Syria

The Commissioner General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that makeshift structures of plastic sheeting have mushroomed everywhere around Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, as people are displaced by the hostilities.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officially confirmed in a statement today that 2023 was the warmest year on record — by a huge margin — as the annual average global temperature approached 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. WMO will issue its final “State of the Global Climate” report for 2023 in March.

One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from as communities brace for a harsh winter, the World Food Programme warns. The agency can only reach the most desperate families due to a huge funding shortfall and urgently needs $670 million to reach 15.2 million people.

In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today expressed concern about the impact on civilians of escalating hostilities in the north-west of the country — as well as the potential for the violence to jeopardize cross-border missions by United Nations staff.

Consultations on Syria’s chemical programme have taken place between the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Government of Syria, but Damascus’ further cooperation is needed to resolve outstanding issues as gaps and discrepancies persist, the Security Council heard today.

In Gaza, over 500,000 people are facing unprecedented catastrophic hunger and starvation, according to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which includes data from the World Food Programme (WFP) and other UN agencies. WFP warns that Gaza now risks famine.

Violence is spiralling throughout Syria in a conflict that “cannot be left unattended”, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council today, as members echoed his call for a return to the political track with a realistic approach inclusive of all actors and all issues.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today that 65 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in 2023, compared with 88 in 2022. The Head of UNESCO said that this drop conceals an alarming phenomenon: an increase in the number killed in conflict zones and more is online.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched a $1.2 billion humanitarian appeal today to support 48 million people with reproductive health and gender-based violence services in 58 countries in 2024. In 2023, UNFPA received only half of its humanitarian funding needs.

In Somalia, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator there, George Conway — together with the Government and the Somali non-governmental organization consortium — have jointly warned that the country is in the midst of a disaster as devastating rains and floods continue to spread.