Middle East

Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin

Adopt a ‘common line,’ UN negotiator appeals to Syrian opposition

22 November 2017
Syrian opposition groups meeting in Saudi Arabia should do all they can to unify ahead of a fresh round of United Nations-facilitated talks in Geneva, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday.
A family flees an active conflict neighbourhood in eastern Ghouta, Syria, using a cart to carry their belongings.
UNICEF/Amer Al Shami

UN agency gravely concerned by lack of medical services in Syria’s eastern Ghouta

22 November 2017
Despite escalating violence and increasing humanitarian needs, life-saving medicines, medical equipment, and surgical supplies are being prevented from entering eastern Ghouta in Syria and the plan to transfer critically ill patients to hospitals elsewhere has not been approved, the United Nations health agency has warned.
Briefing by Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Genuine change in Gaza could help restore confidence in peace process, UN envoy tells Security Council

20 November 2017
Peace and Security

Noting that with the signing last month of the Cairo agreement, Palestinians have set out on a path towards reconciliation, a senior United Nations official underscored on Monday the urgency to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and to return the enclave to full civilian and security control of the Palestinian Authority.

Families in Kani Bardina village, Sulaymaniyah governorate, receive health check-ups and assistance from IOM Iraq Mobile Medical team, following an earthquake on the evening 12 November.
UN Migration Agency (IOM)

UN agencies rush in medical supplies for thousands wounded in Iran-Iraq earthquake

17 November 2017
United Nations agencies have delivered medical supplies to the areas of Iran and Iraq struck by a devastating earthquake, and are urging vigilance against the possible outbreaks of infectious and waterborne diseases.
People queue to fill containers with water from a tank provided by UNICEF in Sana'a, Yemen. Some 14.5 million people in the country have no access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
UNICEF/Algabal2017

Famine may be unfolding 'right now' in Yemen, warns UN relief wing

17 November 2017
The United Nations relief wing on Friday warned of famine-like conditions unfolding in Yemen, as a blockade on aid and other essential goods by a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels there enters its 12th day.
Security Council votes on resolution on joint Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-UN panel, the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM).
UN Photo/Kim Haughton

Security Council fails at fresh attempt to renew panel investigating chemical weapons use in Syria

17 November 2017
For the third time in two days, the United Nations Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution on the mandate of an international panel investigating use of chemical weapons in Syria due to a negative vote by permanent member, Russia.
Wide view of the Security Council.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe (file)

Security Council again fails to extend panel investigating use of chemical weapons in Syria

17 November 2017
Two draft resolutions – one sponsored by the United States and another led by Bolivia – were defeated in the United Nations Security Council Thursday, blocking renewal of the international inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
Zainab Al Ali laughs with her kids, Razan Abdallah, Rahaf Abdallah, and Rawan Abdallah in their home in Tripoli, Lebanon. March 2016.
Dominic Chavez/World Bank

UN to spotlight synergies and trade-offs on Global Goals in the Arab region

17 November 2017
SDGs

Interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a core focus of a regional meeting organized by the United Nations office in Beirut, Lebanon on Monday, 20 November.

The Al Hudaydah port is a major lifeline for Yemen, bringing in food and humanitarian assistance. These cranes have been out of service since mid-2015, with little hope of repair anytime soon.
Giles Clarke/OCHA

UN agency chiefs call for immediate lifting of humanitarian blockade in Yemen

16 November 2017
With much of Yemen's air, sea and land entry points closed, heads of three United Nations agencies on Thursday called for immediate lifting of such blockade in the conflict-ravaged southern Arabian country so that lifesaving humanitarian supplies can pass.
A UNHCR staffer assists displaced Yemenis outside the IDP Community Centre in Sana’a.
UNHCR/Shabia Mantoo

Suffering deepens in Yemen as border shutdowns enter second week – UN agencies

14 November 2017
A proposal to deliver vitally needed aid to war-ravaged Yemen via smaller ports than those under blockade will not solve the catastrophic humanitarian situation there, a senior UN official said Tuesday.