What's New

With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing social and economic inequalities rooted in racism, discrimination and xenophobia, recovery must lead to more inclusive societies, the UN Secretary-General told Member States on Thursday. 

Without nature’s help, “we will not thrive or even survive”, the UN chief said on Thursday, launching a major report on the environment. 

International partners working to achieve equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines appealed on Wednesday for the UN Security Council to ensure people caught in conflict have access to these lifesaving treatments.  

Addressing the virtual meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the goal of providing vaccines to all as “the biggest moral test before the global community”, underlining that everyone, everywhere must be included.  

Along with an end to the “instrumentalization” of humanitarian aid, victims of Syria’s decade-long civil war and their families need justice to help rebuild their lives, Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Thursday.  

After a decade of chaos that has likely taken hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions more, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in its latest report that no Syrian family had been left “unscathed”. 

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates “intimate” linkages between the health of humans, animals and ecosystems, as zoonotic diseases spread between animals and people, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Wednesday. 

The number of Syrians who lack access to sufficient food has reached a record 12.4 million, or nearly 60 per cent of the population, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Wednesday, citing “alarming” new national data. 

Economic crisis, job losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and soaring food prices have added to the plight of people who have been displaced and worn down by a decade of conflict. 

In its latest update on the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO)  said that although the number of global infections have fallen by 16 per cent in a week – 500,000 fewer cases – regions, including Europe, are still in the grip of the virus whose variants are spreading. 

New guidelines published on Tuesday by the UN and partners aim to put young people at the forefront of humanitarian action. 

The document is the first of its kind, and has been described as the ‘go-to’ guide for working with, and for, young people in natural disasters, conflict, forced displacement and other emergencies. 

More than six months after the Port of Beirut explosions, efforts to mitigate the direct impact of the blast continue. To this end, UN-Habitat and the International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) signed an agreement to rehabilitate 100 damaged residential units in Bourj Hammoud, directly benefiting 500 people.

The world’s leading airlines are backing a landmark UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) initiative to prioritize delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines and other critical supplies across the globe.