Ukraine

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations continues to support efforts to protect civilians amid increasing attacks by the CODECO armed group in Ituri Province.

In Ukraine, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator there condemned a new wave of attacks over the weekend, which once again damaged houses, hospitals and schools and killed and injured dozens of people, including children.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo stopped an attack by CODECO elements on Jissa village in Ituri province. The assailants, who earlier burned homes and made civilians flee, fled upon the arrival of the peacekeepers.

In Lebanon, after a week-long suspension of services in Ein el Hilweh camp due to armed clashes, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has resumed operations. Health Centre II reopened today. UNRWA is also preparing to assess and clear remnants of war from affected zones.

The United Nations is opening a public call for nominations of experts to serve on the multi-stakeholder High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, which has been convened by the Secretary-General to carry out analysis and advance recommendations for the international governance of artificial intelligence (AI).

The United Nations Children’s Fund says that three in four children in South Asia — 460 million boys and girls — are exposed to extreme high temperature, compared to only one in three children globally, with toddlers, malnourished children and pregnant women most vulnerable to heat stroke and other serious effects.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warns that the Darien jungle crossing between Panama and Colombia is witnessing record numbers of migrants and refugees, with over 250,000 people crossing on foot in the first seven months of 2023 alone, surpassing the total for all of 2022.

In Somalia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the risk of famine still lingers among communities of displaced people in parts of the country. This is despite the scale-up of humanitarian assistance and better-than-forecast rains which have brought some relief from the devastating drought.

Despite the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 40 trucks carrying some 1,600 tons of food reached Kassala, Gedaref and White Nile between 22 and 27 July and five trucks delivered roughly 300 tons of relief supplies to West Kordofan.

Ukraine is forced to choose between its legitimate right to self-defence and its annihilation, several delegates told the Security Council today, as they contested the pretext under which today’s meeting was convened, noting its detrimental effect on the 15-member organ’s work.