The General Assembly today demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, reiterated its demand for the immediate release of all hostages and demanded that Israel allow the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to proceed with its aid operations without restriction in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the activities of armed gangs in Port-au-Prince continue to disrupt people’s lives. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that between 6 and 8 December, more than 4,500 people have become newly displaced due to ongoing insecurity.
In Lebanon, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that while the cessation of hostilities provides a much-needed respite, health needs remain overwhelming. Health services have been severely impacted, and widespread damage to water, sanitation and municipal infrastructure has heightened the risk of disease.
In Haiti’s capital, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have distributed more than 900,000 litres of water to more than 60,000 [displaced] people in 26 sites over the last week. The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided more than 95,000 hot meals to some 24,000 displaced people across four sites.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched a $1.4 billion humanitarian appeal to address the unique needs of women and girls trapped in, or uprooted by, the wave of emergencies occurring around the world.
Highlighting the dire humanitarian condition in the Gaza Strip, delegates underscored the urgent need to put an end to the conflict and for measures to contain the civilian population’s suffering, as the General Assembly today resumed its tenth emergency special session on illegal Israeli actions in Occupied Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (For background, see Press Release GA/12625.)
The new developments — no surprise — are worsening an already horrific humanitarian situation for civilians in Syria. The International Organization for Migration sent 10 trucks of critical winter supplies from Gaziantep to the country’s north-west, adding to relief items it had already prepositioned for distribution.
In South Sudan, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there reports that the country has launched its first national task force to combat gender-based and conflict related sexual violence, with the support of the Organization.
The General Assembly today emphasized that a two-State solution remains the “only path to lasting peace” in the Middle East, adopting three resolutions to advance this goal, with speakers overwhelmingly urging a Gaza ceasefire and pressing Israel to permit food and aid deliveries into the enclave ahead of the cold winter months.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, delivered by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, at the Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Gaza, in Cairo today:
