A new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report that shows that the El Niño phenomenon is firmly established and will intensify into a very strong event in the coming months. WMO noted that this will have big impacts on rainfall and temperature patterns, associated risks of floods, drought and extreme heat.
Attacks across Ukraine in recent days have caused significant civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in Kyiv and Odesa. Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale cited a growing pattern of strikes on shopping malls, warehouses, railway and energy infrastructure, stressing that such attacks should never be normalized.
A UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report released today says victims of Afghanistan’s decades-long armed conflict continue to face severe physical, psychological, social and economic consequences, while lacking access to justice, adequate assistance or acknowledgement of their suffering.
In Ukraine, nearly 60 civilians were killed and 240 injured in attacks over the weekend, according to authorities. Kyiv and its surrounding region, were the hardest hit, with drone strike on an ammunition depot triggering an explosion that killed 38 people, including residents of an elder care facility.
In Nepal, over 500 people have been confirmed dead due to mass flooding, hundreds remain missing and over 3,700 have so far been rescued. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said the UN and its aid partners are moving at speed, helping national authorities to deliver urgent, life-saving support.
In Djibouti, drier-than-normal, El Niño-driven conditions have left 256,000 people, a quarter of the population, acutely food insecure through December. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $2 million from the Central Emergency Response to support over 53,000 of the most vulnerable people.
In Nepal and China, the UN and humanitarian partners are supporting relief efforts following severe flooding that has killed people, left others missing and caused widespread destruction. Teams are deploying medical supplies, food, shelter and personnel and using satellite imagery to assess the disaster’s scale.
2025 saw the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War and some of the highest levels of acute hunger on record, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council today. It was also the first time this century that two famines were confirmed simultaneously, in Sudan and in Gaza - a shameful milestone.
In Gaza, only 22.4 per cent of children are receiving a minimum acceptable diet, according to a new UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) survey, which points to chronic malnutrition, poor diets and childhood illnesses despite the substantial increase in humanitarian aid since the October 2025 ceasefire.
The risk of the Ebola outbreak spreading to the Central African Republic has increased following the confirmation of cases in provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo bordering the country. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help the Central African Republic with prevention efforts.
