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Amid a widespread diffusion of conflicts and crises across the globe, an increasing amount of funding is now required to respond to the world’s growing humanitarian calamities, according to the latest report released today by the United Nations’ relief arm.

Next time you are in the shower using a refreshing exfoliating shower gel, take a moment to check what the scrubbing agents are made of. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), chances are pretty high they are made of tiny plastic beads, and by the time the container is empty, you will have used and poured down the drain as much plastic as the packaging the gel came in.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and United States astronaut Scott Kelly, currently on board the International Space Station, today launched a global photography competition to highlight the importance of outer space for sustainable development on Earth.

Ensuring that Member States and their military commanders on the ground remain accountable for any violent actions targeting children is key to preventing atrocities against minors affected by armed conflict, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, has affirmed.

To tackle the humanitarian impact of the “relentlessly deteriorating” crisis in South Sudan, the European Union and the United Nations today announced that more than $275 million has been pledged in support of the victims in the country and the wider region.

New fighting in northern Syria has forced 23,135 refugees – some 70 per cent of whom are women and children – to flee across the border into Turkey's Sanliurfa province, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

More than 55,000 refugees have arrived in the Greek islands so far this year, with hundreds arriving every day in inflatable dinghies and wooden boats, putting a “tremendous strain” on the communities that receive them and worsening conditions for the new arrivals, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

The ability of migrants to reach European soil despite a huge investment in securing international borders shows that sealing them is impossible, and only serves to empower people traffickers in the Mediterranean, a United Nations independent expert said today.

Although the empowerment of women has been among the most significant achievements of the past century, the international community must “push further” in its struggle to ensure the right to education for all girls, the top UN human rights official declared today.

The civilian cost of the Yemen crisis continues to grow amid the country’s ongoing hostilities, according to the latest figures released today by the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR).