MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Mar 25 2025 (IPS)* –The United Nations Refugee Agency faces devastating cuts that may eliminate 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, with potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of people fleeing war, repression, hunger and climate disasters.
Credit: Pietro Bertora/SOS Humanity
This 75-year-old institution, established to help Europeans displaced by the Second World War, now confronts an unprecedented financial crisis, primarily due to the US foreign aid freeze – and the timing couldn’t be worse.
27 March 2025 — United States President Donald J. Trump’s barrage of anti-immigrant policies has garnered worldwide attention, but Canada is taking a dark turn of its own.
28 Mar 2025 — In this unmissable, must-watch conversation, Professor Richard Falk—international law expert, former UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine, and leading scholar on global justice—breaks down the complexities of international law, the right of resistance, and the enforcement gaps in global governance.
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From the historic context of decolonization to the current war in Gaza, Falk sheds light on the accountability challenges facing Israel and the role of civil society in pushing for change.
NEW YORK/AMMAN, 31 March 2025 (UNICEF)* – The breakdown of the ceasefire and resumption of intense bombardments and ground operations in the Gaza Strip has reportedly left at least 322 children dead and 609 injured – constituting a daily average of around 100 children killed or maimed over the past 10 days.
UNICEF/UNI501860/El Baba
Most of these children were displaced, sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes.
(UN News)* —The UN Secretary-General on took the “difficult decision” to reduce the aid operation inside the Gaza Strip following the resumption of deadly Israeli airstrikes – but pledged that “the UN is not leaving” the enclave.
“In the past week, Israel carried out devastating strikes on Gaza, claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians, including United Nations personnel, with no humanitarian aid being allowed to enter the Strip since early March,”said a statement released by his Spokesperson.
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 1 2025 (IPS)* –The Trump administration’s ground-rules are dangerously clear—and devastating.
Credit: United Nations
If you are a pro-Palestinian demonstrator, denouncing Israeli atrocities in Gaza, you are either a supporter of the “terrorist organization” Hamas or you are described as anti-Semitic veering on hate crimes liable for prosecution.
(UN News)* —The human toll of the earthquake which devastated central Myanmar continues to rise, UN humanitarians warned on Sunday , putting more pressure on nearly 20 million people who were already in need of aid.
According to news reports citing Myanmar’s military leader, around 1,700 are confirmed dead from Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake, with some 3,400 injuredand hundreds still missing.
PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK – 26 March 2025 (UNICEF)* – Grave violations against children have surged across Sudan’s Darfur states since the start of the year, with 110 violations verified in North Darfur alone and a staggering 83 per cent increase in child casualties in Sudan compared to the first quarter of 2024.
UNICEF/UN0836594/ZakariaFILE PHOTO: Hanona brings her child Maher to a nutrition centre in Abushok in North Darfur for health screening. UNICEF has maintained delivery of critical services in Darfur and other conflict affected areas.
Bogotá – A pioneering new initiative seeks to enhance understanding of mercury trade dynamics in Latin America and foster regional cooperation to improve the control of major mercury flows, aiming to prevent approximately 176 metric tonnes of mercury from entering the international market, reducing the associated negative impacts on human health and environmental integrity.
28 March 2025 — Dying glaciers, record-breaking hurricanes and wildfires, debilitating drought and deadly floods scarred the socio-economic landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, inflicting major damage long after the headlines faded, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).