UNRWA Aid to Yarmouk Repeatedly Thwarted

Despite the absence of access in recent days, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) continues to press for a security agreement in Yarmouk, which would support more comprehensive aid distribution to the starving population.

Security Council Holds Second Emergency Meeting on Ukraine

The United States and Russia openly clashed at a Security Council meeting Monday focusing on the ongoing crisis in politically-troubled Ukraine.

UNSC Warns Sanctions to Support Yemen’s Political Transition

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Wednesday adopted a resolution that expresses its support for Yemen’s movement toward a political transition and threatens sanctions against any actor which seeks to obstruct or undermine the process.

UN Chief Appeals for Dialogue in Thailand

“The Secretary General believes strongly that there should be no place for violence by any side in resolving political differences and disputes,” UN  Spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters Wednesday, referring to the escalating political crisis in Thailand.

Press Freedom Goes on Trial in Egypt

On Dec. 29, 2013, just over a month before the third anniversary of the start of the Egyptian revolution that ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, three high-profile journalists for Al Jazeera English were arrested in their hotel suite in Cairo.

Violence Continues to Escalate in the Central African Republic

As violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to escalate, U.N. Secretary -General Ban Ki-moon, following consultations with the U.N Security Council (UNSC), has proposed a six-point initiative to address the dominant issues facing the country.

Growing Inequality Mars 20 Years of Women’s Progress

As the world moves closer to the 2015 end mark of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a new U.N. report illuminates how far global society has come, but also how far it still must travel to achieve its objectives.

Committee to Protect Journalists Releases 2014 Report

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Wednesday released its 2014 report titled, “Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the World’s Front Lines”, an annual survey of the conditions of global press freedom.

Homs Deal Marred by Continued Hostilities and Sieges in Syria

On Feb 6, 2014, an agreement was reached between the two sides to the Syrian conflict to allow humanitarian supplies to enter the Old City of Homs and permit approximately 2,500 besieged civilians to leave. While the deal has successfully permitted a reported 600 civilians to exit the besieged area, aid operations have also been complicated by direct attacks from hostile combatants on February 8 and 9. The tense situation in Homs serves as a reminder that within Syria there are an estimated 9.3 million people in need of urgent humanitarian aid, roughly 250,000 of them under siege, according to the United Nations.

UN Outraged by Looting of Humanitarian Supplies in South Sudan

The United Nations has responded with outrage and disappointment at the recent looting of humanitarian supplies in South Sudan. The issue has drawn serious attention after South Sudanese SPLA government forces were photographed wearing UNICEF backpacks slung over the same shoulders as their firearms, and U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) warehouses, along with many other humanitarian locations, have been raided.

UN Launches Appeal for Sahel Region Aid Plan Funds

The United Nations Monday appealed to the international community for two billion dollars as part of a three year Regional Strategic Response Plan to provide aid and support to the African Sahel region.

Starving for Access in Syria’s Yarmouk Camp

The refugee camp of Yarmouk represents one of the most severe examples of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, with foreign aid agencies unable to enter the opposition-controlled area that been effectively besieged since December 2012.

The U.N. Closes January 2014 With Ambitions on Climate Change

On January 30, 2014 the United Nations backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its complete Working Group 1 fifth assessment report, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the September Climate Summit in New York, and opened the inaugural meeting of the high level U.N. Scientific Advisory Board for sustainable development.

Geneva 2 Press Conferences Reveal Early Tensions and Ambitions

The initial Geneva 2 press conferences, which included Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, United States Secretary of State John Kerry, Syrian Permanent Representative to the U.N. Bashar Jaafari, chief mediator and head of the U.N. Special Envoy to Syria since 2012 Lakhdar Brahimi and Louay Safi of the Syrian Opposition, indicated dichotomies of opinion regarding the conflict and the peace talks, though there appears to be progress.