In Myanmar, two weeks after the country was hit by two earthquakes, pushing 2 million more people into critical need of support, the UN and partners have launched a $275 million appeal, which is an addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to reach 1.1 million people with urgent assistance.
In progress at UNHQ
Sudan
UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council this morning that there have been hundreds of reported Israeli air strikes across Syria since 8 December 2024. He said Syria’s opportunity to stabilize after 14 years of conflict must be supported and protected, for Syrians and for Israelis.
In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that hostilities across the Strip continue to exact a devastating toll on civilians, causing further death, further displacement and further destruction of critical infrastructure.
The United Nations team in Afghanistan today urged the international donor community to maintain critical support for the people of Afghanistan. With 22.9 million men, women and children in need of assistance in 2025, the country is today the world’s second-largest humanitarian crisis.
In South Sudan, the head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) continues to be engaged in intensive high-level political efforts to de-escalate the current tensions and convince the parties to preserve the peace deal they all agreed to.
In response to the earthquake in Myanmar, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees rushed emergency supplies from Yangon to some 25,000 earthquake survivors in the Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw areas. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have also begun delivering emergency supplies.
In Haiti, the humanitarian situation in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area continues to deteriorate as armed groups enact violence. This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan requires more than $900 million to support 3.9 million people, but is funded only at 5 per cent or just $46 million.
The International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, today released new figures showing that renewables accounted for over 90 per cent of total power expansion globally in 2024. As in previous years, most of the increase occurred in Asia, with the greatest share being contributed by China.
In Ecuador, a UN team arrived on 24 March to support authorities to respond to the environmental emergency caused by a major oil spill. The spill in the Esmeraldas Province, in the country’s north-west, has contaminated key water sources, leaving half a million people without access to safe water and sanitation.
As the new school year starts today in Afghanistan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that an additional 400,000 girls there are being deprived of their right to education, bringing the total number of girls without access to this essential right to 2.2 million.