Yemen conflict intensifies, displacing tens of thousands

Yemen's decade-long conflict between Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has dangerously escalated over the past week, reaching a new peak after months of rising tensions.An estimated 46,000 people have been displaced since fighting resumed just over a week ago, with numbers expected to rise further as the situation continues to change "by the hour".Houthi fighters have seized the strategic port of Mokha and reportedly an island in the Red Sea — a major threat to the shipping routes they have been targeting.Speaking to UN News' Khaled Haridy, Abdusattor Esoev, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, explains how the humanitarian crisis is worsening, the UN response to growing needs, and the challenges hampering its work.

Two weeks after a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods in northern Nepal, entire communities remain cut off, homes lie buried under tonnes of rubble, and families are still waiting for news of loved ones.According to latest figures from the UN humanitarian affairs office, 1,267 people have died and some 5,132 remain missing, while the UN estimates the disaster created at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris.The regional director for UN field operations arm UNOPS, Sara Netzer, was on the ground following the floods that affected around 84,000 people.In an interview with UN News’s Nancy Sarkis, she says the scale of destruction is unlike anything she saw after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, and that rebuilding will take time.

As a new school year begins, classrooms are reopening and children are returning to their studies – but that’s not the case for many young Palestinians.For many in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, have provided a pathway to opportunity for generations, with some 2.5 million students graduating. However, financial constraints and conflict have disrupted or shattered their progress, threatening to further derail their prospects for the future.In an interview with UN News’s Reem Abaza, UNRWA Director of Education Julia Dicon discusses what education means to Palestine refugee children and why sustained support is critical.

Despite increasingly difficult conditions, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to operate on the ground, remaining a vital lifeline and providing education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and social protection in Gaza and the West Bank. Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, spoke to UN News’ Reem Abaza and stressed that the issue goes beyond the agency itself, saying the “restoration of respect for the United Nations at large and for UNRWA as an agency mandated by the General Assembly” is essential. He warned that shrinking humanitarian space and displacement are dangerous trends and underlined that urgency of returning to a credible pathway towards the two-State solution and eventually a situation where UNRWA as an agency “does not have to do its work anymore because the conflict is moving towards a solution”.

When an emergency strikes, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, aims to get life-saving supplies moving within 72 hours. UNICEF’s emergency response includes health, water and sanitation, education and recreation kits, as well as critical support for vaccine cold chains. At its major humanitarian supply hub in Copenhagen, Denmark, emergency kits are pre-positioned and ready to be dispatched to countries affected by conflict or natural disasters. Erika Abs, UNICEF Emergency Supply and Logistics Coordinator, spoke to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho and explained why much of the most important work happens before emergencies even begin.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to support agriculture across Africa, helping farmers access weather, crop and market information. But the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says better connectivity, reliable infrastructure, relevant data and digital skills are needed to ensure smallholder farmers can benefit from these technologies.Meshack Malo, FAO’s Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, told UN News’s Feissal Kirwa that fewer than 10 per cent of farmers are currently benefiting from digital agriculture services, with rural communities particularly affected by limited connectivity.

Acts of terrorism driven by hateful ideologies continue to injure, harm and kill thousands of innocent people each year.For Hassan Ndugwa – a survivor of the 2010 terrorist attack targeting a screening of the football World Cup Final in Kampala, Uganda – the experience became a call for action.Angered by the misrepresentation of Islam in the aftermath of the attacks, Mr. Ndugwa and a fellow survivor founded the Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum to prevent violent extremism and promote peace through religious and community engagement.In an interview with UN News’s Assumpta Massoi, he emphasised the importance of survivor voices and the role of remembrance in healing.

When a major disaster strikes, the first hours are critical. Within 48 hours of receiving a formal request from an affected country, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system can deploy a team of experts to support national emergency response.  The teams, managed and trained by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), bring together specialists from different countries and organisations, based on the specific needs identified on the ground. Sérgio da Silva, leader of the UNDAC team, explained to UN News’s Felipe de Carvalho how this global network is mobilised in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other environmental or man-made disasters.

Can fashion help bring people together as well as set trends and mould culture worldwide? Fashion designer and environmentalist Runa Ray believes it can. Her exhibition Repurposing Fashion: Reimagining Peace, now open at UN Headquarters in New York, transforms discarded textiles into works of art carrying messages of peace from 30 countries. Speaking to UN News' Cristina Silveiro, she explains why she believes "fashion has a greater purpose" than glamour alone

Scaling up Ebola response in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo must include measures such as increased surveillance, more transport options to bring patients to treatment centres and greater engagement with the public. That’s the message from Dr. Anne Ancia, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in the country, speaking from Bunia – the epicentre of the crisis. She told UN News’s Eleuterio Guevane that communities are also asking for the international community to address other health pressing concerns in a region where women still die in childbirth and people are facing famine-like conditions. She began by outlining the immense needs, and the vast amount of work that still needs to be done.