The Secretary-General will convene the two Cypriot leaders and the Guarantor Powers of Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom for an informal meeting in Geneva from 17 to 18 March, which will provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward on the Cyprus issue.
In progress at UNHQ
Chad
The UN, its partners and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé today will launch the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, appealing for $908 million to aid and protect 3.9 million vulnerable people in the strife-torn country.
In South Sudan, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there reports that the country has launched its first national task force to combat gender-based and conflict related sexual violence, with the support of the Organization.
In Myanmar, where the humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate, a record 3.4 million people are now internally displaced, according to UN figures. The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for nearly $1 billion, is only one-third funded. The UN appeals to Member States to urgently contribute funds.
In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that access to North Gaza Governorate is still extremely limited. It is worried about the fate of Palestinians remaining there, as the siege continues, and calls on Israel to open up the area to humanitarian operations at the scale needed.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day, and teams, in Gaza City, reported that shelter support is urgently needed.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative today released the 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index, which finds that 1.1 billion people across 112 countries live in multidimensional poverty. Over half of the 1.1 billion poor (584 million) are children under the age of 18.
Flooding continues to worsen across Chad, with nearly 1.5 million people now impacted. Chadian authorities, UN agencies and partners are providing urgent aid, and the UN Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator has increased the allocation of the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the response from $5 to $8 million.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that the significant rise in the water levels of the Nile has heightened the need for preparedness there, especially in high-risk communities near rivers or swampland.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and most particularly in the West Bank, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is warning that people there are increasingly exposed to deadly warfare tactics that seem to exceed international standards for law enforcement.