Ukraine

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

Debating the continuing transfer of arms supplies to the warring parties in Ukraine, speakers in the Security Council meeting requested by the Russian Federation voiced concerns over the potential diversion and proliferation of weapons in this and other conflicts, with many calling the military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang “alarming”.

Following Hurricane Oscar that hit Cuba, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has released $3.5 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to address urgent needs for shelter, health, food and water and a $33 million Action Plan will launched tomorrow.

The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine continues to inflict suffering on civilians, as well as inflame regional and global tensions, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as speakers voiced alarm over the reported military cooperation between Moscow and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), with troops from Pyongyang expected to participate in ground operations.

The UN Secretary-General has issued a statement of deep concern over the Israeli Knesset’s adoption Monday of two laws, which if implemented, would likely prevent the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“The world is not powerless” in countering the threat posed by the military junta in Myanmar, an independent human rights expert told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, urging States to impose sanctions on the regime and denounce its ‘fraudulent’ election to be held in 2025.

Peacekeepers, supporting flood response, have airlifted medical supplies from Agok airstrip in the southern part of Abyei to other parts of the region, to ensure medical stocks, and the Mission is doing weekly flights to multiple areas in Abyei helping to provide humanitarian assistance to communities that are cut off because of flooding.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) says that one year into the Gaza war, the humanitarian crisis has reached a catastrophic level — with unprecedented casualties, widespread destruction and severe food insecurity.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day, and teams, in Gaza City, reported that shelter support is urgently needed.

More than two and a half years into the war on Ukraine, the Russian Federation’s unrelenting attacks continue to cause death and destruction, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, describing an uptick in civilian deaths and daily damage to critical civilian infrastructure.