Haiti

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.

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.

On 15 March 2024, members of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) concerning Haiti held informal consultations to discuss the interim report of the Panel of Experts on Haiti, submitted in pursuance of paragraph 20 of resolution 2700 (2023).

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.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Yamazaki Kazuyuki (Japan):

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today issued new legal guidance to ensure that international refugee protection is provided for Haitians who need it. UNHCR’s new guidance aims to assist States with their assessment of asylum claims considering the stark realities facing Haitians today.