In South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that a surge in conflict and air strikes in Jonglei State has forced people to flee their homes and also disrupted humanitarian operations to serve South Sudanese people.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg concluded yesterday a visit to Cairo, and is now in Riyadh for meetings with senior Yemeni and regional officials. His engagement is focused on reducing tensions, supporting de-escalation efforts, preserving space for dialogue and supporting a political process that moves parties towards a negotiated settlement.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sounding the alarm over a surge in violence in Ituri province, in the east, which is severely disrupting life-saving operations, cutting off assistance to over 87,000 displaced people in and around Bule.
The Security Council’s historic visit to Syria and Lebanon two weeks ago had one clear objective: “to build trust”, the visiting mission’s co-leads — Slovenia, Algeria and Denmark — told the 15-member organ today, detailing direct engagement with Syrian and Lebanese stakeholders.
Since 10 December, the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Huang Xia, has held several exchanges with officials regarding the rapid deterioration of the situation in Uvira and its regional implications, including the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Burundi, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
In Sikikede and in Sam-Ouandja — both in north-east Central African Republic — the national disarmament body launched new disarmament and demobilization operations, with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) providing logistical, technical and security support.
Launching its Humanitarian Action for Children 2026 appeal today, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is seeking $7.66 billion to provide life-saving support to 73 million children in 133 countries next year. This comes as severe shortfalls in 2024 and 2025 are forcing UNICEF to make impossible choices.
In Sudan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today called for urgent action to safeguard children and essential services in the country. UNICEF estimates that 10 million people have been displaced there; half of those 10 million are children. This is the highest level of child displacement in the world.
Typhoons in South and South-East Asia have had a devastating impact on children’s education. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that since late November, more than 4.1 million children in Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have had their education disrupted due to climate-related disasters.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published their 2025 Myanmar Opium Survey, and that report found that poppy cultivation is at a 10-year high in the country. The survey analyses data collected in Myanmar during the fourth growing season since the military takeover.
