Peace and Security

Escalated hostilities in the Gaza Strip have resulted in further casualties and large-scale displacement, 12 May 2021.
OCHA

In Security Council, UN chief calls for immediate end to 'utterly appalling' Israel-Palestine violence

16 May 2021
Middle East

The current “senseless” cycle of violence in the Middle East must end now, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to a Security Council meeting held on Sunday morning in response to the crisis.

Asia El-Sayeed Ali at the WFP-supported nutrition clinic where she works in Aden, Yemen.
© WFP/Hebah Munassar

First Person: ‘God save us from famine’

13 May 2021
Middle East

The conflict in Yemen forced Asia El-Sayeed Ali and her family from her home in Aden’s Al Tawahi district, where there was active fighting, in 2015. Today, she works at a health clinic supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), where she cares for children, and their mothers, suffering from malnutrition.

A mother brings her children for nutrition checks at a WFP-supported clinic in Aden, Yemen.
© WFP/Hebah Munassar

More violence ‘last thing Yemen needs’, peace ‘only way’ to resolve crises

12 May 2021
Middle East

Peace is “the only way” to resolve the crisis in Yemen, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

Manual recount of votes from 2018 national election, Baghdad International Fair, Iraq. (file)
UNAMI

Credible elections can help propel Iraq towards ‘safe and prosperous future’ 

11 May 2021
Middle East

A trusted electoral process with “free and wide-ranging participation” can steer Iraq towards a “safe and prosperous future”, the country’s UN envoy told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

A young boy in Iraq stands next to a car that was torched by ISIL. (file)
© UNICEF/Lindsay Mackenzie

ISIL crimes against Yazidis constitute genocide, UN investigation team finds

10 May 2021
Middle East

A UN team investigating ISIL atrocities in Iraq has established “clear and convincing evidence” of genocide against the Yazidi religious minority, the Security Council heard on Monday. 

Boys wander amid rubble of destroyed buildings in Idlib, Syria. (file)
© UNICEF/Giovanni Diffidenti

Nearly 8 years on, ‘gaps, inconsistencies, discrepancies’ remain over Syria chemical weapons declaration

6 May 2021

The Security Council heard new evidence in longstanding international efforts to eradicate Syria’s chemical weapons programme on Thursday, including the results of an investigation into the possible of use of chlorine gas in the city of Saraqib in 2018, as the UN’s top disarmament official provided her regular briefing to ambassadors.

The Sule pagoda in downtown Yangon, the commercial hub of Myanmar.
Unsplash/Justin Min

Myanmar approaching point of economic collapse: UN report

30 April 2021
Asia Pacific

The turmoil following the military coup in Myanmar, coupled with the impact of COVID-19 could result in up to 25 million people – nearly half of the country’s population, living in poverty by early next year, a United Nations report said on Friday. 

Children in the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria face a harsh winter due to a lack of proper clothing.
© UNICEF/Delil Souleiman

Revived peace process, lasting calm, and a new constitution needed in Syria 

28 April 2021
Middle East

In addition to the challenges that all Syrians have faced during a 10-year conflict, women have experienced sexual and gender-based violence, early and forced marriage and trafficking, the country’s UN envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday. 

UN peacekeepers conduct foot and vehicle patrols in the centre of Mali.
MINUSMA/Gema Cortes

‘Do the right thing’ and protect civilian infrastructure during conflict: UN relief chief

27 April 2021
Global

Ensuring warring parties respect international humanitarian law is the first step towards protecting civilians and critical infrastructure during conflict, the UN’s top aid official told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

Virtual meeting at El Pardo Palace in Madrid in support of the Declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Pool Moncloa

UN chief stresses ‘clear and urgent need’ for concrete multilateral solutions 

24 April 2021
Global

Underscoring that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a “tragic reminder” of how deeply connected the world is today, the UN chief upheld in a message released for Saturday, the “clear and urgent need for concrete multilateral solutions”.