What's New

The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Despite having secured 14 votes in favour, the draft resolution put forward by the 10 elected members of the Security Council (E10), failed to pass owing to the negative vote by a permanent member, the US.

The text also reiterated the Council’s demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

We’ve been hearing once again from UN humanitarians that far too little aid is getting into Gaza where relief convoys face “delays and denials” from the Israeli military.

From the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, spokesperson James Elder appealed for more entry points, more roads and more security for aid deliveries inside Gaza, a day after it was confirmed that around 100 trucks were pillaged inside the enclave at the weekend.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for UN Peace Operations, traveled to Lebanon and Israel last week and has been briefing reporters at the Spokesperson's noon briefing in New York about his trip as well providing the latest updates from southern Lebanon. 

He has been telling reporters that, just today, there were three separate incidents impacting peacekeepers in the south.

In one incident, four peacekeepers from Ghana sustained minor injuries when an artillery shell exploded within a UN position near Ramyah.

The UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is living through the “darkest moment” of its 75 year history, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Wednesday, pointing to a trifecta of legislative, operational and security challenges.

Speaking at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, he detailed the implications of the recent laws passed by the Israeli Knesset, which aim to dismantle UNRWA activities across the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza and the West Bank.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that leaders gathered in Baku for the COP29 Climate Action Summit must take immediate steps to cut emissions, safeguard people from climate chaos, and “tear down the walls to climate finance” in response to the “masterclass in climate destruction” that the world has witnessed in 2024.

The ILO is implementing a multi-dimensional emergency plan to respond to the escalating crisis in Lebanon, as part of the wider UN response in the country.

Amid intensifying military operations in Lebanon and deadly attacks on civilians, medical personnel and infrastructure, UN humanitarians warned on Monday that food insecurity in the war-wracked country is set to worsen.

The update from UN agencies also reported that Israeli strikes have left more than 3,100 people dead and over 13,800 injured since October last year.

Delegates discussed a complicated urban development issue at the World Urban Forum on Tuesday: What is needed to safeguard residents and guarantee they have access to housing and basic services when war breaks out in a city crowded with people and critical infrastructure?

As the world’s population moves inexorably and rapidly to ever larger cities, how can we make sure that urban environments are sustainable and safe for their citizens? These questions and more will be tackled at the 12th gathering of the World Urban Forum.

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon has surpassed the devastation wrought by the war with Israel in 2006, UN agencies said on Saturday, publishing the latest updates from the ground amid calls for an immediate ceasefire.

A new Israel airstrike hit the border post of Joussieh, where many Lebanese and Syrian people are crossing to escape the violence.