Ukraine

In Haiti, the United Nations and its partners continue to provide emergency assistance to people impacted by the crisis in Port-au-Prince. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) supplied more than 30,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital.

In Malawi, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government to respond to severe drought, which has prompted national authorities to declare a state of emergency in 23 of the country’s 28 districts. Nearly 2 million farming families and over 40 per cent of Malawi’s agricultural land has been impacted.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that, nine years into the Yemen conflict, almost 10 million children remain in need of humanitarian assistance. While the reduction in conflict since April 2022 has led to fewer civilian casualties, the situation remains fragile without a sustainable political settlement, UNICEF says.

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.

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

The spread and proliferation of weapons — including in the Ukraine conflict — always spurs the danger of escalation, briefers warned the Security Council today, while its members sparred over the transparency and source of the threat of arms transfers in that ongoing regional crisis.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Mission (MONUSCO) continues their vital work protecting civilians in the country’s east. Earlier this week, MONUSCO deployed in Tche and Logo-Takpa, in Ituri Province, in support of the Congolese Armed Forces following a string of attacks by CODECO combatants.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today issued new legal guidance to ensure that international refugee protection is provided for Haitians who need it. UNHCR’s new guidance aims to assist States with their assessment of asylum claims considering the stark realities facing Haitians today.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations — as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups — continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip.