In progress at UNHQ

Health


SC/15891

Ransomware attacks on hospitals and healthcare systems can be “issues of life and death” and pose a serious threat to international security, the head of the UN health agency told the Security Council today, as several delegates echoed his calls for international cooperation to address one of today’s most damaging cyberthreats, while others questioned whether the 15 nation organ was the appropriate forum for the meeting.

In its annual report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said today that opium cultivation in Afghanistan in 2024 increased by an estimated 19 per cent year-on-year to cover 12,800 hectares. UNODC said that the increase follows on a 95 per cent decrease in cultivation during the 2023 crop season.

Peacekeepers, supporting flood response, have airlifted medical supplies from Agok airstrip in the southern part of Abyei to other parts of the region, to ensure medical stocks, and the Mission is doing weekly flights to multiple areas in Abyei helping to provide humanitarian assistance to communities that are cut off because of flooding.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day, and teams, in Gaza City, reported that shelter support is urgently needed.

In Lebanon, 12 UN trucks delivered bottled water, family hygiene kits and blankets, among other vital aid, to the Marjeyoun and Klayaa villages. This inter-agency mission is supported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme, UN refugee agency, UNICEF and the UN Population Fund.

In Myanmar, amid an expanding conflict, an estimated 1 million people are also suffering from the impacts of deadly flooding. To bolster emergency relief efforts, the Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, allocated $4 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund at the end of September.

GA/12643

The General Assembly today elected 18 members to the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, adopted a resolution on matters regarding the assessment scale for distributing the costs of the United Nations' expenses and concluded its debate on last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance.

GA/12642

The General Assembly today adopted the Political Declaration of last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, recognizing it is one of the most urgent global health threats, and demanding immediate action to safeguard the ability to treat diseases, enhance food security and advance the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.