(UN News)* — Health challenges in northwest Syria have escalated due to harsh winter conditions, exacerbating the vulnerability of displaced populations, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)-led Health Cluster reported on Friday [].
It also cited rising cases of respiratory illnesses, compounded by inadequate heating, overcrowded camps and damaged infrastructure.
“There is continuous significant rise in influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), since the beginning of winter with subsequent rise in hospital visits and heightened public health concerns,” the Health Cluster said.
(Jerusalem) –Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water since October 2023, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on 19 December 2024.
Israel’s Crime of Extermination, Acts of Genocide in Gaza
(UN News)* —The UN Secretary-General on Thursday [] condemned the deadly escalation between Yemen and Israel, following Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed at least three people, injured dozens, and struck critical civilian infrastructure, including Sana’a International Airport.
The strikes targeted Sana’a International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power stations, injuring also a member of the UN Humanitarian Air Crew at the airport.
A high-level UN delegation, led by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at the airport when the strikes occurred, following discussions on Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and the release of detained UN personnel.
As we near the end of another year of war and humanitarian crisis, UN News is highlighting the extraordinary work of staffers in the field who feed our story-telling efforts for global audiences.
UNRWA | UNRWA worker Louise Wateridge visiting a shelter in Nuseirat, Gaza (Nov 2024)
Our first UN News Champion is Louise Wateridge of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNWRA. Louise’s reporting and communications expertise has enriched our coverage and demonstrated why the UN matters to millions of beneficiaries around the world.
(UN News)* — The General Assembly wrapped up the main part of its 79th session on Tuesday [], approving a $3.72 billion budget for the United Nations for 2025 and adopting a new programme to support landlocked developing countries.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe | A view of the UN Headquarters, in New York.
Credit: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNOHCR)
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20 2024 (IPS)* – The United States, long described as a country built largely by immigrants, is planning to clamp down on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers entering the country—which averaged about 2.4 million in 2022-2023, according to the US Congressional Budget Office.
The incoming Trump administration is calling for “mass deportations” of mostly illegal aliens and undocumented workers.
(UN News)* —Hunger, dire living conditions made worse by heavy winter rains and ongoing hostilities continue to endanger people’s lives in Gaza, which has become “a graveyard”, UN humanitarians warned on Friday [].
“The world is not seeing what’s going on with these people, it’s impossible for families to shelter in these conditions,” said Louise Wateridge, from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
(UN News)* — A senior UN humanitarian official on Thursday [] issued an urgent plea for international support to alleviate the devastating toll of the ongoing war in Sudan, as millions remain in desperate need of aid and protection.
MADRID, Dec 20 2024 (IPS)* – Perhaps demographers would consider designing a new classification system to separate from their estimates of the world’s total population –eight billion plus– the billion humans who live without legal identity and, thus, are deprived from the most basic rights.
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The IOM estimates that one billion people live without legal identity, limiting their access to vital services and restricting their mobility. Credit: Shutterstock
The one billion figure seems to fall short if you consider that there are at least 150 million unregistered births.
(UN News)* — The head of the UN aid coordination office in Gaza, Georgios Petropoulos, issued a harrowing update on the dire situation in the enclave on Thursday [], describing it as “the most dangerous place on earth right now.”
Speaking to correspondents via video link on Thursday, the senior OCHA official underscored the grim reality facing over two million people trapped in Gaza, where basic necessities like food, shelter, and safety have become scarce.
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“Dying hungry and in pain” is an increasingly likely outcome for children, mothers, aid workers, and teachers alike, he said.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 