Unhindered humanitarian access denied in Myanmar, feasibility of voluntary returns unknown The Governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed terms two months ago for the voluntary return to Myanmar of more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees — but necessary safeguards are still not in place, and refugees cannot be sure of their safety if they do return, [...]

"Dignity is Priceless" global campaign launches for Palestine Refugees A global fundraising campaign got underway on Monday, following a major cut in funding announced by the United States last week for the UN agency which supports Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The #DignityIsPriceless campaign aims to raise $500 million in order to carry on funding education, emergency [...]

George Weah was inaugurated on Monday as the new President of Liberia, where the United Nations is set to close its peacekeeping mission (UNMIL) in a few weeks after a successful 15-year presence in the West African country. The new Liberian President took office at a ceremony in the capital, Monrovia, and it marks the [...]

Peacekeepers need better training, more technology and greater freedom to respond to the threat posed by "criminal" groups who are responsible for an uptick in fatalities in recent years. Those are some of the recommendations being made to the Secretary-General by Retired Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz of Brazil, the lead author of [...]

Increasing concern for women and children fleeing Cameroon — UNHCR The number of women and children fleeing from English-speaking areas of Cameroon into Nigeria is growing, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is "increasingly concerned" about their plight. That's according to UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler, who said in Geneva [...]

2017 was a watershed year for women and women's rights around the world. From the Global Women's March last January, to the #MeToo movement, women around the world stood up and demanded their right to be heard. They insisted on the right to thrive in an environment free of violence, discrimination, harassment and stigmatization. In [...]

Dialogue and confidence vital to prevent, resolve conflicts, says UN chief Amid growing concerns over weapons of mass destruction, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for comprehensive political solutions that include dialogue and negotiation to prevent, mitigate and resolve conflicts. Speaking at a Security Council session on non-proliferation and confidence-building measures, the UN chief urged the [...]

Humanitarian situation in DRC deteriorates due to enormous funding gap: IOM The humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spiralling out of control due to a "massive escalation" of conflict and insecurity, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) said on Wednesday. Some 4.3 million people are displaced throughout the DRC, 1.7 million [...]

Around 120 critically-ill children trapped in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta, in Syria, are in urgent need of evacuation, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF Representative in the country, Fran Equiza, said in an interview with UN News on Wednesday, that humanitarian access continues to be limited, with at least 12 per [...]

Armed groups fighting in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR) have been given 48 hours to withdraw in order to allow villagers displaced by violence to return home. The UN wants to clear a 50-kilometer perimeter around the town of Paoua, where thousands are currently seeking shelter. Some 60,000 people — mostly women [...]