Noon Briefings

In Zimbabwe, humanitarian officials say they are concerned over the impact of the drought brought about by El Niño, which last week prompted the country to declare a state of emergency. Authorities in Zimbabwe say that more than 2.7 million people there are facing food insecurity as a result.

In Madagascar, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government’s response to Tropical Cyclone Gamane. According to the Government, the tropical cyclone — which hit the country on 3 April — killed 19 people, injured 3 others and left some 22,000 people displaced.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) caution that the threat from explosive ordnance has increased significantly in the country since 2020. The Mission says that they recorded more than 190 incidents since 2020, including 78 last year alone.

In Haiti, the United Nations and its partners continue to provide emergency assistance to people impacted by the crisis in Port-au-Prince. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) supplied more than 30,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital.

The United Nations is planning a mission to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city to help people receive medical attention and to assess the state of the hospital. This comes following reports that the Israel Defense Forces have vacated the premises of the hospital.

In Malawi, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government to respond to severe drought, which has prompted national authorities to declare a state of emergency in 23 of the country’s 28 districts. Nearly 2 million farming families and over 40 per cent of Malawi’s agricultural land has been impacted.

In Cameroon, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned today that vital food assistance to refugees in the country’s far north, Adamawa, and east and north regions is at risk of grinding to a halt due to funding shortfalls.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that, nine years into the Yemen conflict, almost 10 million children remain in need of humanitarian assistance. While the reduction in conflict since April 2022 has led to fewer civilian casualties, the situation remains fragile without a sustainable political settlement, UNICEF says.

In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that new strikes across the country over the weekend left hundreds of thousands of people in Kharkiv, Odesa and Kryvyi Rih without electricity and heat.

In the Gambia, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today raised concerns on the proposed repeal of the ban on female genital mutilation in the country, highlighting the proposal as a grave violation of human rights and significant setback in the global fight against gender-based violence.