51³Ô¹Ï

Ukraine is heavily landmine-contaminated due to war, with an area four and a half times the size of Switzerland affected. The UN has been leading the mine action programme since 2016. Clearing mines is a difficult and expensive long-term prospect, with the full demining package estimated to cost more than $37 billion. International partners, including are helping Ukraine.

Food distribution has been halted in the due to heightened safety and security risks to both the delivery personnel and recipients.

The Security Council is hearing a briefing today from the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. With almost 30,000 killed in Gaza, intense Israeli bombardment is causing . Amid already widespread hunger, has announced that it is  to northern Gaza, because of the deteriorating security situation. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called for the , and called the  to implement such measures a '’.&²Ô²ú²õ±è;

has been broadcasting its core message of peace across South Sudan since 2006. For World Radio Day, celebrated on 13 February every year, Ben Dotsei Malor shares his thoughts on his time in Juba. 
Audio Credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

Violent extremism is an affront to the purposes and principles of the 51³Ô¹Ï. It undermines peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. No country or region is immune from its impacts. The General Assembly has 12 February the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism, to raise awareness of the threats linked to violent extremism conducive to terrorism, and to enhance international cooperation in this regard. The initiative supports the Secretary-General’s 2016 Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.

For the people of Gaza, the past . This has been the largest displacement of the Palestinian people since 1948. 

The conflict that began on October 7 has not only displaced Hala, a mother of four and humanitarian worker from Gaza, but has also resulted in over 22,000 casualties, nearly 2 million displacements.

The Secretary-General’s vision for centering the Organization’s work on peace and security around prevention and through a surge in diplomacy for peace reaffirms the 51³Ô¹Ï' founding mission. Since its inception, the UN has played a crucial role in helping to mediate conflicts at all stages: before they escalate into armed conflict, after the outbreak of violence, and during the implementation of peace agreements. UN peacemaking flourished in the decade following the end of the Cold War and the Organization continues to play a preeminent role in this field.

As hostilities in Gaza reached the grim milestone of 100 days, the UN reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages. In the aftermath of the attack on Israel last October that left 1,200 dead, Israel started a military response that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians so far - two-thirds of them women and children. The and the have passed resolutions demanding immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and the not to give up on his calls for a humanitarian ceasefire, and has expressed grave concerns about the conflict spilling over and destabilizing the entire region.

Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip continue, causing significant Palestinian casualties and widespread devastation. Overwhelmed hospitals are struggling with shortages; evacuation mandates have uprooted more than a million residents, leaving humanitarian organizations unable to provide vital assistance amid escalating food insecurity, restricted distribution channels, and mounting water and sanitation challenges. At the same time, violence continues in the West Bank, where escalating Israeli military actions and settler attacks contribute to numerous Palestinian casualties.

The people of Gaza are in the midst of an epic humanitarian catastrophe. UNWOMEN of how women and girls in Gaza have endured attacks and displacement. 

In all wars, it is children who suffer first and suffer most.

Bearing witness, James Elder gives a firsthand account of the impact of the war on children and families.

Civilians are dying while the world watches and families are being displaced en masse. UNRWA is calling for immediate access to and urgent funding for Palestine Refugees.

Thousands of children have been killed and even more injured across the Gaza Strip, since the beginning of Israel’s offensive against Hamas. Children are still being held hostage. Their basic rights to life and health are being denied, day after day. The loss and trauma they are experiencing will be borne out for generations to come. Children bear no responsibility for war, but they suffer its deepest scars. And they pay the highest price. These are the voices of children in Gaza. To respond to the situation for children in Israel and the State of Palestine, is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all abducted children and the prevention and end to any grave violations against children, including killing and injuring.

The 51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General ramped up appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza after spikes in civilian casualties and attacks on UNRWA schools and shelters. António Guterres also welcomed the agreement to release hostages in Gaza. The UN facilitated the entry of aid and fuel into Gaza and sent a WHO-led humanitarian assessment team to Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza to assess the situation on the ground. According to the UN agency, Gaza now . Women and children are bearing the brunt of the hostilities' escalation.