Close to 400,000 civilians continue to be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Syria's besieged Eastern Ghouta, said the UN on Monday. Fighting has intensified and humanitarian agencies have not been able to provide lifesaving food or medical supplies, since 28th of November. The UN continues to call for a ceasefire to allow [...]

Accessing food in war zones, continuing to "deteriorate" The ability to find food in the world's war zones continues to "deteriorate", meaning that humanitarian efforts are "extremely critical". That's one key conclusion of a report on food security, published on Monday, by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), compiled [...]

Remembering the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, the UN chief has called on everyone around the world to "stand together against the normalization of hate". In his message marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, on 27 January, Secretary-General António Guterres said that everyone has a responsibility to "decisively resist" racism and violence. Matt Wells [...]

Gunfire reportedly used against migrants off Yemen Outrage and sadness have been expressed by UN agencies, after 30 migrants and refugees drowned off the coast of Yemen. Survivors reported that an over-crowded boat packed with at least 152 Somalis and Ethiopians left Yemen for Djibouti last Tuesday. The vessel is believed to have been operated [...]

More than 20 countries still have laws in place which discriminate against persons affected by the disease Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease. That's according to Alice Cruz, the UN independent expert against discrimination for those affected, and their family members. Leprosy is caused by a bacterial infection which multiplies slowly, affecting nerve endings and [...]

The Nigerian government launched a mass vaccination campaign in alliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, to immunize more than 25 million people before the end of this year. This drive is part of a global effort to eliminate the risk of yellow fever epidemics by 2026, which should be possible if 90 [...]

"Urgent concrete steps" needed to reverse current course in Middle East "Urgent concrete steps" need to be taken to change the course of Israeli-Palestinian relations, to avert serious conflict and a "humanitarian disaster". That's the plea from Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefing the Security Council on Thursday. He [...]

UN chief "appalled and deeply saddened" by attack on Save the Children The UN chief said he was "appalled and deeply saddened" by Wednesday's attack on the offices of the international NGO Save the Children in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The NGO announced the death of three of its staff members, and news reports said dozens had [...]

Al Shabbab terrorists continue to undermine security across Somalia as the government tries to build up its institutions and make the country more economically self-sufficient. That's according to the head of the UN Assistance Mission there (UNSOM), Michael Keating, who spelled out that "a multi-dimensional effort to build an accountable, affordable State" is well underway. [...]

In this latest edition of our Podcast Classics series, we're going to be connecting the dots between Ancient Greece, rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and the boxer the world knows, simply, as "the greatest": Muhammad Ali. With the Winter Olympics due to begin on 9 February in South Korea, the world is holding its [...]