What's New

The number of refugees given shelter in safe host countries plunged last year because of pandemic border restrictions, which continue to hamper the resettlement of vulnerable people. 

That’s one of the findings of a new report by UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the World Bank, which said on Thursday that 64,000 asylum-seekers started new lives abroad in host countries in 2019, but only 22,800 did so last year.  

A donor conference to boost support for Lebanon one year after the devastating explosion in its capital, Beirut, represents a “unique opportunity” to renew commitment to the country and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday. 

The International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People, co-convened by France and the UN, aims to raise $350 million.  It was held on the anniversary of the 4 August 2020 blasts that left some 200 people dead and thousands more displaced. 

Identifying perpetrators of chemical weapon attacks, and holding them accountable, must remain a priority, a senior UN official said on Wednesday during the latest Security Council meeting on Syria. 

Thomas Markram with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) updated ambassadors on the latest developments under a September 2013 Council resolution on the destruction of the country’s chemical weapons programme. 

The head of the UN health organization called on Wednesday for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until “at least the end of September” to enable the world’s most vulnerable people to be inoculated.

COVID-19 infections have continued to rise globally for more than a month now, with over four million cases reported in the past week alone, the UN health agency said on Wednesday. 

President Macron, Excellencies, 

On behalf of the Secretary-General, let me express appreciation to France for convening this conference and to all partners for your commitment to support the Lebanese people. 

Today marks one year since the tragic explosion at the port of Beirut left some 200 people dead and thousands displaced.  

Twelve months on, our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the survivors, and all those affected.   

Young people in Beirut, which was devastated by an explosion in a warehouse at the city’s port on 4 August 2020, have been pitching in to get the Lebanese capital back on its feet with support from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

A year after the devastating explosions in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a staggering 98 per cent of families are still in need, according to a survey published on Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. 

The rapid assessment highlights the severity of the trauma children suffered, and the dire needs families have experienced, which have been magnified by a collapsing economy, political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More than 700 healthcare workers and patients have died, and more than 2,000 have been injured in attacks on health facilities since December 2017, according to a three year analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) released on Tuesday.

Local governments in Lebanon are facing compounded crises, including the Syrian displacement crisis, Lebanon’s economic and financial crises, and the global and local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which impose unprecedented challenges on their capacity to deliver basic services to their communities.