UN Secretary-General António Guterres briefs reporters on 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov. UN Photo/Evan Schneider
In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth:
()* — “After losing my leg in the war, I returned to photojournalism not just for work, but because I have loved photography since childhood,” said Palestinian reporter Sami Shahada.
UN News | Palestinian journalist, Sami Shehada lost his leg in an attack in Gaza.
Mr. Shahada lost his leg due to a severe injury he suffered in Nuseirat in central Gaza in April 2024, but he picked up his camera and returned to document the tragic events that have been unfolding in Gaza.
He will not let his disability stop him from working. “It is impossible for me to leave photojournalism, even if I face all these obstacles,” he said.
(UN News)* — Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) on said.
Speaking from Gaza City OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko told journalists in Geneva that a friend of hers “saw people burning a few days ago from the explosions – and there was no water to save them.”
By Elshaday Gebeyehu, Jessica Lawson and Elizabeth Bryant | World Food Programme*
WFP warns millions at risk of growing hunger and malnutrition as country is buffeted by a raft of shocks
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Seven-month-old Eldana counts among millions of malnourished children in Ethiopia. The WFP support she receives may soon run out, due to lack of funds. Photo: WFP/Michael Tewelde
22 April 2025 — At a crowded health post in northern Ethiopia, Belaynesh Berihu cradles tiny daughter Eldana, as a health worker slips a coloured tape around the infant’s arm to gauge malnourishment.
“She eats very little, she doesn’t have an appetite,” says Berihu, whose daughter weighed less than 2 kg at birth. Berihu, too, is painfully thin – surviving on a diet of mostly wheat and teff-based bread.
Statement from UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the situation for children in the Gaza Strip after two months of aid blockade
UNICEF/UNI501989/Al-Qattaa
NEW YORK, 2 May 2025 (UNICEF)* —“For two months, children in the Gaza Strip have faced relentless bombardments while being deprived of essential goods, services and lifesaving care.
With each passing day of the aid blockade, they face the growing risk of starvation, illness and death – nothing can justify this.
“Families are struggling to survive. They are trapped, unable to flee in search of safety. The land they used to farm has been destroyed.
(UN News)* — The UN’s top humanitarian official on Thursday [] issued a stark warning over the continuing blockade of aid into Gaza, calling on Israel to lift restrictions that have left civilians without food, medical care, and hope.
In a powerful statement, Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, condemned Israel’s decision to halt humanitarian assistance as a “cruel collective punishment” of the Palestinian population.
(UN News)* — Lifesaving operations everywhere continue to be shut down by sweeping funding cutbacks which will result in millions of people dying, the UN’s top aid official said on Wednesday [].
“Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about…the impact of aid cuts is that millions die,” warned Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.
30 Apr 2025 – The Danish Refugee Council(DRC) is gravely concerned by the escalating hostilities in Gaza following the collapse of the ceasefire on 18 March.
Since then, Israeli bombardments have intensified, with daily airstrikes triggering repeated, chaotic displacements.
Latin Americans fleeing violence face movement restrictions, exploitation, and asylum barriers, according to a new report.
28 April 2025 — The report, conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and partners through the ProLAC initiative, is based on a survey of 3,611 households across nine countries.
Hands cover the face of a woman displaced by the armed conflict in Colombia. Photo: Elegante Lab/NRC
It reveals that conflict and violence in Latin America are forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, while armed and criminal groups continue to restrict their movement and take advantage of their vulnerabilities.
(UN News)* — Faced with mounting debt and economic stagnation, middle-income countries have issued a call for financial reform, sustainable investment, and a roadmap to escape the so-called “middle-income trap,” at a UN-backed international conference held in Manila, Philippines, which concluded on Tuesday [].
The High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries (MICs), held on 28 and 29 April, was attended by senior representatives from 24 MICs, many of which are highly indebted, leaving them little room for spending on developing their economies.
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 