https://www.scmp.com/rss/524140/feed The latest news and top stories on Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. He assumed office as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in November 2024, leading the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The United States on Monday announced a US$2 billion pledge for UN humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continued to slash US foreign assistance and warn United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities. The money is a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past but reflected what the administration believes is a generous amount that would maintain the United States’ status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338030/us-pledges-us2-billion-un-humanitarian-aid-trump-slashes-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338030/us-pledges-us2-billion-un-humanitarian-aid-trump-slashes-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 09:10:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations on Monday hit out at global “apathy” over widespread suffering as it launched its 2026 appeal for humanitarian assistance, which was limited in scope as aid operations confront major funding cuts. “This is a time of brutality, impunity and indifference,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told reporters, condemning “the ferocity and the intensity of the killing, the complete disregard for international law, horrific levels of sexual violence” he had seen on the ground in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3335569/un-hits-out-global-apathy-it-slashes-aid-appeal-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3335569/un-hits-out-global-apathy-it-slashes-aid-appeal-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:00:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Sudanese fleeing a paramilitary force that seized a city in the country’s Darfur region trickled into a nearby refugee camp on Thursday after walking for miles, telling aid workers that roads were littered with bodies. Aid groups feared for the fate of thousands more trying to escape, with hundreds reportedly killed in the turmoil. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Sudan amid international alarm over the bloodshed. UN officials have warned of a rampage by the paramilitary... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3331030/fate-thousands-feared-sudans-darfur-after-reported-rampage-paramilitaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3331030/fate-thousands-feared-sudans-darfur-after-reported-rampage-paramilitaries?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 06:11:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations’ aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring dignity and hygiene to Palestinians clinging to life in Gaza’s ruins on Saturday, as Israel and Hamas exchanged more bodies. A convoy of white UN jeeps carried relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to see a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329526/massive-job-ahead-rebuild-ruined-gaza-un-aid-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329526/massive-job-ahead-rebuild-ruined-gaza-un-aid-chief-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 11:35:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hamas moved on Friday to shore up its brittle ceasefire agreement with Israel by reaffirming its commitment to the terms of the deal that includes a pledge to hand over the remains of all dead Israeli hostages. The militant group’s statement released in the early hours on Friday follows a dire warning from US President Donald Trump that he would approve Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return all the hostages’ bodies. Hamas, however, maintains that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329457/hamas-and-israels-gaza-ceasefire-hangs-thread-trump-warns-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329457/hamas-and-israels-gaza-ceasefire-hangs-thread-trump-warns-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:42:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of the US-mediated ceasefire. A row over the return of bodies of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza retains the potential to upend the truce along with other major planks of the plan yet to be resolved, including disarmament of militants and Gaza’s future governance. Israel demanded that Hamas fulfil its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329271/israel-hamas-trade-blame-over-gaza-truce-violations-rafah-border-reopening-question?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3329271/israel-hamas-trade-blame-over-gaza-truce-violations-rafah-border-reopening-question?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:15:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing “catastrophic” hunger. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the famine was entirely preventable, saying food could not get through to the Palestinian territory “because of systematic obstruction by Israel”. But Israel’s foreign ministry immediately hit back, saying “there is no famine in Gaza”. In a statement, it slammed the report by the Rome-based IPC... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322839/un-officially-declares-famine-gaza-500000-face-catastrophic-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3322839/un-officially-declares-famine-gaza-500000-face-catastrophic-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:19:23 +0000