UN News - Global perspective Human stories

Since the outbreak of the Middle East war on 28 February, sites of major cultural importance across Israel, Iran and Lebanon have come under threat.At the request of the Lebanese Government, the UN education and cultural agency, UNESCO, has placed 39 World Heritage sites under so-called “enhanced protection”- a special status aimed at safeguarding cultural heritage during times of conflict.To explain what this means in practice, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis spoke to Krista Pikkat, who leads UNESCO’s Culture and Emergencies Unit.

Lebanon: WHO highlights pressure on medical services as ceasefire beginsGaza war’s terrible toll on women and girls Record Rohingya death toll at sea highlights their desperation: UNHCR

Ukraine endures another night of Russian strikes: OCHA Lebanon: Israeli strike kills four health workers: OHCHR Epstein files: Rights experts stress States’ responsibility to act

Hundreds of Rohingya feared missing or drowned in new shipwreck Iran: 3.2 million now displaced inside country: UNHCR Caribbean on brink as war shock and drought fears collide, says WFP

Sudan conflict pushes economy back three decades, warns: UNDP ‘Grief, fear and exhaustion hang heavy in the air’ across Lebanon: UNFPAA third of displaced Venezuelans in Latin America could consider return: UNHCR

Strait of Hormuz ‘blockade’ heightens food insecurity fears: FAOMiddle East war risks plunging many Iranians into poverty: UNDP Budget crisis threatens future of key UN human rights committees

Lebanon airstrike casualties ‘still under the rubble’ Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue Spanish truth commission to investigate human rights violations during civil war and Franco dictatorship

UN condemns massive Israeli strikes on LebanonLebanon: WHO highlights deadly strikes, attacks on healthcareChad: Funding shortfalls put Sudanese refugees at risk

UN leadership welcomes Iran ceasefireLebanon situation ‘critical’Palestine rights violations ‘eclipsed’ by conflict

Over 180 dead or missing in latest Mediterranean shipwrecksThousands of Afghans displaced by conflict with PakistanRwanda ambassador on recovering from genocide

IAEA confirms Iran nuclear strikeWHO chief condemns deadly Beirut attackDeveloping economies hit by Middle East conflict

Middle East war: Leaders can choose to end conflict, UN chief urges Syria needs in spotlight as UN relief chief visits: OCHANYC looking for deeper ties with UN, says city’s new mayor Mamdani

Middle East war: Energy crisis crunch hits vulnerable nationsUnderstanding the threat of sea mines: UN Mine Action ServiceSomalia drought drives crop failure and hunger crisis: UNICEF

Middle East war: WFP warns that vital food aid blockedSyria: 200,000 have fled Lebanon conflict - UNHCRUNWRA chief condemns Knesset death penalty law for Palestinians

UN peacekeeper killed in Israeli-Hezbollah clashes in Lebanon Yemen: UN envoy decries Houthi decision to attack Israel Transform inefficient food systems on Zero-Waste Day

Aid shipments getting back on track in Middle East: WHOLebanon: ‘Nowhere safe to go’ warn UNICEF, UNHCR, UN WomenDesalination plant strike risk looms over Gulf States

Ukraine war more dangerous than ever, Human Rights Council hearsHaiti’s ‘vortex of violence’ now at disastrous levels: OHCHRCuba blockade having major impact on healthcare: WHO

Guterres urges de-escalation as war spirals ‘out of control’Iran offers conditional safe passage through Strait of Hormuz: UN maritime agency Ukraine: massive drone and missile attack reported: OHCHR

Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civiliansLifesaving medicines arrive for Lebanon’s strained healthcare systemHaiti’s criminal gangs expand their reach, police accused of executions

• Strait of Hormuz impact still expanding, warns @UNCTAD • UNICEF aid convoy reaches southern Lebanon communities in need• WMO warns of record ‘climate imbalance’