Month: January 2020

Libya: ‘Dire and untenable’ situation for tens of thousands of children in unrelenting conflict

© UNICEF/Giovanni Diffidenti A child runs through the debris and wreckage in downtown Benghazi, Libya. The world should not accept the “dire and untenable” situation facing children in wartorn Libya the head of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday. “Children in Libya, including refugee and migrant children, continue to suffer grievously amidst the […]

Syrian conflict has ‘erased’ children’s dreams: new UN report

©UNICEF/Bakr Alkasem Children stand in the courtyard of a school-turned shelter in Ar-Raqqa, in Syria. Nearly nine years of conflict in Syria have robbed boys and girls of their childhood and subjected them to “unabated violations of their rights”, including being killed, maimed, displaced, forced to fight or subjected to torture, rape and sexual slavery. The findings come in the latest report by the UN […]

Philippines volcano: UN aid operation in place as thousands told to flee

Philippine Red Cross Students volunteer at a Red Cross logistics centre to pack relief goods for victims of the Taal volcano in the Philippines. 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”.  “The Government has officially requested the UN’s support in procuring face masks” to […]

UN committed to helping Haiti build better future, says Guterres, marking 10-year anniversary of devastating earthquake

UN Photo/Sophia Paris Rescuers search through a United Nations building destroyed by the earthquake which struck Haiti on 12 January, 2010. On 12 January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude quake struck Haiti, devastating its capital, Port-au-Prince. About 220,000 people were reportedly killed, among them, 102 UN staff who lost their lives when the building housing the stabilization mission there, known as MINUSTAH, […]

Protecting refugees in Europe: UNHCR calls for a ‘year of change’

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is calling on the European Union (EU) to make 2020 “the year of change for robust refugee protection”. On Thursday, the agency issued a set of new recommendations, as Croatia and German preside over the EU Council during the next 12 months. After years of shifting policies and heated debate, UNHCR said […]