Europe

Half of IDP households in Ukraine are families with children.
IOM/V.Shuvayev

With barely enough money for food, conflict-displaced Ukrainians struggling to survive – UN

16 May 2017
Two-thirds of internally displaced Ukrainians are struggling financially; many without even enough money for food, according to the latest report by the United Nations migration agency on the situation in the crisis-torn country.
High Representative of the European Union Federica Mogherini addresses the Security Council meeting on cooperation between the UN and the European Union.
UN Photo/Manuel Elías

EU an ‘indispensable’ UN partner, working for rules-based international order, Security Council told

9 May 2017
The European Union (EU) has become over the past 60 years of its existence, a “superpower for peace” focused not only on regional stability and security but also on sustainable development for all, which “explains why all our actions, all our initiatives are always taken in full coordination and partnership with the United Nations,” the EU’s senior most diplomat told the Security Council today.
Some 275 refugees and migrants waiting to disembark from a tug in the Port of Pozzalo, Italy, after being rescued a few days earlier.
UNHCR/F. Malavolta (file)

Mediterranean: Coast guard on alert after shipwrecks as smugglers take advantage of calm waters

9 May 2017
About 6,600 migrants and refugees were rescued in the past few days trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, United Nations authorities have said, as rescuers are on the lookout for up to 245 people missing after two shipwrecks this weekend.
Risking their lives to reach Europe from North Africa, a boatload of people, some of them likely in need of international protection, are rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian Navy.
UNHCR/A. d'Amato

Refugees along Mediterranean crossing may face 'horrendous abuses' at the hands of smugglers – UN

8 May 2017
One person out of every 35 trying to cross the inland sea between northern Africa and Italy in 2017 has died out in the deep waters of the Mediterranean, the United Nations refugee agency reported today, calling for “credible alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection.”
An 8 year-old refugee from the Syria, in her family’s shelter in Pikpa Village, an open refugee camp run by volunteers outside of Mytilini, Lesvos, Greece.
UNICEF/Gilbertson VII Photo

Europe: 24,600 refugee children 'in limbo' at risk of mental distress, UNICEF warns

4 May 2017
Nearly 75,000 refugees and migrants, including an estimated 24,600 children, currently stranded in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Western Balkans are at risk of psychosocial distress caused by living in a protracted state of limbo, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today.
Flags of member nations fly at United Nations Headquarters.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file)

UN calls for restraint following violence in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

28 April 2017
The United Nations today called for restraint and calm in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia following violence directed at democratic institutions and elected officials.
A helicopter approaches the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to check the damage to the nuclear reactor. April 1986.
UN Photo/IAEA

Chernobyl 31 years on: International cooperation still needed to address consequences, says UN

26 April 2017
The United Nations today commemorated the International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day recalling the devastating explosion of 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which spewed radioactive material to an area stretching 155,000 square kilometres across Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, pictured during a meeting of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
UNECE/Pierre Albouy

UN Commission celebrates 70 years of 'connecting countries and driving progress in Europe'

25 April 2017
SDGs

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is celebrating 70 years of bringing countries across the continent together to cooperate on a wide range of issues, including trade, transport, sustainable development and food safety, which impact the daily lives of its citizens.

The situation in eastern Ukraine remains volatile and continues to have a severe impact on human rights. Photo/ UNHCR

UN calls for probe and accountability following possible landmine blast in eastern Ukraine

24 April 2017
The United Nations today called for an investigation into a possible landmine explosion in eastern Ukraine after a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission was killed and two others were injured.
Risking their lives to reach Europe from North Africa, a boatload of people, some of them likely in need of international protection, are rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian Navy.
UNHCR/A. d'Amato

UNICEF calls for action to prevent more deaths in Central Mediterranean as attempted crossings spike

21 April 2017
Noting increases in number of migrants, including children, attempting to reach European shores using the Central Mediterranean route, and consequent rise in number of deaths, the United Nations Children's Fund has called for safe and legal pathways for those who are fleeing conflict, poverty and depravation.