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.
• ‘Dying hungry and in pain’: An increasingly likely outcome in Gaza December 19, 2024
  The head of the UN aid coordination office in Gaza, Georgios Petropoulos, issued a harrowing update on the dire situation in the enclave on Thursday, describing it as "the most dangerous place on earth right now." 
• Humanity’s fate can't be left to algorithms, UN chief tells Security Council December 19, 2024
  The UN Secretary-General on Thursday urged the Security Council to act decisively to establish international guardrails for artificial intelligence (AI), warning that delays could heighten risks to global peace and security.
• Reconstruction and vital repairs underway in Syria, as ‘security conditions’ permit December 19, 2024
  Around 1.3 million Syrians have received food aid in the past three weeks across Syria from the UN and partners, as the restoration of key services begins in some of the relatively stable areas of the country.
• Staggering scale of Sudan crisis ‘demands sustained and urgent attention’ December 19, 2024
  A senior UN humanitarian official on Thursday issued an urgent plea for international support to alleviate the devastating toll of the ongoing war in Sudan, as millions remain in desperate need of aid and protection.
• World News in Brief: Deaths and injuries mount in Ukraine, refugees from Sudan, Vanuatu quake response December 19, 2024
  In Ukraine, the UN continues to provide aid and support to communities impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion.
• 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.
• 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.