Israel

Nearly half the population in Myanmar lives below the poverty line and less than 48 per cent had access to electricity last year — the lowest access rate in Asia, according to a UN Development Programme report released today highlighting the severe challenges dramatically reshaping the country.

The implementation of Isreal’s legislation on 30 January — curtailing the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) — will undermine the ceasefire and sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition, a senior UN official told the Security Council today.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $17 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for an urgent response to new displacement in North and South Kivu Provinces in the eastern part of the country.

In Nigeria, the United Nations and our humanitarian partners today launched the 2025 response plan in Abuja, calling for $910 million. This year’s plan aims to reach 3.6 million people in the north-east with health services, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition for children, protection, education and other vital support.

Meeting a week after a ceasefire paused the war in Gaza, after it raged for almost 470 days, the Security Council discussed the plight of children, with speakers calling for their needs to be prioritized, through the rebuilding of educational infrastructure, the provision of psychosocial support and ensuring a surge of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the M23 armed group reportedly seized Minova in North Kivu province yesterday. Minova is a critical hub along the supply route to Goma. Since Saturday, the armed group has captured other localities in South Kivu, where UN peacekeepers are no longer present, resulting in casualties and the displacement of over 250,000 people.

In Mali, the UN and its partners, together with the country’s transitional authorities, today launched a $770 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to support millions across Mali. The Plan aims to address the needs of 4.7 million people affected by conflict, displacement, health emergencies and climate shocks.

In the wake of profound changes across the Middle East — including new Governments in Lebanon and Syria and a recent agreement for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza — speakers in the Security Council today, during a day-long debate, offered their visions for how to ensure that these developments usher in positive changes for the region.

As the ceasefire in Gaza entered into force yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners have a 60-day plan to increase bed capacity across some hospitals in the north and south — and deploy professional health workers from abroad. WHO notes that some 30,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries and need specialized care.

Speakers in the Security Council urged Israel today to respect its long-established ceasefire agreements with Lebanon and Syria and stay clear of the areas where United Nations peacekeeping missions are deployed to carry out their duties.