News items | The United Nations Office at Geneva

Welcome to the United Nations

Lebanon airstrike casualties ‘still under the rubble’ as ambulances, hospitals face new threats

With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.…

Development finance gap risks reversing decades of progress

Global fragmentation, deepening geopolitical tensions and conflicts are putting decades of development progress at risk, the UN warned in a report published on Thursday - calling for stepping up investment to meet internationally agreed goals.…

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 9 April: UN condemns massive strikes in Lebanon, as concerns grow over ceasefire

With a US-Iran ceasefire offering a fragile glimmer of hope after weeks of conflict, violence continues to reverberate across the Middle East. Massive airstrikes in Lebanon have caused heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction, drawing strong UN condemnation. As humanitarian needs deepen…

Lebanon: Health system overwhelmed following a ‘horrific’ day of Israeli strikes

The scale and speed of destruction from the wave of airstrikes in Lebanon which began just hours after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, has left the country’s already strained health system struggling to cope, according to the World Health Organization (WHO…

Kosovo mission head warns ‘mistrust’ threatens post-election stability

Despite successful legislative elections in Kosovo late last year, a “delicate equilibrium” persists as deep divisions remain over the future of the United Nations presence in the region. Peter Due,…

World News in Brief: Sudan refugee update, child trafficking crisis in South Sudan, ‘mystery’ illness in Burundi, human rights in Serbia

More than a million Sudanese refugees who’ve fled into neighbouring Chad risk losing out on essential food, shelter and other support due to funding cuts, as the war in their homeland approaches the three-year mark…

Iran ceasefire raises hopes for reopening key Strait of Hormuz

The announcement of a shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran will, it is hoped, lead to the opening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes…

Hundreds feared dead in Lebanon strikes

The United Nations has strongly condemned airstrikes by the Israeli military across Lebanon on Wednesday which have resulted in significant casualties and destruction.  The attacks came…

Over 1,000 humanitarians have been killed in three years, Security Council hears

At least 326 humanitarians were killed in the line of duty across 21 countries during 2025, bringing the total killed over three years to over 1,010. The International Red Cross warned the Security Council on Wednesday that “we are losing our humanity in war…

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 8 April: US-Iran ceasefire announced; strikes continue in Lebanon

After nearly 40 days of intense hostilities across the Middle East – marked by rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure – a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has been announced. While the UN Secretary-General has welcomed the move as a step…