UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 (IPS) - The ongoing, escalating violence in Lebanon force millions of Lebanese civilians to face daily bombardment, repeated orders of evacuation, routine destruction of critical infrastructure, and limited access to basic services. With the death toll and rates of displacement on the rise, humanitarian organizations fear that the upcoming winter season is expected to exacerbate these harsh conditions, making Lebanon almost uninhabitable.

ATLANTA, USA, Nov 11 (IPS) - For religious, humanitarian, and scientific reasons, Israel's increasingly apparent plan for the de facto colonization of the Northern Gaza Strip is a bad idea. When that program was rejected recently by Israel's own Defense Minister Yoav Galant, he was summarily fired by Prime Minister Netanyahu.

This year has seen a staggering 1,000 per cent or ten-fold surge in sexual violence against children in Haiti, during an unprecedented crisis which has seen armed gangs continue to terrorize communities amid a growing humanitarian disaster.

A convoy of trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday crossed into war-torn Sudan from Chad through the crucial Adre crossing, headed for Zamzam IDP Camp in North Darfur where famine conditions have already been confirmed.

Amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues efforts to keep hospitals up and running and to evacuate patients requiring specialized treatment, a senior official with the UN agency said in Cairo on Monday.

Amid intensifying military operations in Lebanon and deadly attacks on civilians, medical personnel and infrastructure, UN humanitarians warned on Monday that food insecurity in the war-wracked country is set to worsen.

Following another year of record-high global heat and extreme weather events, UN climate chief Simon Stiell told negotiators at COP29 in Baku that setting an ambitious new climate finance target is crucial for the well-being of all nations, including the wealthiest and most powerful.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 08 (IPS) - On November 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the second round of polio vaccinations in the Gaza Strip has been completed. A total of 556,744 children under ten years of age received the mOPV2 vaccine along with a dose of vitamin A to ensure immunization. However, due to rampant hostilities from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the campaign has not been entirely successful, leading to humanitarian organizations fearing that herd immunity has not been achieved.

NEW YORK, Nov 08 (IPS) - On the day following the US election, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres issued a brief statement commending the people of the United States for their active participation in the democratic process. He wisely omitted to mention that the election of Donald J. Trump – who attempted to overturn the people's mandate by inciting an insurrection in 2020 - is a major setback for the UN's worldwide quest to advance human rights and the rule of law.

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 08 (IPS) - The Paris Agreement on climate change is a decade old this month. While there has been progress - with new net zero pledges and new technological solutions, we are still grappling with the reality that global temperatures continue to soar. 2023 was the hottest year ever on record.