Middle East

More than 210,000 people in Chad have been affected by widespread flooding following heavy rains over the past few months and need food, shelter and non-food items, according to the Chadian Red Cross.  The United Nations and humanitarian partners plan to scale up the aid response, but have very limited resources.

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a pilot programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment for diabetes in low- and middle-income countries — part of WHO’s efforts to address the growing diabetes burden.  Some 65 million people with type 2 diabetes need insulin, but only half of them can access it, largely due to high prices.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that four incidents of unexploded ordnance injured eight children in Syria on 4 November.  The United Nations called on all parties to the conflict to allow clearance and education activities, given that 11.5 million people live in affected areas.

The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process underlined today the urgent need for preventive diplomacy to ensure a fair and lasting peace as “new dangerous flashpoints emerge” in the region.

The Government of Zambia, the United Nations and partners launched a response plan after the poorest rainfall in decades is expected to leave 2.4 million severely food insecure.  Meanwhile, humanitarian partners in Somalia and South Sudan are scaling up responses to severe seasonal flooding that affected 1 million.

An immersive show called “Voices for the Future: Antarctica While You Were Sleeping” will light up the United Nations General Assembly and Secretariat buildings from 7:30 p.m. today, ahead of the Climate Action Summit, setting the scene for the voices of six young climate advocates, including Greta Thunberg.

Relentless settlement building, threats to annex land and change the status quo of holy sites, along with worsening conditions in Gaza and persistent violence — including during civilian protests — all threaten to destroy the tenuous peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, delegates told the Security Council today.

ANKARA, 12 September — The 2019 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East concluded today with robust discussions on topics ranging from better ways to report on women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to social media’s role in supporting Palestinian activism — or spreading harmful misinformation — in a rapidly changing world.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, in Ankara today:

ANKARA, 11 September — The 2019 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East opened here today, with journalists, academics, diplomats and senior Government officials examining the crucial role of media and online activists in amplifying the voices of everyday Palestinians more than 50 years into the occupation.