News from the United Nations

• Syria’s new ‘flame of hope’ must not be extinguished: Guterres December 19, 2024
  A flame of hope burns bright today in Syria – but if it’s not carefully managed by both Syrians themselves and the international community, it risks being extinguished.
• Winter rains and aid obstacles worsen ordeal for one million Gazans December 18, 2024
  Nearly one million Gazans risk spending winter without adequate shelter as UN agencies struggle to provide cold weather assistance, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment, repeated evacuation orders and restrictions on aid deliveries, they warned on Wednesday.
• World News in Brief: Migrants Day, hunger in the Arab world, arbitrary arrests in South Sudan December 18, 2024
  Migration patterns continue to be shaped by conflicts, climate disasters, and economic pressures, with 2024 marking record levels of internal displacement, the UN reported on Wednesday, marking International Migrants Day.
• Syria: UN envoy concludes talks in Damascus, citing hope for democratic future December 18, 2024
  The UN Special Envoy for Syria concluded talks in Damascus on Wednesday, expressing optimism that the fall of the Assad regime could mark the start of a peaceful and democratic transition for the shattered country, while acknowledging challenges remain.
• Occupied Palestinian Territory: Security Council hears of ongoing violence, ‘relentless’ Israeli settlement expansion December 18, 2024
  The United Nations continues to voice major concern over hostilities and Israeli settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), the Security Council heard on Wednesday. 
• ‘We must not normalise the war in Ukraine,’ warns country coordinator December 18, 2024
  On Wednesday UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale briefed the press after visiting the war-ravaged eastern Donetsk region, sharing harrowing accounts of human resilience amid the chaos of Russia’s ongoing invasion.
• UN responds to cyclone in Mozambique, earthquake in Vanuatu December 18, 2024
  Humanitarians continue to assess the impact of Tropical Cyclone Chido in Mozambique and to support affected families, the UN reported on Wednesday. 
• Tensions escalating over DPR Korea, political affairs chief warns Security Council December 18, 2024
  The UN’s top political affairs official on Wednesday expressed grave concern over rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, urging the Security Council to uphold the objective of preventing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – more commonly known as North Korea – from becoming a nuclear armed State.
• Syria crisis: ‘Key priority’ is preserving evidence of crimes, say UN investigators December 17, 2024
  The historic shift of power in Syria and the possibility of finally accessing evidence of horrific human rights violations could bring accountability closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved - a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
• WFP delivers aid to over 800,000 in Sudan's hunger hotspots December 17, 2024
  The World Food Programme (WFP) has intensified its emergency response in Sudan, delivering food assistance to more than 800,000 people in famine-affected and at-risk areas, even as conflict continues to escalate across the country.