The United Nations and the crisis in the Middle East

29 March

Statement by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen on recent developments [EN/AR] – Yemen (OSESGY)

28 March

Middle East war: UN initiatives support mediation efforts, ‘lifesaving’ fertiliser shipments

© NASA/GSFC/Jacques Descloitres Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz.

Just hours after war broke out in the Middle East last month, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the fighting risked “igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.” (UN News)

27 March

Press Briefing by UN Women on the situation for women and girls in Lebanon (UN Women)
Middle East war: Attacks on vital healthcare, evacuation strike fears (UN News)
Humanitarian crisis deepens across the region (UN News)
Syria: UN Commission documents grave violations in July 2025 escalation in Sweida (UN News)
WFP-led hub keeps humanitarian aid moving amid Middle East crisis (WFP)

26 March

FAO Chief Economist warns of severe global food security risks from disruption to Strait of Hormuz trade corridor (FAO)
Statement by the Country Team: UN and NGOs urge the Israeli authorities to stop forced evictions in East Jerusalem (OCHA)

25 March

The Crushing of a UN Agency Ushers in a Dark Era for Multilateralism (UNRWA)
Statement on reported discrepancy in a UNDP-coordinated shipment entering Gaza (UNDP)
Palestine: supporting journalists in times of crisis (UNESCO)
Statement during press encounter on the situation in the Middle East (OSSG)

24 March

Remarks by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the Geneva Graduate Institute: “The War in Gaza and the Future of UNRWA and the Rules-based Order” (UNRWA)
Middle East crisis deepens threat to millions of lives in Southern and Eastern Africa (OCHA)
Statement by Deputy Special Coordinator at Security Council Briefing (UNSCO)
Statement by Deputy High Commissioner Al-Nashif to the HR Council on Israeli settlements in the OPT and the occupied Syrian Golan (OHCHR)

23 March

Remarks by UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, at the UN Secretary General Spokesperson’s noon briefing: Across the Middle East, a generation of children is being pulled deeper into crisis (UNICEF)
First shipment of Life-Saving Reproductive Health Supplies arrive in Lebanon in partnership with UNFPA and the European Union (UNFPA)

22 March

Annual Compilation of Selected United Nations Reports on the Question of Palestine 2025 Vol. VII (UN)

19 March

UNRWA Commissioner-General on the West Bank: Over 1,000 Palestinians Killed Since October 2023 (UNRWA)
Why the Middle East conflict threatens record levels of hunger (WFP)