(UN News)* — With 13.5 million people displaced by over 13 years of brutal civil conflict, Syria used to represent the largest displacement crisis in the world. This is no longer the case.
In December last year, the overthrow of the Assad regime by opposition forces reignited hope that most Syrians could see home again soon.
As of May, 500,000 refugees and 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) returned to their areas of origin. But that’s not the only reason Syria is no longer the largest displacement crisis in the world.
(UN News)* — The ocean is under siege – and greed is to blame. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged world leaders and grassroots groups to confront the powerful interests driving marine destruction, from illegal fishing and plastic pollution to the accelerating impacts of climate change.
The World Day against Child Labour is widely supported by these actors, along with UN agencies and individuals committed to building a world free of child labour. PHOTO: UNFPA Asia and the Pacific
The Israeli military has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians by destroying homes and essential civilian infrastructure in Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps rendering them uninhabitable, as part of its ongoing brutal military operation in the occupied West Bank,said Amnesty International.
Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images
On 5 June, Palestinians mark Naksa Day, commemorating the forced displacement of approximately 300,000 Palestinians during the June 1967 war, when Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
(UN News)* — The worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached “unprecedented levels of despair,” the UN said on Monday , amid more reports of people being killed and injured near newly-established distribution sites.
Since the end of May, aid distribution in Gaza has been carried out by a mechanism backed by Israel and the United States bypassing UN agencies and their established partners, which has been plagued by deadly incidents and chaos.
Unprecedented Ocean warming engulfed the South-West Pacific in 2024, harming ecosystems and economies, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which highlighted how sea level rise is threatening islands in a region where more than half the population live close to the coast.
SACRAMENTO, US & NEW DELHI, India:, Jun 9 2025 (IPS)* –A newly released report by Earth Insight in collaboration with 16 environmental organizations has sounded a global alarm on the unchecked expansion of offshore oil and gas projects into some of the most biologically rich and ecologically sensitive marine environments on the planet.
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A report documents the impact of unchecked oil and gas projects in biologically rich and ecologically sensitive environments. Credit: Spencer Thomas
8 June 2025 (United Nations)* —The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.
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The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
If you’ve been following the global conversation around plastic pollution, you’ve probably heard of microplastics. These small particles have turned up everywhere from the depths of the ocean to the top of Mount Everest and even throughout the human body.
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Credit: dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP/Bernd Wustneck
But what exactly are microplastics, why are they concerning and what can the world do about them? Read on to find out.
Fisheries provide a vital source of food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well-being for people throughout the world. In a world of growing population and persistent hunger, fish has emerged as an important commodity for the achievement of food security.
However, efforts by the international community to ensure the sustainability of fisheries are being seriously compromised by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.