Noon Briefings

In Myanmar, the conflict now spans vast swathes of the country. More than 350,000 people are displaced in Rakhine. The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $994 million to support 5.3 million people in the country, but it is currently just 3 per cent funded.

In Abyei, the United Nations Interim Security Force there reported that they are continuing to patrol in order to protect civilians and are engaging with community leaders and local authorities to de-escalate intercommunal tensions.

In Zambia, where the Government has declared an emergency due to the drought, the United Nations system is supporting the Government-led response, as weather extremes, economic hardship and a cholera outbreak fuel a worsening humanitarian crisis.

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 Director of Coordination for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in a briefing yesterday to the Security Council, reported that at least 576,000 people in Gaza — one quarter of the population — are one step away from famine.

In Ethiopia, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $17 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to address worsening food insecurity in the country. The new funding reflects the Organization’s deep concern over the impact of a new El Niño-driven drought that is impacting Ethiopia.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Mission there reports that after a brief lull in violence in the country, there were renewed and intense clashes on 25 February between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces, west of the town of Sake in North Kivu.

The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva released a horrific report today that details violations and abuses by both sides in the conflict in Sudan since April 2023, resulting in thousands of civilians killed, millions displaced, property looted, and children conscripted into fighting.

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.

The UN team in Costa Rica is presenting a “Preparedness and Response Plan for People in Transit” to partners this week, which aims to boost assistance to vulnerable refugees and migrants. Over 500,000 people entered Costa Rica from Panama in 2023 — more than double the number of those who did so in 2022.