Chad

In Chad, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the country is grappling with an array of challenges that are driving humanitarian needs. These include the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

The United Nations continues to support countries in the Caribbean that have been impacted by Hurricane Beryl. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that most of the health facilities assessed in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are now operational, despite sustaining damage.

On Thursday, Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem, while UNRWA and other UN agencies’ staff were on the compound. This is the second appalling incident against UNRWA in less than a week.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Somalia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 124,000 people have been impacted by seasonal rains. The United Nations, with its partners, have pre-positioned supplies in nearly two dozen hotspot districts to meet the needs of nearly 770,000 people who are expected to be impacted.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed François Batalingaya of Rwanda as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, with the host Government’s approval. His start date is tomorrow.

In Lebanon, United Nations peacekeeping personnel report an escalation in the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line in recent days. Several fatalities were reported following Israeli strikes. At least five people were reported to have been killed in Sector West-Khirbet Silim on 9 March, and another person in Baalbek on 11 March.

In Chad, the UN, aid partners and the Government today launched the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks $1.1 billion to help 4.6 million there, with a priority focus on food security and nutrition as the country braces for what could be the worst lean season in over a decade.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Global Waste Management Outlook 2024. The report, titled “Beyond an age of waste: Turning rubbish into a resource”, provides the most substantial update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report today on how attacks on Red Sea shipping are reshaping global trade routes. Higher fuel consumption from rerouted trade could result in a 70 per cent rise in greenhouse-gas emissions for these trips, and shipping costs have skyrocketed.