ROME: The number of people in Somalia experiencing crisis-levels of food insecurity has nearly doubled in the past year to 6.5 million people, UN-backed experts warned Tuesday.&nbsp;The Horn of Africa country has been plagued by conflict and suffered two consecutive failed rainy seasons, as well as a drop in the amount of food aid available amid international funding cuts.&nbsp;The population classified as being in a &quot;crisis or worse&quot; situation &quot;has nearly doubled between February&ndash;March 2026 to a staggering 6.5 million people since early 2025&quot;, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a UN-backed group that monitors hunger and malnutrition.&nbsp;That includes more than two million people now in Phase 4, the &quot;emergency&quot; category, one step away from the &quot;catastrophic&quot; level, equal to famine, an IPC report said.&nbsp;An estimated 1.84 million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition in 2026, including 483,000 severe cases that require urgent treatment, the IPC said.&nbsp;&quot;This alarming deterioration is driven by worsening drought, rising food  prices, and insecurity across central, southern, and parts of northern Somalia,&quot; the report added.&nbsp;&quot;The situation is compounded by declining humanitarian assistance.&quot;&nbsp;The UN&#39;s World Food Programme (WFP) warned Friday it would have to stop humanitarian assistance in Somalia by April if it did not receive new funding.&nbsp;The Rome-based agency said it had already been forced to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance from 2.2 million in early 2025 to just over 600,000 today.&nbsp;In January, the United States suspended aid to Somalia following the destruction of a US-funded WFP warehouse in the capital Mogadishu&#39;s port.&nbsp;The US announced a resumption of WFP food distribution on January 29.&nbsp;However, all UN agencies have warned of serious funding shortfalls since Washington began slashing aid following President Donald Trump&#39;s re-election last year.&nbsp;Levels of acute malnutrition in Somalia have risen for two consecutive years, the IPC report said.&nbsp;Rainfall from April to June is likely to be near normal in most areas and above-normal in some, but &quot;this will likely lead to only a modest improvement in overall food security&quot;.

Africa

Somalia faces worsening hunger, with 6.5 million people in crisis-level food insecurity, including two million in emergency conditions. Drought, conflict, rising prices, and aid cuts impacting agencies like World Food Program have sharply reduced humanitarian assistance despite slight rainfall improvements.

Crisis-level hunger doubles in Somalia: UN-backed experts

PARIS: Over a hundred top figures from the world of entertainment signed an open letter Saturday in support of UN Palestinian human rights expert Francesca Albanese, who faces calls to resign over comments about the war in Gaza.&nbsp;France and Germany have called for Albanese to step down over remarks last weekend in which she referred to a &quot;common enemy of humanity&quot; after criticizing &quot;most of the world&quot; and the media for enabling Israel&#39;s &quot;genocide&quot; in Gaza.&nbsp;Critics and Israel have accused the UN Special Rapporteur of referring to Israel as a &quot;common enemy&quot;, while Albanese has denounced this as a &quot;manipulation&quot; and &quot;completely false&quot;.&nbsp;In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over 100 cultural figures backed her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.&nbsp;The signatories &quot;offer our full support to Francesca Albanese, a defender of human rights and therefore also of the Palestinian people&#39;s right to exist,&quot; the letter says.&nbsp;&quot;There are infinitely more of us, in every corner of the Earth, who want force no longer to be the law. Who knows what the word &#39;law&#39; truly means,&quot; it concludes.&nbsp;Published in French on the website of Artists for Palestine, it also reproduces the full remarks by Albanese who was speaking via videoconference at a forum last Saturday organised by the Al Jazeera TV network.&nbsp;Other celebrities to offer support for her include actresses Rosa Salazar and Asia Argento, Oscar-nominated film directors Yorgos Lanthimos and Kaouther Ben Hania, Latin music star Residente, and photographer Nan Goldin.&nbsp;A group of French MPs sent a letter to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday denouncing Albanese&#39;s remarks as &quot;antisemitic&quot;.&nbsp;Barrot called for her to step down a day later, saying that France &quot;unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks&quot;.&nbsp;German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday said her position was &quot;untenable&quot;.&nbsp;&#39;Shame of our time&#39;Albanese is one of the most outspoken critics of Israel&#39;s more-than-two-year bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 people and the destruction of most of the territory&#39;s infrastructure. She has called it &quot;the shame of our time&quot; and says she always asks prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers the same question: &quot;How do you sleep? When will you act?&quot; The Italian-born legal expert, who began her unpaid role in 2022, was targeted with sanctions by the Trump administration in July last year over what it called her &quot;biased and malicious&quot; work.&nbsp;&nbsp;UN special rapporteurs like Albanese are independent experts who are appointed by the UN rights council, but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.&nbsp;UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from Albanese on Thursday when his spokesman said &quot;we don&rsquo;t agree with much of what she says.&quot; &quot;We wouldn&rsquo;t use the language that she&rsquo;s using in describing the situation,&quot; his spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.&nbsp;The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people. On that day, militants abducted 251 people into Gaza.

United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese looks on at the end of a press conference on the human rights situation in Gaza in Geneva on September 15, 2025. (Photo: AFP/File)

Europe

In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over a 100 cultural figures back her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.

Top entertainment figures back under-fire UN Palestinians expert 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented the killing of 14 former Afghan government forces in the final three months of 2025, according to its latest human rights report released on Sunday. The report details alarming patterns of violence against former officials and security personnel despite the Taliban&#39;s announced &quot;general amnesty&quot; for members of the previous government.&nbsp; Between October and December 2025, UNAMA recorded 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, along with at least seven instances of torture and ill-treatment targeting former government personnel. According to UNAMA, some of those targeted had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan. The UN mission urged the de facto authorities to take concrete steps to protect their lives and rights. The report also highlighted broader human rights concerns, including severe restrictions on women&#39;s work and movement, executions and floggings, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services. President Zardari warns of pre-9/11 conditions in AfghanistanThe findings come amid growing regional and international concern over the situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.&nbsp; In a statement released Sunday,&nbsp;Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a stark warning that conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have become similar to or worse than the period before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.&nbsp; He criticized the Taliban regime for creating an environment where terrorist organizations can operate and pose threats to regional and global peace. Economic crisis deepens under Taliban regimeThe UN Development Program reports that Afghanistan&#39;s economy contracted by 27% following the Taliban takeover and remains at an unstable, low-level equilibrium. <span style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;'>Over 10 million Afghans remain displaced globally, including both refugees in neighboring countries and those internally displaced in Afghanistan due to ongoing conflict, poverty, and hunger. The Taliban&#39;s restrictions on women&#39;s education and employment have significantly exacerbated the crisis. Girls remain banned from secondary education, entering their fifth year of restrictions, and women&#39;s employment in the public sector remains low. The UNDP estimates that excluding women from the economy could cost Afghanistan 5.8% of its GDP between 2024 and 2026. Afghanistan&#39;s humanitarian needs are growing while international assistance is declining sharply. After reaching $3.8 billion in 2022, aid fell dramatically in 2024, with only 31% of the required $3 billion secured by October. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns that 17.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity in 2026, with 4.7 million affected by acute malnutrition. The Taliban have previously rejected allegations of systematic abuses, insisting that their amnesty policy remains in force. However, UN officials and rights groups say the latest figures point to a persistent gap between official statements and realities on the ground.

Afghanistan

The report flags persistent rights abuses in Afghanistan, citing detentions, torture, and social restrictions, as economic contraction, mass displacement, and shrinking aid worsen humanitarian conditions nationwide.

UN reports killing of 14 former Afghan personnel despite Taliban amnesty

ISLAMABAD: United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo concluded a high-level visit to Kabul on Sunday, where she pressed the Taliban to lift restrictions on women&rsquo;s access to education, employment, and public life, according to a United Nations statement. During talks with senior Taliban officials, DiCarlo raised deep concerns over the increasingly severe limits placed on women&rsquo;s roles, including restrictions affecting female UN staff and broader societal bans on women&rsquo;s participation in public life. She urged the authorities to immediately rescind these measures to improve the humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.&nbsp; DiCarlo praised the vital role Afghan women working for the United Nations play in supporting humanitarian and development efforts across the country.&nbsp; According to the UN statement, she also met separately with Afghan women and civil society representatives to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan, underscoring the UN&#39;s concern over the status of women and girls in the country. The meetings come as Afghanistan remains under Taliban rule, with girls banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade and severe restrictions on women&#39;s employment and movement. Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance amid economic isolation, banking restrictions, and widespread poverty, with UN agencies warning of prolonged vulnerability for millions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 21.9 million people (roughly 45% of the population) will require assistance in 2026. Doha process meetingIn a separate development during the visit, Taliban officials said DiCarlo and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani discussed continued engagement on the UN-led Doha Process, a diplomatic framework aimed at easing Afghanistan&rsquo;s political, security, and humanitarian crises.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2015276343949459966&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=be69938480a04f03355573a307aee5882e3a6c03&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2015276343949459966"></iframe></div></div> According to the Taliban&rsquo;s Ministry of Interior, the talks covered international engagement, counter-narcotics cooperation, economic stability, and private-sector restrictions, as well as the effectiveness of UN humanitarian assistance, Bakhtar News Agency reported on Saturday. The Taliban statement said that DiCarlo announced that the next round of Doha Process working group meetings will be held in Kabul. The United Nations has not formally confirmed the location of the next working group sessions, which have previously been held in Qatar&#39;s capital.

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo concluded her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, on 25 January. (Photo/United Nations)

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo discusses humanitarian access, economic conditions, and continued political engagement, while Taliban authorities said Kabul would host the next Doha process working group meeting.

UN envoy presses Taliban on women’s rights during Kabul visit

ISLAMABAD: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said on Tuesday it is expanding emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after a new assessment revealed the severity of the country&#39;s hunger crisis, warning that 4.7 million people now face acute starvation amid shrinking aid and worsening food insecurity. In a press release, the IRC announced a Cash for Food programme providing support to 3,200 households in Bamiyan, Kunar, and Herat provinces, following needs assessments that found that 95% of participants had &#39;poor&#39; Food Consumption Scores, indicating insufficient daily access to food. The New York-based agency said the findings reflect a broader deterioration in food access as Afghanistan enters the winter lean season, when household food stocks are depleted, and income opportunities decline. Deepening hunger and food insecurityRecent United Nations analyses show that about 17 million Afghans now urgently need food assistance, including 4.7 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), with mothers and young children among the most affected.&nbsp; Under the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, more than one-third of the population is expected to face crisis-level or worse food insecurity during the 2025-26 lean season, with many households forced to sell assets or reduce meals to meet basic needs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that humanitarian needs continue to outpace available assistance. In 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people, about 45% of Afghanistan&rsquo;s population, will require humanitarian aid, it said. Impact on children and womenUN agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Afghanistan is facing one of the world&rsquo;s most severe nutrition emergencies, particularly among children. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that nearly 3.7 million children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025 and into early 2026, while 4.9 million women and children will require treatment for malnutrition. The agency said declining funding and high food prices have limited the scale of life-saving assistance. UNICEF reported that millions of children were screened for wasting in the first half of 2025, with hundreds of thousands admitted for treatment. The spread of preventable diseases such as measles and acute watery diarrhoea has further strained health services already operating under severe constraints. UN appeals and funding shortfallsThe humanitarian response faces severe funding constraints; 422 health facilities closed in 2025, leaving about three million people without access to essential healthcare, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council last month. At the end of 2025, the United Nations and its partners launched a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need through 2026, identifying food security, health, water, and sanitation as priority areas. The crisis has been compounded by multiple factors. OCHA says the ongoing drought has caused the failure of nearly 80% of rain-fed wheat crops in some regions, leaving many families without winter food reserves. Meanwhile, UNHCR data shows more than 2.6 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, adding strain to already impoverished communities. Aid agencies say funding shortfalls have forced cuts to critical programmes, including emergency food distributions and nutrition services.&nbsp;Lisa Owen, IRC&rsquo;s Afghanistan director, warned of severe consequences if funding declines continue. &ldquo;Acute hunger is a persistent challenge in Afghanistan, yet the latest figures show an appalling deterioration in humanitarian needs,&rdquo; she said. Humanitarian groups say the IRC&rsquo;s expanded food assistance highlights the urgency of closing funding gaps and scaling up life-saving aid.&nbsp; Without increased international support, Afghanistan&rsquo;s hunger and malnutrition crisis is expected to worsen in 2026, leaving millions at risk as winter conditions persist.

UNICEF/Munir Tanweer: Food rations for vulnerable families in Afghanistan are to be cut by the World Food Programme.

The International Rescue Committee has expanded emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after assessments showed worsening hunger. UN agencies say 4.7 million people face emergency food insecurity as funding gaps threaten life-saving humanitarian programs.

Millions at risk as Afghanistan’s food crisis deepens: Aid agency

<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted">GENEVA: The United Nations voiced deep concern Tuesday over the dramatic US operation in Venezuela, warning that it clearly &quot;undermined a fundamental principle of international law&quot;.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,&quot; Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Her comments came after Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were forcibly taken by US commandos in the early hours of Saturday amid airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital backed by warplanes and a heavy naval deployment.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Shamdasani dismissed the US justifications of the Venezuelan government&#39;s &quot;longstanding and appalling human rights violations&quot; for the raid.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;Accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law,&quot; she insisted.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">She highlighted that the UN rights office had for a decade consistently reported on &quot;the continued deterioration of the situation in Venezuela&quot;.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;We fear that the current instability and further militarisation in the country resulting from the US intervention will only make the situation worse.&quot;

Demonstrators hold signs in support of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse as Maduro awaits his arraignment hearing on January 5, 2026 in New York. (AFP)

Americas

The United Nations said that the US military operation in Venezuela undermined international law, saying unilateral force would worsen instability and human rights conditions.

US operation in Venezuela undermined international law: UN 

GENEVA: Washington on Monday pledged an initial $2 billion for United Nations humanitarian aid in 2026&mdash;far less than it has provided in recent years&mdash;warning individual UN agencies to &quot;adapt, shrink or die&quot;. With its pledge, announced at the US mission in Geneva alongside the United Nations&#39; aid chief Tom Fletcher, the United States is pursuing a dramatic overhaul of how it funds UN humanitarian work. Instead of handing funds to individual agencies, the United States will funnel its contributions through the UN aid agency OCHA, headed by Fletcher, which earlier this year launched a so-called Humanitarian Reset to improve efficiency and accountability. The US funds will then be distributed to more than a dozen selected countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Sudan. &quot;It is an initial anchor commitment,&quot; Jeremy Lewin, the senior US official for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, told reporters. &quot;There are other countries that we will add as we continue to get more funding into this mechanism.&quot; He challenged other countries to match or beat US funding for UN aid. &quot;This new model will better share the burden of UN humanitarian work with other developed countries and will require the UN to cut bloat, remove duplication, and commit to powerful new impact, accountability, and oversight mechanisms,&quot; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X. According to UN data, the United States remained the top humanitarian aid donor in the world in 2025, but that amount fell significantly to $2.7 billion, down from around $11 billion in 2023 and 2024, and from over $14 billion in 2022. Other key donor countries have also been tightening their belts, triggering major upheaval in the global aid sector. &quot;Individual UN agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die,&quot; a State Department statement said. Hard priority choicesFletcher, who is British, said the US pledge was an &quot;extraordinary&quot; commitment. &quot;The US has long been the world&#39;s humanitarian superpower,&quot; he said in a statement. &quot;Hundreds of millions of people are alive today because of American generosity&mdash;and many millions more will survive in 2026 because of this landmark investment in humanity.&quot; Fletcher said reform of the humanitarian system was in the pipeline, and US taxpayers would be able to see how their money was delivering life-saving impacts. &quot;The US is also placing a significant and encouraging vote of trust and confidence in the Humanitarian Reset, through which we are making humanitarian action faster, smarter and closer to the people on the front lines of emergencies,&quot; he said. &quot;We&#39;re cutting red tape, eliminating duplication, and prioritizing hard.&quot; When Fletcher launched the UN&#39;s annual Global Humanitarian Appeal for 2026 earlier this month, he requested $23 billion to provide assistance to 87 million of the world&#39;s neediest people, with a heavy focus on dire conflicts like those in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar. The amount and number of people covered by the appeal has been dramatically reduced over recent years, as the UN strives to adapt to a new reality after President Donald Trump slashed US foreign aid spending. The United Nations has stressed that the smaller appeal does not mean needs have shrunk. It estimates that some 240 million people&mdash;in conflict zones, suffering from epidemics, or victims of natural disasters and climate change -- are in need of emergency aid. In 2025, the UN&#39;s appeal for more than $45 billion was only funded to the $12 billion mark, the lowest in a decade. That only allowed it to help 98 million people, 25 million fewer than the year before.&nbsp;

The United States will pledge $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid in 2026, far below past levels, as funding declines strain UN appeals seeking $23 billion to assist millions amid global conflicts and disasters worldwide

US to pledge $2B for UN humanitarian aid in 2026, lower than previously

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Thursday announced sweeping sanctions targeting shipping and aviation networks tied to Iran&rsquo;s petroleum trade, explicitly naming entities operating &ldquo;in several countries, including, but not limited to India, Panama, and the Seychelles,&rdquo; according to a State Department statement.&nbsp;The State Department said it designated 17 entities, individuals and vessels, while the Treasury Department simultaneously listed 41 entities, individuals, vessels and aircraft for allegedly helping channel funds to Iran&rsquo;s &ldquo;malign activities through illicit oil sales.&rdquo;&nbsp;The statement warned that revenue from these networks is used to support &ldquo;Iran&rsquo;s regional terrorist proxies and procure weapons systems that pose a direct threat to US forces and our allies.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,&rdquo; the release said, stressing that actions are being taken under National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs &ldquo;maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.&rdquo;&nbsp;Iran says West pursuing &lsquo;escalation&rsquo; after new IAEA resolutionReacting a day later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US and three European powers of triggering a fresh confrontation after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution demanding &ldquo;full and prompt&rdquo; cooperation from Tehran, including access to sensitive nuclear sites.&nbsp;&ldquo;Given that the E3 and the US seek escalation, they know full well that the official termination of the Cairo Agreement is the direct outcome of their provocations,&rdquo; Araghchi posted on X.&nbsp;He added that the agreement, reached in September to guide cooperation with the IAEA, was now &ldquo;null and void&rdquo; following the new resolution.&nbsp;Araghchi said Western actions had &ldquo;killed&rdquo; the framework much like &ldquo;the diplomacy which was assaulted by Israel and the US in June,&rdquo; referencing the mid-June conflict in which Israel launched an &ldquo;unprecedented bombing campaign&rdquo; and the United States &ldquo;briefly joined with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.&rdquo;&nbsp;He argued earlier that any access for inspectors to sites hit during the war depended on reaching a &ldquo;new understanding,&rdquo; saying the latest IAEA move was &ldquo;disrupting the process of interactions and cooperation.&rdquo;&nbsp;With additional inputs from AFP

Asia

US sanctions India-linked networks in Iran’s oil trade as Tehran slams Western powers for “escalation” after a new IAEA resolution renders the Cairo cooperation agreement void.

India-linked entities flagged as US tightens curbs on Iran oil trade

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump&#39;s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.&nbsp; Last week, the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump&#39;s plan. A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP &quot;welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,&quot; a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027. It would authorize member states to form a &quot;temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)&quot; that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution. &quot;The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and T&uuml;rkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,&quot; the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure&#39;s &quot;swift adoption.&quot; Friday&#39;s joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP. The Russian version welcomes &quot;the initiative that led to the ceasefire&quot; but does not name Trump. It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza. The United States has called the ceasefire &quot;fragile,&quot; and warned Friday of the risks of not adopting its draft. &quot;Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,&quot; the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, wrote in The Washington Post. &quot;Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.&quot; While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the&nbsp; Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF&#39;s mandate. The Russian UN mission said in a statement that its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a &quot;two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.&quot; &quot;Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft,&quot; it said.

Middle East

Draft of the resolution "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," AFP reports

UN Security Council to vote Monday on Trump Gaza plan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan condemned India&rsquo;s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and urged renewed global cooperation to protect shared natural resources and uphold international law.&nbsp;The Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, was speaking at the UN Security Council Briefing on &ldquo;Environmental Impact of Armed Conflict and Climate-Driven Security Risks&rdquo;, according to a statement posted on the mission&rsquo;s X account on Friday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 655px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1986531648650027281&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=3235ea982858a4eff3e5c68d29efe49e8d726ece&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Ambassador Ahmad said that deliberate weaponization of shared natural resources is of great concern, adding, &ldquo;A textbook example is the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India earlier this year.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He said, &ldquo;For more than six decades, this treaty has stood as a model of cooperation, ensuring equitable and predictable sharing of the Indus Basin waters between Pakistan and India, even in times of war.&rdquo;&nbsp;Endangering millions of lives&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;India&#39;s unlawful unilateral decision to suspend this framework undermines the letter and spirit of this treaty, threatens ecosystems, disrupts data sharing and endangers the lives of millions who depend on the Indus River water system for food and energy security for their very survival.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Pakistani envoy emphasized, &ldquo;Such acts do not just harm one country. They weaken confidence in international water law and set a precedent for resource-based and driven coercion elsewhere.&rdquo;&nbsp;Ambassador Ahmad said, &ldquo;This should be of grave concern for every member of this council and for the international community as a whole.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Court of Arbitration&#39;s award&ldquo;Pakistan has consistently maintained that no provision of the Indus Waters Treaty permits unilateral suspension or modification,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Speaking about the continuing validity of the treaty, Ambassador Ahmad said: &ldquo;The Court of Arbitration&#39;s 2025 award reaffirmed the continuing validity of the treaty and its dispute settlement mechanisms, upholding Pakistan&#39;s position that all issues must be resolved within its legal framework.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We therefore expect full respect for the treaty and an early return to compliance and normal functioning through the established channels,&rdquo; he stressed.&nbsp;&lsquo;Uphold international law&rsquo;&nbsp;In his address, the ambassador highlighted the grave environmental and security consequences of armed conflict.&nbsp;&ldquo;The Security Council must fulfill its charter responsibility to address threats to international peace and security at their very inception.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Second, environmental considerations could be integrated into UN peace operations and political missions where relevant.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;Third, uphold international law, especially international humanitarian law,&rdquo; Ambassador Ahmad said.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan stands ready to work with all partners at all relevant forums to uphold international law, advance environmental recovery in conflict-affected areas, and ensure that shared natural resources serve as avenues for cooperation and not contention,&rdquo; he added.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan has consistently maintained that no provision of the Indus Waters Treaty permits unilateral suspension or modification; expects full respect for the Treaty and an early return to compliance and normal functioning through the established channels.

Articles tagged with "UN"