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The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday launched a $56.4 million flash appeal to address urgent health needs in Syria, where years of conflict have cripped the healthcare system.

Sudan is confronting a widening famine crisis, with widespread starvation, surging acute malnutrition and mass displacement exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, a UN-backed food security assessment released on Tuesday has found.

Since October, when Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in northern Gaza, only three per cent of food and water deliveries organized by the UN World Food Programme  (WFP) have been permitted to enter areas in northern Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from 2 to 13 December addressing States’ obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats.

Yemen has reported the highest global burden of cholera, with nearly 250,000 suspected cases and 861 associated deaths as of 1 December, accounting for 35 per cent of worldwide cholera cases and 18 per cent of related deaths this year, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria continues to escalate, with millions struggling to access basic resources as fuel shortages and damaged infrastructure hinder relief efforts, the UN reported on Monday.

UN agencies are intensifying their response in Vanuatu after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 12 people and injured over 200 earlier this week, with a second 6.1 magnitude tremor on Sunday further exacerbating the challenges for affected communities.

Hunger, dire living conditions made worse by heavy winter rains and ongoing hostilities continue to endanger people’s lives in Gaza, which has become “a graveyard”, UN humanitarians warned on Friday. 

The ongoing conflict in Sudan - particularly around besieged El Fasher – and a growing refugee crisis on the South Sudan border, have intensified an already alarming humanitarian crisis, according to UN agencies on Friday. 

The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.

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.

In Ukraine, the UN continues to provide aid and support to communities impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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." 

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.

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.

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.

Humanitarians continue to assess the impact of Tropical Cyclone Chido in Mozambique and to support affected families, the UN reported on Wednesday. 

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.

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. 

Senior UN officials remain in Syria on Tuesday where they have been meeting representatives of the new caretaker government, following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad just over a week ago. Later today, the Security Council in New York is expecting to hear updates from Damascus from the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, along with civil society representatives.

Avian influenza has caused the deaths of more than 300 million birds worldwide and the virus “is increasingly crossing species barriers”, according to UN health officers.

Tropical Cyclone Chido struck northern Mozambique over the weekend, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds that caused devastation for communities in Cabo Delgado province.

As the world navigates rapid digital transformation, the 19th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme "Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future."

UN humanitarians expressed alarm on Monday at the rising numbers of civilian casualties in and around the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, in northern Darfur.

Authorities in Gaza reported on Monday that more than 45,000 people have been killed in the enclave in the last 14 months, as humanitarians condemned new deadly airstrikes across the war-torn Strip, including on a UN school-turned-shelter.

The largest and most inclusive UN land conference wrapped up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, charting a path for global action following two weeks of intense negotiations on how best to tackle land degradation, desertification and drought, which affects one quarter of the world.

Farmers in Saudi Arabia are being encouraged to adopt new irrigation techniques as water and land resources are put under increasing pressure.

Ongoing military operations by Israeli forces in Gaza continue to cause devastation for civilians trying to escape the fighting, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population. 

The UN Special Envoy for Syria travelled to Jordan on Friday for discussions on the tumultuous events that have seen a new transitional authority take charge in Damascus in recent days, with more high-level meetings planned over the weekend.

The international community owes it to the Syrian people “to listen, to act and to work tirelessly” so the crimes of the deposed Assad regime can never happen again, the top UN envoy for the country said on Thursday.