Middle East

UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

UN welcomes 'record' Brussels conference pledge of nearly $7 billion to support Syrians

14 March 2019
Humanitarian Aid

Foreign ministers from more than 50 countries gathered on Thursday at a joint European Union-UN pledging conference, and pledged to provide a record $6.97 billion, to support millions of Syrians in need both inside the country, and sheltering in host communities beyond its borders. 

Save the Children/Mohamed N Ali

Gaza probe finds ‘reasonable grounds’ Israeli forces committed international human rights violations

28 February 2019
Human Rights

An independent UN report into last year’s protests along Gaza’s border fence involving Israeli security forces, that resulted in the shooting deaths of more than 180 Palestinians, concluded on Thursday that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel violated international humanitarian law.

© UNICEF/UN0248372/Watad

Syria still suffering ‘staggering levels’ of humanitarian need, Security Council hears

26 February 2019
Peace and Security

“Staggering levels” of humanitarian need persist throughout Syria, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Security Council members on Tuesday.

UN Photo/Jean Marc Ferre

With 10 million Yemenis ‘one step away from famine’, donors pledge $2.6 billion

26 February 2019
Humanitarian Aid

Donors have pledged $2.6 billion to provide urgently needed support to millions of Yemeni civilians facing an “overwhelming humanitarian calamity” after nearly four years of brutal war, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday.

©UNICEF/ Syria 2019/ Delil Souleiman

Syria: ‘Violence, displacement’ and cold kill 11 infants ‘in the past two days’

31 January 2019
Humanitarian Aid

“Violence, displacement and extremely harsh conditions” in northern and eastern Syria have killed at least 32 children since December – including 11 infants in the past two days, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed on Thursday.

Government Offices of Sweden/Ninni Andersson

Despite setbacks, ‘political will’ to end Yemen war stronger than ever: top UN envoy

28 January 2019
Peace and Security

The ceasefire in Yemen’s crucial port city of Hudaydah is “generally holding” and deadlines have had to be extended, but the UN’s Special Envoy said on Monday that “more than any time in the past” the political will remains to end years of conflict that has left millions on the brink of starvation.

UNICEF/Eyad El Baba

Fuel crisis rapidly draining last ‘coping capacities’ of Palestinians in Gaza

22 January 2019
Humanitarian Aid

A worsening fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip enclave is putting patients’ lives at risk with power supplies for operating theaters under constant threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

WFP/Marco Frattini

First aid in six months reaches families in western Yemen, 'timelines' slip over Hudaydah ceasefire talks

15 January 2019
Humanitarian Aid

Thousands of families in conflict-affected communities south of the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah in Yemen have received aid for the first time since last July, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

UNICEF/UN0158355/Halldorsson

Storms and snow in Lebanon worsen plight for Syrian refugees

10 January 2019
Migrants and Refugees

Storm-force winds and snow across Lebanon have worsened the plight for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who’ve been forced from their homes by nearly eight years of conflict, a top UN humanitarian official said on Thursday.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

‘We cannot lose momentum’ on the road to peace in Yemen, UN envoy warns

9 January 2019
Peace and Security

“The difficult part” of reaching a lasting political settlement in Yemen “is still ahead of us” said the UN Special Envoy on Wednesday, urging the Security Council to support the “speedy implementation” of the fragile ceasefire agreed in and around the crucial port city of Hudaydah, at breakthrough talks in Sweden last month.