Peacekeeping

Ongoing conflict in Rakhine has driven an estimated 360,000 people out of their homes, bringing the total number of displaced there to nearly 570,000. This is part of a broader crisis unfolding across Myanmar, displacing more than 3.5 million people — an increase of 1.5 million people compared to a year ago.

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan for six months until 30 June 2025 and requested the Secretary-General to ensure that the Force has the required capacity and resources to fulfil its mandate “in a safe and secure way”.

The Security Council today extended for one year the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), expressing grave concern over the ongoing offensive by the 23 March Movement (M23) in North Kivu, in violation of the ceasefire, and the unauthorized presence of external forces from a neighbouring State in the eastern part of the country.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that Sudan risks becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history and the only place globally where famine has been confirmed today. WFP explains that nearly 1.7 million people across the country either face famine or are at risk of famine.

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that UN-led aid missions to the North Gaza governorate continue to be overwhelmingly denied, especially those seeking to reach besieged areas in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and parts of Jabalya.

In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that he United Nations and its partners continue to support the response there as the security situation permits. Health care across the country continues to be disrupted against the backdrop of a fluid security situation.

Delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the Secretary-General’s request to appropriate $102.8 million in 2025 for the UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia as it moves through a two-year transition period that will eventually end the Organization’s peacekeeping mandate in that country in October 2026.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Major General Anita Asmah of Ghana as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the activities of armed gangs in Port-au-Prince continue to disrupt people’s lives. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that between 6 and 8 December, more than 4,500 people have become newly displaced due to ongoing insecurity.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched a $1.4 billion humanitarian appeal to address the unique needs of women and girls trapped in, or uprooted by, the wave of emergencies occurring around the world.