Middle East

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, Violette Kakyomya, today warned that the country, now host to nearly 490,000 refugees from neighbouring Sudan and suffering from record levels of rain last year, is facing multiple humanitarian crises. She called for urgent support for 7 million of the country’s 18 million people.

The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution put forth by the Russian Federation that would have called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports the cumulative number of displaced people rose 30 per cent just over the past 24 hours to over 338,000; two thirds are taking shelter in schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that 220,000 internally displaced people are sheltering in 88 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip, also noting that numerous personnel, teachers and students have been killed. Agency staff are working around the clock, caring for the people in the shelters.

In Afghanistan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that aftershocks continue three days after the earthquake which struck Herat Province and affected over 12,000 people. The UN and its partners are on the ground providing emergency food, shelter, health care and household aid.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the press on the Middle East, in New York today:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The UN Conference on Trade and Development’s newly released Trade and Development Report 2023 warns of a stalling global economy this year, with growth slowing in most regions and only a few countries bucking the trend. The agency calls for a change in policy direction and institutional reforms to avert a lost decade.

The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide expressed concern over the ongoing situation in the South Caucasus, in which it is reported that tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have left the area for Armenia in the span of just a few days. All efforts must be made to ensure their protection and human rights.