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UN Photo/Mark Garten

Refugees’ plight ‘will not stop’ unless root causes of flight are addressed: GA President

Until we tackle the issues presently driving 258 million people to leave their home countries, the world’s refugee crisis “will not stop,” said the President of the UN General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa on Monday.

“No one in their right mind” wants to flee their home, she said, adding that climate-change, economic challenges, and discrimination are pushing people to seek refuge.

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9'48"
UNRWA/Khalil Adwan

‘Massive funding crisis’ for Palestine relief, compounds ‘collapsing system’: UN coordinator

Gaza Hospitals unable to feed their own patients, elective surgeries postponed for years – those are just a few examples of what the UN’s Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Jamie McGoldrick, describes as a “collapsing system in freefall”.

On Monday, he issued an appeal as part of the Humanitarian Response Plan for next year, for $350 million, to help 1.4 million people in the most need, across the occupied Palestinian territories, chiefly the the Gaza Strip.

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6'14"
UN Photo/Daniel Johnson

$5.5 billion appeal for millions of Syrians and host communities affected by civil war

A $5.5 billion appeal has been launched by the UN to help 5.6 million Syrian refugees and millions more people hosting them in neighbouring countries.

In an interview with UN News, Samuel Rizk from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), explained that although around 30,000 Syrians have gone home so far this year, the overwhelming majority still need help in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq.

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3'55"
OCHA/Eve Sabbagh

Resilience of Libya’s people ‘astonishing’ despite seven years of severe conflict: top UN aid official

In Libya’s capital city of Tripoli, the humanitarian crisis is so intense, pregnant women are being asked to bring their own medical supplies for doctors to deliver their babies, and in some camps for the displaced, every toilet and kitchen in the city is being shared by up to 100 people.

Those are some of the stark scenes witnessed over the past few days by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ursula Mueller, who’s just completed a five-day visit to the country.

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8'55"