Noon Briefings

The UN Department of Peace Operations has launched its annual report on women, peace and security. The report highlights the work done by UN peacekeepers on gender equality, and it says that the rapid spread and intensity of armed conflicts and protracted crises has heavily impacted women and girls worldwide.

In Ukraine, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that attacks on Kharkiv, in the east of the country, continued over the weekend and today. Local authorities report civilian casualties, including among children, and damage to civilian infrastructure.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, today expressed serious concern at the recent rise in killings of civilians across Burkina Faso, with allegations of responsibility pointing to both armed groups and State actors.

Results from the Global We the Women survey, produced by the UN Office for Partnerships and the polling company John Zogby Strategies, show that 86 per cent of women from 185 countries cite climate change and more than 50 per cent identify conflict as primary concerns for the next decade.

In conflict-ridden Sudan, over 7 million people are now displaced and 2 million more have fled to neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration reports. World Food Programme convoys with 1,200 metric tons of food, for some 116,000 people in Darfur, are near their final destination, Darfur.

In Bangladesh, prior to the anticipated landfall of a cyclone in the southern parts of the country, the World Food Programme (WFP) swiftly dispatched cash assistance to 30,000 families — about 150,000 people — most at risk, as part of WFP’s flagship programme “Anticipatory Action” for climate shocks.

In Gaza, aid partners report being able to reach Al Aqsa Hospital, in Deir Al Balah, with about 15,000 litres of fuel. Consistent fuel delivery is vital to keep oxygen generators running, without which the lives of over 20 newborn babies would be at risk. Between 7 and 23 May, just over 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN peacekeepers are conducting day and night joint patrols with the Congolese armed forces in several areas in North Kivu province to ensure the protection of civilians and prevent the free movement of armed groups, particularly the Allied Democratic Forces.

In Burundi, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $2.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to provide life-saving assistance to over 63,000 people, including water and hygiene kits, latrines, health support and cash, affected by severe flooding and landslides across the country.

In Burkina Faso, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the emergency response there. The funds will support 150,000 people in the Sahel, Centre-Nord and Est regions with life-saving assistance.