andrade Braga, with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award during the 2019 Peacekeeping Ministerial conference due to be held […]

‘Provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric’ destabilizing Middle East, warns top UN official

Against a backdrop of rising tensions in Israel and Palestine, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, painted a bleak picture once again in the Security Council on Tuesday, cataloguing further terrorist acts, attacks against civilians, reprisals against demonstrators, unlawful demolitions and settlement expansions, and a funding crisis which could have dramatic consequences for […]

UN condemns ‘unspeakable’ attack that leaves scores dead in central Mali

The United Nations has strongly condemned the armed attack on a village in restive central Mali which reportedly left at least 134 people dead and dozens wounded early on Saturday. “We condemn in the strongest terms this unspeakable attack,” said François Delattre, France’s UN Ambassador speaking as President of the UN Security Council at a press conference Saturday […]