Just hours after war broke out in the Middle East last month, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the fighting risked “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.”
The war in the Middle East continues, with attacks causing further terror and suffering, deepening the humanitarian crisis across the region. In Geneva, diplomats at the Human Rights Council have been discussing the school strike in Iran’s Minab that killed more than 100 children. Stay with us for live updates on this and from UN agencies providing relief. App users can follow coverage here.
Almost one month since Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, sparking a wider regional war, UN agencies and partners on Friday highlighted the terror among civilians fleeing bombardment, with “no safe space” to go.
More than four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the “danger is only increasing”, particularly from attack drones, a top UN human rights official warned on Thursday.
Hospitals are just the latest vital public services to be hit in Cuba, more than a month since Washington took measures to block oil supplies from entering the Caribbean nation.
The security and political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains “extremely tense”, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Thursday.
The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.
It’s day 26 of war in the Middle East. The UN chief says with the conflict now totally out of control, diplomacy must prevail. Ongoing strikes in Israel and Iran have included intensifying Israeli attacks against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, while some US troops are heading to the region, the Pentagon has confirmed. Meanwhile, Iran has told the UN maritime agency that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to “non-hostile” ships not associated with the US and Israel. UN News app users can follow coverage here.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the escalating Gulf war is “out of control”, urging all sides to step back from the brink and allow diplomacy to prevail, as he announced the appointment of a senior envoy to spearhead peace efforts.
The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has climbed for the seventh consecutive year, reaching 273 million, according to a new report from the UN education agency, UNESCO.
It’s day 26 of war in the Middle East. Ongoing strikes in Israel and Iran have included intensifying Israeli attacks against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, while some 2,000 US troops are reportedly about to mobilize to the region. Meanwhile, Iran has told the UN maritime agency that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to “non-hostile” ships not associated with the US and Israel. In Geneva, a rare urgent debate on the crisis is also getting under way at the Human Rights Council. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. UN News app users can follow coverage here.
As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the international community must not lose sight of the situation in Gaza, an official with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace across the shattered enclave said on Tuesday in his first appearance in the UN Security Council.
As the war continues to roil the Middle East and compound suffering for civilians across the region, the economic ramifications of the emergency are still playing out, with the Strait of Hormuz the focus of global attention with crude oil prices surging over $100 a barrel again. Meanwhile, settler attacks have escalated dramatically against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a topic that we'll be across today also, with aid updates and live reporting from the Security Council. UN News app users can follow coverage here.
Deadly gangs in Haiti are expanding their reach to include control over key sea and road routes as police in the beleaguered Caribbean island nation are being accused of using “unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force and summary executions.”
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
The latest wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine have reportedly killed and injured civilians and damaged critical infrastructure in Dnipro, Odesa, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and other regions.
More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “the violence is worse than ever” and far from abating, the head of UN political and peacebuilding affairs said on Monday in a briefing to the Security Council.
The war in the Middle East is well into its fourth week and the humanitarian emergency it has sparked continues to be the focus of international attention, along with the energy crisis caused by attacks on shipping in key Strait of Hormuz and other oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf region. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
Since the outbreak of war on 28 February, several unique sites of cultural significance have been damaged in Iran, Israel and Lebanon, alongside immense suffering, displacement and death.
Since the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, concerns have been growing over rising oil and commodity prices.
The Security Council is meeting for an open briefing on Ukraine, requested by European members following Kyiv’s 18 March letter citing a surge in Russian strikes. Inside the country, attacks continue to take a heavy toll: since 19 March, at least 25 civilians have reportedly been killed and more than 130 injured, including children, particularly in Donetsk, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. We’ll have live coverage below, app users can follow here – and for all our key meetings coverage each day, go here.
The World Health Organization (WHO) verified on Saturday a hospital attack in war-torn Sudan that killed 64 people.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 2,584 injured in Lebanon since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, UN officials said Saturday.
The crisis in the Middle East continues, with strikes and counter-strikes reported across the region, driving civilian casualties, displacement and rising humanitarian needs. Energy infrastructure has also been affected, with reports of an oil refinery struck in Kuwait and warnings from Qatar that liquefied natural gas export capacity could fall following an attack on the Ras Laffan facility. Oil prices remain above $100 a barrel, underscoring the growing global economic impact. UN agencies warn of mounting pressure on health systems, supply chains and essential services, as they scale up emergency assistance despite access constraints. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The US and Israel must end their bombing campaign before it spirals out of control, while Iran needs to stop attacking Gulf neighbours who have played no direct part in the war roiling the Middle East and beyond, the UN Secretary-General urged on Thursday.
The fallout from the war in the Middle East is rippling far beyond the Gulf, disrupting fuel supplies, shipping routes and supply chains across Asia and the Pacific, with some of the region’s most vulnerable economies already feeling the strain through rising prices, rationing and threats to jobs, food security and remittances.
Ongoing strikes across the Middle East stemming from the US-Israeli bombing of Iran and subsequent counterstrikes in the Gulf by Tehran continue to drive humanitarian needs, civilian casualties and mass displacement. Concerns are also growing over maritime security, the economic crisis centred around the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on healthcare and the protection of critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
Humanitarian needs are continuing to grow again across Gaza, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday, amid mounting pressures on aid delivery and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The crisis in the Middle East continues, with ongoing strikes and rising humanitarian needs. The UN nuclear watchdog reported Wednesday that a projectile struck the site of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, although no casualties have been reported. In Lebanon, the humanitarian situation is worsening, with hundreds reported killed and more than one million people displaced. UN agencies are scaling up emergency assistance despite mounting challenges. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The international community must step up efforts to support Syria amid the current conflict raging in the Middle East, two senior UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
UN aid teams in Yemen on Wednesday warned that the situation in the war-torn nation remains dire in a call for $2 billion in aid to deliver lifesaving assistance for 12 million people.
A new UN human rights report warns that expanding Israeli settlements are driving large-scale displacement of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.
The crisis in the Middle East continues, with strikes and counterstrikes reported across the region as the humanitarian toll rises. UN agencies warn that health systems are under growing strain, children are increasingly affected by violence and displacement, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes - especially in Lebanon. Despite mounting logistical and security challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency aid. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, as the UN chief again demanded an end to the widening conflict.
Top UN officials condemned on Tuesday Pakistan’s overnight strike on a rehab centre that reportedly killed at least 400 people in Kabul and injured more than 250 others.
The widening war in the Middle East and its growing impact on civilians came under scrutiny at the UN in Geneva on Monday, as independent experts briefing the Human Rights Council warned of escalating violence following the onset of Israeli and US strikes on Iran and counterstrikes by Tehran and allied groups.
The liberation of territory from gangs and a more “motivated and visible” police presence has provided a “glimmer of hope” for Haiti as the Caribbean island nation continues to struggle with violence, insecurity and poverty.
Relentless drone strikes across Sudan’s Kordofan and Darfur regions are causing civilian casualties and further restricting humanitarian access, the UN warned on Monday.
The disruption of global energy supplies is being felt worldwide, the UN’s top climate change official warned on Monday, as conflict in the Middle East drives oil and gas prices sharply higher – echoing the market turmoil triggered by the war in Ukraine.
The crisis in the Middle East has entered its third week, with fighting continuing across the region and humanitarian needs rising. Oil prices continue to hover above $100 a barrel, while shipping disruptions and temporary flight suspensions are affecting travel and supply chains. Despite mounting challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency aid, warning that displacement, food insecurity and pressure on health systems are growing as the war's impact spreads. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing another $2 million in emergency funds to support health systems in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as strikes against Iran by the US and Israeli continue amid counterstrikes across the Gulf and wider region by Tehran.
The UN Secretary-General on Saturday called on the international community to intensify support for the Government and people of Lebanon, warning that the south of the country “risks being turned into a wasteland.”
Escalating hostilities across the Middle East continue to drive civilian casualties, mass displacement and mounting humanitarian needs. Fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has intensified, while millions across the region face growing risks from disrupted health services, overcrowded shelters and strained aid operations. UN agencies warn that children and vulnerable families are bearing the brunt as the conflict deepens and regional stability remains under severe pressure. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.
The first two weeks of March have seen a surge in violent attacks and acts of intimidation targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions across North America and Europe.
As the UN Secretary-General touched down in Beirut on Friday in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, UN agencies highlighted the dangers for civilians and particularly pregnant women and migrant workers, amid ongoing airstrikes and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and Israel.
More than five years after Myanmar’s military coup, international resolve to hold the junta accountable must not weaken, an independent human rights expert warned on Friday, as escalating violence and growing humanitarian needs push millions of civilians deeper into crisis.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday he was appalled by the devastating impact on civilians of increasing drone attacks in Sudan, amid reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drones since 4 March alone, in the Kordofan region and White Nile state.
Scores of Ukrainian children are still missing after being deported far and wide across Russia and occupied territories while their families continue to search for them, human rights investigators said on Thursday.
Rising food prices, growing displacement and disruptions to global supply routes are placing millions of people across the Middle East at greater risk of hunger, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), which warns that the humanitarian system is struggling to keep pace with expanding needs.
Venezuela’s repressive State apparatus remains operational despite the seizure of former President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces on 3 January, according to independent UN human rights investigators.
