Middle East

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.

The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution that would have determined the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza due to a veto cast by two permanent members of the Council — China and the Russian Federation — while some speakers criticized the text for being ambiguous and lacking attribution to the Israeli authorities in several key areas.

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 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners today launched a $852.4 million response plan for nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees and their Bangladeshi hosts. Ninety-five per cent of Rohingya households in Bangladesh are vulnerable and dependent on humanitarian aid.

In Chad, the UN, aid partners and the Government today launched the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks $1.1 billion to help 4.6 million there, with a priority focus on food security and nutrition as the country braces for what could be the worst lean season in over a decade.

In Mozambique, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) today warned that more than 110,000 people have been displaced since the end of 2023 by the resurgence of attacks by non-State armed groups in a distressing escalation of the situation in the Cabo Delgado Province.

The use of the Security Council veto by the United States to block an Algerian draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza only emboldens Israel to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people, speakers warned the General Assembly today, stressing that the humanitarian situation in the enclave is catastrophic and worsening as a result.

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.

Lamenting the Security Council’s inability to call for a ceasefire while the entire world demands one, speakers in the General Assembly today drew attention to the mounting death toll and famine in Gaza, while Israel condemned the United Nations for collaborating with terrorists.

Three senior United Nations officials warned the Security Council today of imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, urging immediate action to avert humanitarian disaster in a territory where many Council members alleged the use of hunger as a weapon of war.