Articles

Those are the questions that UN agencies on the ground in Madagascar are considering as the island nation struggles against climate change, huge humanitarian needs and persistent underdevelopment. UNICEF’s Deputy Representative, Head of Programmes Gilles Chevalier and Natasha van Rijn the Resident Representative for the UN Development Programme discuss how changes in the way they are working are helping to reinforce resilience and sustainable development. Gilles Chevalier: One of the major...

Concluding an official visit to the Horn of Africa nation Isha Dyfan highlighted the impact on civilians, especially women and children, who continue to bear the brunt of deadly attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab terrorists. “I strongly condemn the continued deadly attacks perpetrated by Al-Shabaab and urge the Government to take all steps to ensure the protection of civilians, and for armed groups to comply strictly with the obligations applicable to them under international humanitarian...

“The UN WFP has managed to bring desperately needed food and nutrition supplies into Darfur; the first WFP assistance to reach the war-wracked region in months,” said Leni Kinzli, WFP Communications Officer in Sudan. The convoys crossed into Sudan from Chad in late March carrying enough food and nutrition supplies for 250,000 people facing acute hunger in North, West and Central Darfur. Constant flow needed Despite this welcome development, the UN agency spokesperson warned that unless...

In the early 1990s, Mr. Murangwa was a star player for Rayon Sports in the capital Kigali. As a Tutsi, his life was in extreme danger when the 100-day genocide, which led to over 800,000 people, overwhelmingly Tutsi, being killed. His status as a well-known footballer saved his life many times, and prompted him to start his own organization, today known as the Ishami Foundation, which uses the power of sport to build tolerance and peace. Mr. Murangwa told UN News that, the day before the...

Suffering is growing too and is likely to get worse, Justin Brady, head of the UN humanitarian relief office, OCHA, in Sudan, warned UN News. “Without more resources, not only will we not be able to stop a famine, we’re not going to be help able to help basically anybody,” he said. “Most of the rations that people receive from the likes of the World Food Programme (WFP) are cut in half already, so we can’t strip more off the bone to try and make this operation work.” The grim conditions...

Global perspective Human stories WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (file). 12 April 2024Health Nigeria has become the first country to roll out a “revolutionary” five-in-one vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Friday. The Men5CV vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W, Y and X – which cause the disease. Known by the brand name MenFive, it...

The commemoration in the General Assembly Hall was held to remember the victims and honour the survivors and those who tried to stop the genocide. Focus was also on young people who have grown up in its shadow, and on countering hate speech which fuelled the killing and has become a growing global concern today. 100 days of terror “The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda 30 years ago is a stain on our collective consciousness and a brutal reminder of the legacy of colonialism, and the...

With attention over the weekend focused on the Middle East he said the conflict between the national army and Rapid Support Forces militia had turned into “a war being waged on the Sudanese people.” “It is a war on the many thousands of civilians who have been killed, and tens of thousands more maimed for life, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “It is a war on the 18 million people facing acute hunger and the communities now staring down the terrifying threat of famine in the...

A year to the day since heavy fighting erupted between Sudan’s rival militaries, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of a further escalation, including an imminent attack on El-Fasher in North Darfur. “The Sudanese people have been subjected to untold suffering during the conflict which has been marked by indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas, ethnically-motivated attacks, and a high incidence of conflict-related sexual violence. The recruitment and use of children...

Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily told the Security Council that since the end of 2022, UN-led efforts to resolve Libya’s political crisis have encountered national and regional pushbacks, “revealing an intentional defiance to engage in earnest and a tenacity to perpetually delay elections”. Resignation tendered Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters outside the Council in New York following his briefing, the envoy confirmed reports that he had submitted his resignation to the...