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a day ago
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Gaza: As Last Fuel Supplies Run Out, Aid Teams Warn Of Catastrophe
19 June 2025 Speaking from Gaza City in the north of occupied territory, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that water pumps had stopped at one site for displaced people there on Wednesday 'because there's no fuel'. 'We are really - unless the situation changes - hours away from a catastrophic decline and a shutdown of more facilities if no fuel enters or more fuel isn't retrieved immediately,' she told UN News. In its latest update on the emergency, OCHA said that without the immediate entry of fuel or access to reserves, 80 per cent of Gaza's critical care units essential for births and medical emergencies will shut down. More killed seeking aid The development comes as Gaza's authorities reported that 15 people had been killed near an aid distribution hub in the centre of the Strip on Thursday. On Tuesday, unverified videos of another incident circulating on social media showed dead bodies lying in the street near a relief facility in the southern city of Khan Younis, reportedly following artillery fire. Finding food is a daily challenge for increasingly desperate Gazans who are ' simply waiting for food and hoping to find something in order not to watch their children starve in front of their eyes ', Ms. Cherevko explained. She added: 'I spoke with a woman a couple of days ago where she told me that she went with a friend of hers who is nine months pregnant in hopes of finding some food. Of course, they didn't manage because they were too afraid to enter areas where there could be incidents like the ones that have been reported over the past few days.' Search for shelter Back in Gaza City, OCHA's Ms. Cherenko said that conditions in shelters in Gaza are now 'absolutely horrific' and increasingly crowded - 'there are people coming from the north constantly,' the veteran aid worker added, while others are also moving back northwards, likely to be closer to the entry points for aid convoys. The amount of aid entering Gaza today remains extremely limited and far below the 600 trucks a day that used to reach the enclave before the war began in October 2023. In its latest update, OCHA reported that 'starvation and a growing likelihood of famine' are ever-present in the enclave. An estimated 55,000 pregnant women now face miscarriage, stillbirth and undernourished newborns as a result of the food shortages. Starvation diet 'With the very limited volume of aid that is entering, everyone continues to face starvation and people are constantly risking their lives to try to find something,' Ms. Cherevko continued. ' You eat or [you're] left with the choice of starving to death.' After more than 20 months of war, sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, 82 per cent of Gaza's territory is either an Israeli militarized zone or affected by evacuation orders. Three months since hostilities re-escalated on 18 March, more than 680,000 people have been newly displaced. 'With no safe place to go, many people have sought refuge in every available space, including overcrowded displacement sites, makeshift shelters, damaged buildings, streets and open areas,' OCHA said.
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a day ago
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Long After The Guns Fall Silent, Conflict-related Sexual Violence Leaves Lasting Scars
19 June 2025 In 2024 alone, the UN verified around 4,500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), though the real number is likely much higher. An overwhelming 93 per cent of survivors were women and girls. Under international law, CRSV is recognised as a war crime, a crime against humanity, and an act that can constitute genocide. Its long-lasting impact undermines efforts to build lasting peace. On Thursday, the UN marked the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, highlighting the enduring and intergenerational effects of this brutal tactic. Tactic of war In many conflicts, sexual violence is deliberately used to terrorise, punish and humiliate civilians. ' It is used to terrorise, to punish, but also to humiliate civilians, especially women and girls, ' said Esméralda Alabre, coordinator of the UN reproductive health agency's (UNFPA) response to gender-based violence in Sudan, speaking to UN News. But the harm does not stop with the survivors. CRSV is often used to tear apart communities and undermine social cohesion. It fragments families, spreads fear and deepens societal divisions. In Haiti, gangs have forced family members to rape their own mothers and wives, according to Pascale Solages, founder of a feminist organization in the country. Women's bodies are being turned into battlegrounds. Perpetrators aim to destroy community bonds, using rape as a tool of domination and control. Survivors are left to carry the burden of trauma, stigma and isolation, she told UN News. Generational trauma Many survivors are silenced by fears of reprisal and retaliation: 'to break the cycle, we must confront horrors of the past,' said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a statement marking the day. Trauma is not only immediate, but also creates deep and lasting intergenerational wounds, as the cycle of violence often impacts multiple generations. Shunned from their communities, many survivors are forced to raise children born out of rape, on their own. ' It's almost like their cries are being ignored by the world,' said Ms. Alabre. Survivors of CRSV and their children, often excluded from education, employment, and other essential aspects of life, are pushed into poverty – further deepening their vulnerability. ' For too many women and children, war is not over when it's over,' said the UN Special Representative who advocates for all those who experience sexual violence in conflict settings, Pramila Patten. Need for accountability Survivors not only have the right to safety and support, but also to justice and redress. Yet, ' too often, perpetrators walk free, cloaked in impunity while survivors often bear the impossible burden of stigma and shame,' said Mr. Guterres. The limited availability of support services, especially following recent aid cuts, stands in the way of survivors' healing: not only is it becoming harder for survivors to hold their attackers accountable, prevention efforts are being stymied by funding cuts in many capitals since the start of the year. 'What happened to me could have been prevented,' survivors have told Ms. Patten time and time again. Yet, in March alone, UNFPA's Sudan office had to close 40 women and girls safe spaces, impeding efforts to provide both immediate and long-term care to survivors. Community-based interventions, child-friendly support for child survivors' education, and legislative policy changes play a crucial role in preventing CRSV. ' If we undermine investment in women's recovery, we undermine investment in conflict recovery, and we all inherit a less safe world,' said Ms. Patten.
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a day ago
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World Refugee Day: Telling Their Stories
19 June 2025 While hotspots include Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Palestine, displacement affects every region of the world. In the lead-up to World Refugee Day, Friday, the UN is spotlighting the importance of solidarity with refugees through support, solutions, and the power of storytelling. Zahra Nader: Reporting from exile Ahead of World Refugee Day, UN News spoke with Zahra Nader, a refugee, journalist and women's rights activist from Afghanistan. At age six, Nader and her family fled to Iran after the Taliban first took power, where she was denied access to education and faced racism. Returning to Afghanistan years later, the stark contrast between life in exile and the opportunity to attend school ignited her passion for journalism and advocacy. In August 2021, while she was pursuing a PhD in Canada, the Taliban regained control, shattering her dreams of returning home to teach and conduct fieldwork. ' I felt as a journalist who grew up in Kabul, who became a journalist there, I have a right and responsibility to tell these stories of women in Afghanistan,' she said. 'This is really inhuman, for half of the population of a country to be stripped of their basic human rights because they were born female.' Channeling that pain into action, she founded Zan Times, an Afghan women-led newsroom in exile documenting human rights abuses in Afghanistan, particularly those affecting women. Despite limited funding and growing risks to her reporters, Nader continues her work to ensure that Afghan women are seen and heard. She described the situation in Afghanistan as ' the most severe women's rights crisis of our time ', calling international action insufficient and warning that inaction emboldens the Taliban and its misogynistic ideologies. Despite her trauma and current inability to return, Nader remains optimistic and urges young Afghan women to resist through learning and preparing for a better future. 'I am hopeful, and I want to be also part of that change, to envision a better future for Afghanistan, and do my part to make that future happen.' Barthelemy Mwanza: From survival to leadership On Thursday, UN Video featured the story of Barthelemy Mwanza, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who is now a youth leader and advocate. At 18, Mwanza was caught between pressure to join an armed tribal group involved in nationwide conflict and his father's plea to stay out of the fight, a decision that could have cost him his life. To survive, he fled to the Tongogara refugee camp in Zimbabwe. Emotionally overwhelmed from being displaced from his home country, 'It really made me cry to say 'Where am I?'' Mwanza said. 'Later on, I was like, 'Till when will I continue to cry? Shouldn't I look at the future?'' He began volunteering with UNHCR, leading more than 5,000 young refugees through initiatives tackling gender-based violence, youth protection, and climate action. Now resettled in Ohio, United States, Mwanza continues to collaborate with UNHCR to elevate refugee voices, inspire climate action and share his story. Empowering and advocating for refugees on a global stage 'was one of my dreams, and now I can really see that it's coming to life,' he concluded.
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4 days ago
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From Himalayan Melt To Drowning Shores, Children Lead The Climate Fight
16 June 2025 For young people living on the frontlines, climate change disrupts education, health and safety, casting a pall of uncertainty over the future. As countries race to meet climate goals, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is stepping in to ensure that children's voices are not just heard, but central to shaping solutions. UN News spoke with the heads of UNICEF in Nepal and the Maldives to explore how the agency is empowering youth, embedding climate resilience in schools and driving child-inclusive climate action. A daily reality In a remote village in western Nepal, 11-year-old Sabu and her friends face danger daily on their way to school. Intensifying and unpredictable rains trigger landslides that wash away roads, and floods that submerge homes and farmland. ' Children live with anxiety and uncertainty. When it rains and there are floods, they have to trek, bridges are overrun, roads are muddy – and this is what they have to walk through day after day.' ' It becomes a huge burden for children to carry, ' says Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal. Thousands of kilometers away, in the low-lying Maldives, the threat takes a different but equally devastating form. Sea surges erode coastlines, flood homes and wash away infrastructure. ' Erosion is a daily reality for children here …young people see their trees falling, homes at risk and they grow up with the constant fear of losing their islands,' explains Edward Addai, UNICEF Representative in the Maldives. ' Climate change is not something far-off – it is part of their lives. ' Kids at the heart of climate action UNICEF's work in both countries is guided by a simple principle: children must be at the heart of climate solutions. This means not only shielding them from impacts but also empowering them to be agents of change. In Nepal, with the support of UN agencies, the government has integrated climate change education into the national curriculum. Classes go beyond theory, with teacher training, green school initiatives and practical actions like rainwater harvesting and waste management. 'We are supporting updating school safety frameworks…making them more resilient and absorb climate shocks such as heavy rains or floods,' Ms. Akunga said. At the recently concluded Sagarmatha Sambaad – the Everest climate talks – UNICEF supported a national youth-led dialogue that brought together over 100 children and young people from across Nepal to engage with policymakers and submit a Children and Youth Declaration to the Prime Minister. Youth leadership beyond classrooms In the Maldives, the agency's approach emphasises community engagement alongside education. UNICEF has helped establish environmental clubs in schools, providing safe spaces for children to learn, discuss and act on climate issues. It is also working with the health system to introduce solar energy to hospitals, supplanting fossil fuels. 'These clubs are critical for nurturing leadership and connecting school activities to community projects,' Mr. Addai added. Young people are also at the centre of the Government's climate plans, engaging in direct dialogue with policymakers and strengthening intergenerational accountability. One such initiative is the Youth Track to COP, a platform co-led by UNICEF and government partners to prepare young people to meaningfully engage in national and global climate discussions. Safeguarding the next generation UNICEF is also supporting efforts to integrate child-sensitive policies into the countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – the climate pledges under the Paris Agreement. Nepal's pledges include commitments to green schools and climate-resilient educational infrastructure. Children were actively involved in the consultations for Nepal's latest NDC, sharing firsthand stories of how climate impacts their daily lives. The Maldives' emphasises youth engagement, clean water access and strengthened health systems in climate-vulnerable areas. Young people are also shaping policy through national mock COPs and direct participation in global climate forums. This ensures that resilience efforts will extend beyond infrastructure to cover children's health, education and mental wellbeing. Getting it right, for everyone The UNICEF officials emphasised what a truly child-inclusive climate plan requires. ' It recognises how climate change impacts every aspect of a child's life – from their lungs to their learning to their access to clean water,' Ms. Akunga said. 'It ensures children can keep receiving health services, continue learning and adapt without anxiety or uncertainty. It's about securing their survival, growth, and development no matter what climate shocks come.' Mr. Edward added: ' If we get it right for children, we get it right for society.' 'Children are the future caretakers of their land and communities. A climate plan that ignores children's realities will fail everyone. But when children are healthy, educated, and included, society thrives,' Children leading the way Ms. Akunga recalled meeting Sabu, the 11-year-old girl, on a field visit. 'I met this child. I went to her village and met her parents… she has taken it upon herself and mobilised other young girls to learn about medicinal plants – how to nurture them and protect them from extreme weather conditions.' She spoke of how Sabu is transferring knowledge from elders to peers – bridging generations – and impressing her community with her passion. Despite the daunting challenges, children like Sabu are stepping up. They are organizing themselves, advocating for change and proposing solutions. 'Their voices matter… children are not just affected by climate change — they are essential partners in responding to it,' Ms. Akunga affirmed.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Business
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‘Plenty Of Fish In The Sea'? Not Anymore, Say UN Experts In Nice
11 June 2025 As yachts bobbed gently and delegates streamed by in a rising tide of lanyards and iPads at Port Lympia, Nice's historic harbor, that statistic sent a ripple through the conference's third day – a stark reminder that the world's oceans are under growing pressure from overfishing, climate change and unsustainable management. Presented dockside at a press conference by Manuel Barange, Assistant Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the report offered a detailed global snapshot of how human activity is steadily draining the ocean – and how sound management can bring it back. 'To use a banking comparison,' Mr. Barange told UN News in an interview ahead of the report's launch, 'we are extracting more than the interest the bank gives us. We are depleting the populations.' The Review of the State of World Marine Fishery Resources 2025, which draws on data from 2,570 marine fish stocks – the widest scope used by FAO yet – paints a complex picture: while over a third of stocks are being overexploited, 77 per cent of fish consumed globally still come from sustainable sources thanks to stronger yields from well-managed fisheries. 'Management works,' Mr. Barange said. 'We know how to rebuild populations.' A global patchwork Regional disparities remain stark. In the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada, over 90 per cent of stocks are sustainably fished. In Australia and New Zealand, the figure exceeds 85 per cent. The Antarctic – governed by strict international regulations – reports 100 per cent sustainability. But along northwest Africa's coast, from Morocco to the Gulf of Guinea, over half of all stocks are overfished, with little sign of recovery. The Mediterranean and Black Sea fare even worse: 65 per cent of stocks there are unsustainable. Yet there is a positive sign – the number of boats going out to fish in that region has declined by nearly a third over the past decade, offering hope that policy shifts are beginning to take effect. For Mr. Barange, the lesson is clear: where management systems exist – and are backed by resources – stocks recover. But science-based management is expensive. 'Some regions can't afford the infrastructure needed for control and monitoring, the science needed, the institutions needed,' he said. 'We need to build up capacity for the regions that are not doing so well. Not to blame them, but to understand the reasons why they are not doing so well and support them in rebuilding their populations.' From collapse to comeback Perhaps the clearest example of recovery may be tuna. Once on the brink, the saltwater fish has made a remarkable comeback. Today, 87 per cent of major tuna stocks are sustainably fished, and 99 per cent of the global market comes from those stocks. 'This is a very significant turnaround,' Mr. Barange said. 'Because we have taken management seriously, we have set up monitoring systems, we set up management systems, compliance systems.' The full findings in the FAO's new report are likely to shape policy discussions far beyond Nice. The agency has worked closely with 25 regional fisheries-management organizations to promote accountability and reform, and Mr. Barange believes the model is replicable – if the political will holds. Fish, livelihoods, and the blue economy Countries were reported to have finalized negotiations over the political declaration expected to be adopted on Friday at the close of UNOC3, as the conference is known. The statement will form part of the Nice Ocean Action Plan and is intended to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – the 2022 agreement to protect 30 per cent of the planet's land and ocean by 2030. As the heat climbed once again over the stone quays of Nice – a city perched in one of Europe's most climate-vulnerable regions – sustainable fisheries took center stage inside the conference halls. Action panels focused on supporting small-scale fishers and advancing inclusive ocean economies, with delegates exploring how to align conservation goals with social equity – especially in regions where millions depend on fishing for survival. We're not apart from the ocean – we're a part of it – FAO's Manuel Barange 'There are 600 million people worldwide who depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods,' Mr. Barange said. 'In some countries, aquatic animals are the main source of protein. We're not apart from the ocean – we're a part of it.' As the conference moves into its final stretch, FAO's warning shines like a beacon: one-third of the world's fish stocks remain under too much pressure. But the data also offer something that can be elusive in the climate and biodiversity space – evidence that recovery is possible. Three days in, the FAO report underscores a central message voiced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Monday, as he opened the summit: recovery is still within reach. 'What was lost in a generation,' he said, 'can return in a generation.'
