Soualiga
Menu
Joomla Modules Joomla Templates

Soualiga (14431)

Gaza: No improvement in aid access to north, insists senior UN aid official

© UNOCHA/Themba Linden A UN team inspects a destroyed school in Khan Younis.
INTERNATIONAL, 12 April 2024, Peace and Security - The situation for Gazans remains dire despite hopes stemming from recent commitments by Israel to boost assistance, the UN’s top aid official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said on Friday.
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator overseeing crisis relief in Gaza, pushed back at Israeli claims that more than 1,000 trucks had entered Gaza in the last few days, but only around 800 had been collected on the Palestinian side.

The veteran aid official also maintained that the deconfliction system in which humanitarians shared their coordinates with the warring sides was “consistently inaccurate”, but that he had raised these and other operational concerns with the Israeli military at their first meeting earlier this week.

“It’s very easy for Israel to say we’ve sent you 1,000 trucks so please deliver them inside Gaza,” he said, in a renewed appeal to the Israeli authorities to recognise that their responsibility as the occupying Power “only ends when…aid reaches the civilians in Gaza”.

Security vacuum

Describing long delays at checkpoints and a “security vacuum” inside the enclave that continues to hamper the delivery of aid where it is most needed, the UN official noted that the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) team, whose vehicle was hit by live ammunition on Thursday, had been held “for hours” at a checkpoint on Salah Al Deen Road.

So far this month, some 60 hours have been wasted in this way, Mr. McGoldrick insisted. “And then what happens sometimes, it’s too late in the day – because you can only travel in daylight hours – to go north and therefore sometimes the mission is cancelled. And then we get blamed by Israel for cancelling the convoy, cancelling the mission to the north.”

Only three roads are open to humanitarian relief in Gaza today: the middle route via Salah Al Deen Road, the coastal Al  Rashid Road and the military road on the east side of Gaza. “At no point in time in the last month and more have we had three or even two of those roads working at the same time simultaneously,” the UN aid coordinator maintained, adding that all of the highways were in “very poor condition”.

The consequences of “very limited” aid missions into the north of the enclave were already clear, judging by how underweight babies are when they are born, Mr. McGoldrick continued.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick (centre) visits the Kamal Adwan hospital, the only paediatric hospital in northern Gaza.
© WHO
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick (centre) visits the Kamal Adwan hospital, the only paediatric hospital in northern Gaza.

Life-threatening hunger

Speaking from Jerusalem, he described visiting Kamal Adwan Hospital two weeks ago, where “every single patient” in the children’s ward faced life-threatening hunger. 

“The last child I saw was in an incubator who was a two-day-old boy, but who wasn't prematurely born – he was born after nine months – but he was 1.2 kg. There are going to be long-term consequences, which will be felt in the development possibility of that child.”

Insisting on the need for a direct telephone line to the Israeli military “and the ability to speak to them”, Mr. McGoldrick noted that the targeting of the non-governmental organisation World Central Kitchen convoy two weeks ago was only recent evidence of the frequent dangers faced by aid teams operating in Gaza.

“We have to have handheld radios, VHF radios, all the things you have in any normal issue, in a normal crisis. We don't have them,” he said, maintaining that the Israeli authorities had not allowed them for fear that they might be used by Hamas fighters.

Evacuation call

Echoing concerns about the dire healthcare situation in Gaza, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) called for a structured medical evacuations system to treat patients, instead of the current “ad hoc” arrangement.

Damage to Al Shifa Hospital – Gaza’s biggest – during a two-week Israeli military raid had left a “huge crater” in the specialised surgery block, said Thanos Gargavanis, WHO trauma surgeon and emergency officer.

Speaking from Gaza, Dr Gargavanis said that the hospital had been completely destroyed, including the oxygen plant, laboratory equipment and other critical equipment including a CT scanner and other machines required to provide lifesaving care. 

“The buildings themselves are burned down, walls are missing; there are holes of shrapnel and fire all along them,” the WHO officer noted, before describing how a recce of the hospital last week found open spaces littered with makeshift graves or with bodies lying either uncovered or with a plastic sheet over them.

The WHO and other UN agencies have ensured that the deceased found at Al Shifa can receive a dignified burial, after naming the bodies or making it possible for them to be identified by DNA testing in future.

“After this destruction, we feel that we are returning 60 years before when medical imaging was not available, where laboratory tests were not available,” Dr Gargavanis said. “We want to stress again that hospitals should never be militarized.”

Donate to the humanitarian response in Gaza

Read more...

Ceasefire the only way to end killing and injuring of children in Gaza: UNICEF

© UNDP PAPP/Abed Zagout In Gaza, children wait to receive food as the bombardments on the enclave continue.

INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Humanitarian Aid - Advocating for a ceasefire is the best way to support the people of Gaza, including children in the north who are dying of hunger, a Spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.  

Tess Ingram was part of a UNICEF team that was headed to northern Gaza on Tuesday when their vehicle was hit by live ammunition while waiting at a checkpoint.  

“Luckily, myself and my colleagues, we were all safe. But this just underscores how dangerous it is for humanitarian aid workers in Gaza at the moment: that incidents like this continue to happen when they absolutely shouldn't,” she told UN News, speaking from Rafah in the south.

‘Critical mission’ rescheduled 

The UN has repeatedly warned of looming famine in Gaza, where roughly 70 per cent of the population in the north is going hungry, and as access restrictions persist.

Ms. Ingram said the UNICEF team had hoped to proceed to the region “because it was such a critical mission with nutrition products for the children who were malnourished in the north of Gaza, among other things.” 

However, after waiting at the holding point for at least another two hours, they decided moving forward was no longer feasible as there would not be enough time to conduct all their activities, and returned to Rafah.

While another mission is being scheduled for the coming days, she stressed the critical need for more aid corridors and, above all, for the fighting to end. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Tess Ingram: It's tragic to see anybody suffering from malnutrition, which is such a painful condition, let alone in a place where malnutrition was almost non-existent before October. And it's now skyrocketed in the north of Gaza, because of disruptions to food production, but also because of restrictions on aid access to that area. We've really struggled to get up there with aid.  

And as a result, we know that children are dying of malnutrition there. At least 23 children have reportedly died at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which is where we were trying to bring these nutrition treatments on Tuesday. 

UN News: Is there a particular story that you heard, a particular child that struck you, that that really resonated with you? 

Tess Ingram: There's a boy that I met, in the middle area at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Dier Al Balah. His name is Omar. He is seven years old.  I wasn't able to speak to him because he was in such a terrible condition, so much pain.  

But I talked to his grandmother, and she was telling me that they had just come down from the north 48 hours earlier, and that in the north they had access to barely any food, and they were relying heavily on grass to sustain them. And you could see how sick Omar is. I really hope that he's okay now.  

The director of pediatrics at the hospital told me that he hoped that Omar would make a full recovery. But concerningly, he said that 90 percent of the children that they're admitting at the moment have some level of malnutrition, which is just shocking. 

Seven-year-old Omar is being treated for malnutrition in Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah after fleeing northern Gaza with his grandmother

UNICEF

Seven-year-old Omar is being treated for malnutrition in Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah after fleeing northern Gaza with his grandmother

UN News: Israel said that it has the intention at least to open the Erez crossing into northern Gaza. Has this materialized yet? Were you able to get anything in to relieve the situation? 

Tess Ingram: No, not yet - and that is such a critical step. We really need that crossing to be open, so that we can increase the volume of aid, but also so that we have direct access straight into the north. And that's important for two reasons. One, it'll allow us to bring aid in faster, and at scale to these children and families in the north who desperately need food and nutrition supplies. But also, it will prevent us, as the UN, having to drive through the whole Gaza Strip with our aid, which is important in such a dangerous place. 

UN News: So, you've seen these children, you've seen the conditions there. Is there still time to avoid the famine that the UN has been warning about, or are we already too late? 

Tess Ingram: Look, it's really hard to know. We've said that a famine could happen at any moment between now and May, and I think that still holds in the north of Gaza. For the south, the risk of famine is there. But I think we can still prevent it if we can just flood the Gaza Strip with aid. There is still time to prevent a famine in the middle and south of Gaza. 

Soundcloud

UN News: We've been hearing many calls on the international stage for increased humanitarian access, increased humanitarian aid, in Gaza, but this has been to no avail. What needs to happen to make that happen? 

Tess Ingram: Well, the best way to make that happen is the ceasefire. It is the only way to end the killing and injuring of children. It is the best way to ensure that we can bring in more aid and to distribute that aid at scale, safely to all of the children and families in Gaza in need.

UN News:  You visited hospitals in Gaza, and we know that the healthcare system in the Strip is on the verge of collapse. Can you tell us what that means in practical terms, and in real-life terms?

Tess Ingram: In real-life terms, what that means is doctors are struggling to provide the care that they want to, and that they’re used to in Gaza. It means that supplies are running out. It means that staff are unable to be paid salaries, and many more of them are having to become volunteers. And that's not sustainable because they have to be able to support their families in such desperate conditions.  

It means that children are dying without the appropriate medical care, or they're unable to receive treatment that they need. For example, I met a girl at the European Hospital this week. Her name's Juri and she's nine years old. She is from Rafah, here, at the south of the Gaza Strip.  

And despite this being an area where there hasn't been a ground offensive yet, she was in a building, her grandparents’ house, that was struck. And Juri said the last thing she remembers is playing with birds in a cage at the house, and then waking up in European hospital.  

And she has so many broken bones - the right side of her face and her arm and her wrist. But on the left side of her body, where she was struck by the impact of the blast, she has enormous open wounds that haven't been able to be treated in Gaza.  

When I met her, it had been 16 days since the incident. And she was still lying in a hospital bed with very painful, large, open wounds, waiting, hoping that she might be able to be evacuated from Gaza to get the treatment that she needs. But this has to be unacceptable to the world that a nine-year-old girl who was just visiting her grandparents ends up with such a traumatic injury that cannot be treated, and she's still waiting for help. 

UN News: You spoke about the fact that Rafah currently doesn't have a ground offensive, and there are growing fears, of course, that this incursion is going to happen after the government announced that it actually has a date for that operation. How is UNICEF preparing itself to deal with that? 

Tess Ingram:  We're preparing contingency plans. We're trying to strategize about how we'll continue to do our job. We don't intend to go anywhere. We're going to stay and deliver and make sure that we can continue to provide support to the children and families of Gaza.  

A boy carries a large bowl on his head at the Al-Qastal School in the Gaza Strip.

© WFP/Arete/Abood al Sayd

A boy carries a large bowl on his head at the Al-Qastal School in the Gaza Strip.

UN News:  With regard to education, the UN notes that 100 per cent of children in Gaza are out of school. Do you think we lost a generation in Gaza? 

Tess Ingram: Look, 625,000 students haven't had access to education since October. And when I meet kids here, one of the first things they tell me is how much they miss school – miss learning, miss their friends, what their favourite subject used to be. 

These children want to learn. They want to go back to school. But the longer it goes, the harder it becomes. So, we really need to make sure that these children can go back to school as soon as possible in formal learning, but in the meantime have some sort of temporary learning. And that's what we're trying to set up at the moment as UNICEF. 

UN News: Of course, with the attention on the immediate catastrophe at hand, longer-term effects can sometimes be overlooked. What are some of those long-term effects that UNICEF is expecting on children in Gaza? Is there anything being done now to address them once the guns fall silent? 

Tess Ingram: I think something that's often overlooked is the mental health impact of this war. And we know that children are experiencing repeated trauma, which will certainly have long-term impacts. 

If you think about other conflicts around the world, a child may experience one or two incidences of trauma, but generally, then they're able to flee to safety.  

But in Gaza, children are trapped and they're not able to leave. And every day they're experiencing some form of trauma - whether that's, an explosion, losing a family member, not knowing whether somebody is okay - living with that fear day in, day out definitely impacts them. And it can have developmental impacts on their bodies as well. So, this is something that we're very concerned about. 

We're working now to try and mitigate it in the small ways that we can. We can't yet provide counselling because children aren't safe. But what we're doing at the moment is providing recreational activities and psychosocial support in groups so that children can come together and play, or do arts and crafts or drama, or simply counsel each other if they're a bit older, and just for a moment have a sense of community or a sense of childhood.  

I've seen it, and it's a really nice thing to witness - these children laughing and smiling amid the horror around us. 

UN News: Many people want to do something about this situation, but they feel helpless. What can they do to support Gazans? 

Tess Ingram: I think the most important thing that we need to do is to continue advocating for a ceasefire - through whatever channels you are able to - to continue to call for an end to the fighting, because that really is the only way that we're going to be able to end this situation, and end the fear and the death and the destruction for the children of Gaza. 

But until that happens, the other thing that's really important is support for the humanitarian agencies on the ground. We're all here doing our best to try and help the people of Gaza, and we need the international community's support to continue that work. 

Read more...

Myanmar: Middle class ‘disappearing’ amid uptick in brutal fighting

© UNICEF/Naing Lin Soe The ongoing political crisis and conflict in Myanmar, coupled with disasters and COVID-19 impacts, has left the economy on the verge of collapse.
INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Economic Development - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that poverty is surging and the middle class in Myanmar is “disappearing” amidst worsening insecurity and conflict.
In a new report published on Thursday UNDP said that the middle class has shrunk by half, compared with before the 2021 military coup, and that three quarters of the country’s population is either living in poverty or “perilously close” to the national poverty line.

“The new data show that less than 25 per cent of the population in Myanmar manage to secure steady incomes to live above the poverty line. Without immediate interventions to provide cash transfers, food security and access to basic services, vulnerability will keep growing, and impacts will be felt across generations” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.

According to UNDP estimates, $4 billion per year is required to address ballooning poverty, via cash transfers and other means, to help families recover from the “L-shaped” recession amid plummeting economic activity and few signs of recovery.

“We call on all stakeholders – inside and outside Myanmar – to take action and preserve vulnerable households from slipping into irreversible poverty and despair” Mr. Steiner urged.

Zero spending on education

Polling over 12,000 households across Myanmar, the report also found that families and households have been forced to resort to various, often unsustainable, coping mechanisms.

Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York, Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, explained the dire situation.

“During the COVID-19 [pandemic], the spending on education was meagre - two to three per cent of household’s income - it is now close to zero,” she said, adding that families are pulling children out of school and unable to spend on healthcare and other basic services.

“We are going to see a whole generation that just has a learning and health deficit that is very scary,” she warned.

Regional picture

The report has also revealed an alarming picture at the provincial level.

The states with the lowest rates of per capita income are Kayah, Chin, and Sagaing – regions experiencing high levels of conflict between the junta forces and groups opposing.

In addition to heightened poverty levels, conflict-ridden were also marked by destruction of homes, restricted access to farmlands and an increase in internally displaced people (IDPs) – all leading to yet more hardship.

IDPs arriving in urban centres such as Yangon and Mandalay, both for safety and basic services, no longer have any safety net, Ms. Wignaraja said.

A poppy field in East Shan state, Myanmar.
© UNODC
A poppy field in East Shan state, Myanmar.

Proliferation of organized crime

The UNDP Regional Director also emphasized the challenges posed by skyrocketing criminality in the southeast Asian nation.

She cited recent findings by the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) that Myanmar is the largest producer of opium and the massive proliferation of organized crime, especially the so called “scam centres”.

“If these illegal economic activities – where there is a lot of money involved – are not curbed, and we cannot restart intensive international and regional mediation efforts to stop the ongoing war, the story of Myanmar is going to be of the disappeared middle [class],” Ms. Wignaraja said.

Read more...

Widespread destruction across Khan Younis as Gazans ‘struggle to survive’

© UNOCHA/Themba Linden A UN team inspects an unexploded 1,000-pound bomb lying on a main road in Khan Younis.
INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Peace and Security - People in Gaza are struggling to survive, said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, who was part of a team carrying out an assessment mission on Wednesday in the southern city of Khan Younis following the Israeli military withdrawal last week.
“Humanitarians are working hard to support them, but we need security, access and reliable facilitation by Israeli forces, whose responsibilities don’t end when supplies are dropped off at the border,” said Jamie McGoldrick.

Every building the team visited and most they could see had been damaged, with paved roads reduced to dirt tracks.

The team inspected a UN warehouse, four medical centres and eight schools. They reported seeing very significant damage in all but one of those buildings.

Speaking at the Fukhari Shelter and a Palestine relief agency (UNRWA) school, Mr. McGoldrick said the UN was providing services for 116,000 people in just that one location.

Streets littered with bombs

He said the community there needs more supplies and support, including with food, water, health and sanitation.

Streets and public spaces in Khan Younis are littered with unexploded ordnance, posing severe risks to civilians, especially children.

The team found unexploded 1,000-pound bombs lying on the main intersections and inside schools.

Residents described dire shortages of food and water and the loss of critical health services due to the destruction of Al-Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals.

Liaising with Israeli military

Mr. McGoldrick represented UN humanitarians and partners on Wednesday in a meeting with the Southern Command of the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as COGAT, the Israeli body responsible for the flow of aid in Gaza.

The veteran coordinator presented a list of requests to improve the delivery of assistance throughout the enclave at the necessary scale to avert looming widescale famine.

For Muslim Palestinians, the end of Eid Al Fitr comes as Gazans are trapped in “one of the most brutal wars in recent history”, said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini on Thursday.

“It is very hard to celebrate amid de-humanisation, pain and grieving hearts,” he said on X, calling once again for a ceasefire in Gaza and elsewhere.

Khan Younis lies in ruins following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
© UNOCHA/Themba Linden
Khan Younis lies in ruins following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

UN will stay and deliver

Speaking to journalists at the noon briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said “we will continue to work with all those committed to alleviating the humanitarian suffering in Gaza and to advocate for principled and safe aid delivery.

“That is our commitment and obligations to our teams and to the people we serve.”

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that one of their vehicles was hit by live ammunition on Wednesday while waiting to enter northern Gaza.

The agency said the incident has been raised with the relevant Israeli authorities.

“Unless humanitarian aid workers are protected, in accordance with international humanitarian law, aid cannot reach people in need,” said UNICEF in a statement.

A vehicle loaded with household possessions drives through Khan Younis.
© UNOCHA/Themba Linden
A vehicle loaded with household possessions drives through Khan Younis.
Read more...

Russian attacks ‘a daily destructive pattern’ in Ukraine, Security Council hears

© UNICEF/Aleksey Filippov Rescue personnel search a bombed out building Kyiv. (file)

INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Peace and Security - Russian attacks on cities and towns across Ukraine, including intense and systematic targeting of the energy infrastructure, “have become a daily destructive pattern” in recent weeks, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Thursday. 

Miroslav Jenča, an Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav in the UN Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, warned that the escalation threatens regional stability, international security and, above all, the people of Ukraine.

Affected regions include Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk.

Deadly trend 

“We are appalled by the increase in civilian casualties as a result of these relentless attacks,” Mr. Jenča said. 

At least 126 civilians were killed and 478 injured in March – a 20 per cent increase over the previous month, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR.  At least 57 children were killed or injured in March alone, double the number from February. 

The deadly trend has continued this month, with daily drone, missile, rocket and artillery attacks reported across the country. The most recent - carried out overnight and into Thursday morning - targeted energy facilities, with some reportedly resulting in casualties, including fatalities. 

“We are also witnessing hostilities spreading across Ukraine’s borders, with regular cross-border strikes into the Russian Federation,” he added. 

Nuclear fears 

Critical civilian infrastructure has been heavily affected by the escalation in attacks, he continued. 

Since March, more than two dozen energy facilities have been destroyed or damaged, including the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, disrupting electricity and water supply for millions.   

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest and under Russian occupation since the early days of the war, was directly targeted in military action on Sunday - the first time since November 2022.  Three people were reportedly injured, and subsequent drone attacks were reported on Monday and Tuesday. 

‘A disturbing reminder’ 

The incident was “a disturbing reminder of the serious risks posed by this war”, he said, joining the call by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, for “the immediate cessation of such inexcusable attacks to avoid a major nuclear accident.”  

Mr. Jenča welcomed the renewal of the mandates of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry for the country.  

Stressing the importance of their work to efforts towards accountability, he said the UN continues to urge Russia to fully cooperate and grant both OHCHR and independent monitors access to areas of Ukraine that it occupies. 

A wider threat 

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Jenča underlined the need for peace as “the current trajectory of escalation of this war is a direct threat to regional stability and international security. Most of all, it is an existential threat to the people of Ukraine.” 

He reiterated the UN General Assembly’s call supporting de-escalation and a peaceful resolution of the conflict, as outlined in its resolution adopted last February. 

Situation will worsen 

OHCHR has verified that more than 10,810 civilians have been killed, and more than 20,550 injured, since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, though the actual numbers are likely to be higher. 

Continuing escalation of the hostilities will only worsen the already dire situation for millions in the country, said Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. 

More than 14.6 million people, roughly 40 per cent of the population, require some form of humanitarian assistance.  Most, 56 per cent, are women and girls. 

The wave of attacks has also impacted humanitarians as the already challenging operational environment is further affected by more frequent and bigger aerial strikes.

‘Troubling pattern’ 

Ms. Wosornu said recent weeks have also revealed “a particularly troubling pattern in the sequencing of attacks.” 

As first responders or emergency services rush to the scene of attacks, a second wave of strikes target the same location, killing the wounded and causing the death and injury of first responders at the scene.  

“Attacks directed against the wounded and those helping them are prohibited by international humanitarian law. They are cruel, unconscionable, and must stop,” she said. 

Global food security 

Meanwhile, continuing attacks on the port city of Odesa remain a concern, given their impact on global food security.   

Reiterating that Ukraine’s Black Sea ports are an essential component of the global supply chains for grain and other key agricultural commodities, she warned that attacks could undo progress made in stabilizing grain markets and driving down prices.  

“With staggering levels of food insecurity persisting in parts of the world, safe navigation in the Black Sea and the protection and safe operation of ports and related civilian infrastructure must be assured,” she said. 

Ms. Wosornu upheld humanitarians’ commitment to support the people of Ukraine but stressed the need for more funding.  A $541 million plan for the country this year has so far received just $3.1 billion. 

Revenge strikes: Russia 

The “mass strikes” on Ukraine’s energy facilities in Ukraine were “a response to the Kyiv regime’s attempts to deal a blow to Russia's oil and gas facilities,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia told the Council. 

“We have met our goals,” he continued, noting that “reserves can no longer be sent to where they need to go” and energy supply has been disrupted. 

He said that as in all previous cases, Russia did not threaten the civilian population, “despite assertion to the contrary by the Zelenskyy regime."

“What is getting in the way of western propaganda mongers are the views of ordinary Ukrainians, who are on social media calling on fellow Ukrainians not to fear Russian high-precision strikes but rather to fear Ukrainian air defences, which have been deployed in residential areas in violation of international humanitarian law,” he added.

Infrastructure deliberately attacked: Ukraine 

Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia has fired nearly 1,000 missiles, roughly 2,800 Shahed drones, and almost 7,000 guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian cities and villages since the beginning of the year. 

The total explosive power exceeded nine kilotonnes and only three per cent hit military targets, while 97 per cent hit civilian infrastructure. 

“Russia deliberately targeted the critical energy infrastructure, as we heard today, in particular power generation.  Following the March attack, 80 per cent of thermal power generation was destroyed,” he reported. 

Hydropower plants also sustained heavy damage, he added, noting that Russia had particularly targeted the Dniester and Kaniv plants “indicating its intention to replicate the catastrophe” caused last June, with the destruction of the Khakova Dam. 

“It should be a common task of the international community, not only Ukraine, to ensure that such large-scale environmental disasters no longer occur in Europe,” he said. 

Read more...

General Assembly debates Russia’s veto of DPR Korea sanctions panel

UN Photo/Evan Schneider Russia vetoed a draft resolution in March 2024 to renew the mandate of the Security Council's 1718 Committee panel of experts monitoring sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. (file)
INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Peace and Security - Sharp divisions emerged on Thursday as the General Assembly debated Russia’s veto on the Security Council which blocked renewal of the sanctions panel which monitors the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear weapon and missile programmes.
This is the third time this year that the world body has met to examine veto use among the Security Council’s permanent members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States – including on the situation in Gaza regarding a US veto.

Last week, Russia vetoed action to renew the panel of experts’ mandate to assist the Council’s DPRK sanctions committee. Current sanctions include an arms embargo and measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, ballistic missiles and other mass destruction-related programmes.

At the outset of Thursday’s meeting, Assembly President Dennis Francis told ambassadors that the recurring use of the veto undermines international peace and security.

“The spectre of nuclear conflict must compel us to move from rhetoric to tangible action,” he said, recalling his visit in October to the demilitarised zone between the Republic of Korea and DPRK – more commonly known as South and North Korea respectively - underlining that the current situation is tense.

New draft resolution

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said his delegation had vetoed the draft resolution tabled by the United States for a number of reasons, among them that extending the panel of experts’ mandate would not contribute to normalising the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

“The basic mechanisms of the sanctions are failing,” he said, noting that all other restrictive measures against States are subject to review, but none of that applies to DPRK. “The indefinite maintenance of draconian measures is doomed to fail.”

The panel had been reduced to kowtowing to Western powers amid aggressive propaganda and sabre rattling, he said, while underlining that the sanctions have had severe humanitarian consequences.

As such, he said Russia plans to submit shortly a draft resolution to extend the panel’s mandate for one year, with a clear determination for the Security Council to update the parameters of the sanctions regime.

DPRK condemns double standards

Ambassador Kim Song of DPRK said nuclear weapons are stockpiled in many countries, including the US, yet Pyongyang is the only one facing sanctions.

Inhumane double standards exist in terms of States rights to defend themselves, he said, adding that Council sanctions are the product of the “heinous policies” of the US that hinder DPRK’s sovereignty, right to development and existence.

“This meeting today is not a simple gathering to hear and understand the exercise of the veto,” the ambassador said.

“Rather, it serves as an important occasion to determined whether we will leave Security Council to be a tool of the United States…or we make the Council to ensure justice and impartiality and perform its function as required by the international community.”

More to come…

Read more...

Paving the way for a sustainable future: A conversation with UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis

UN News Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming speaks with the President of the General Assembly Dennis Francis.
INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, UN Affairs - Dennis Francis, the current President of the UN General Assembly, recently launched a signature initiative to propel sustainable practices and address pressing development challenges confronting people and the planet.
The upcoming Sustainability Week, which spotlights five key sectors from 15 to 19 April, and the #ChooseSustainability campaign, calling on Member States, UN entities, civil society as well as the wider public to pledge actions that make a difference towards a better future.

Mr. Francis sat down with Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communication, and outlined his plans for the Week as well as his own personal pledge for the #ChooseSustainability campaign.

“Sustainability is important because it has everything to do with the success of our existence on this planet,” he said in the exclusive interview.

Sustainability Week focuses the themes of debt sustainability and socioeconomic equality (15 April), tourism (16 April), transport (17 April), global resilience and infrastructure development (18 April), and sustainable energy (19 April).

The conversation highlights the importance of sustainability and the role each of us can play in creating a sustainable future. It serves as a reminder that sustainability is not just about the environment, but also about economic development and social equity.  

As Mr. Francis said, “there is no conflict. Between achieving economic success and achieving sustainability. there’s absolutely no conflict. It’s been done in some places. It requires commitment. And it requires vision and I think we have both. We have both.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read more...

Make 2024 a ‘turning point’ for education, UN deputy chief urges

UN Photo/Loey Felipe Addressing a high-level education on education convened by the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Amina Mohammed paid tribute in particular to the children of Gaza.
INTERNATIONAL, 11 April 2024, Women - The UN Deputy Secretary-General on Thursday called for a transformation in learning, stressing that receiving a good education represents hope for all future generations.
Addressing a high-level education on education convened by the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Amina Mohammed paid tribute in particular to the children of Gaza, who have had no education for over six months, and where there have been direct hits on 212 schools.

“Today, the light for Gaza and the children of Gaza, is out. We need a commitment to try to light that candle again for the children and the people of Gaza. Education is hope. Education is the future,” she said.

Building momentum

This year will see a series of meetings that will build on the Transforming Education Summit convened by the UN in September 2022 in response to a global crisis in education, after more than 90 per cent of the world’s children lost access to the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September this year, world leaders will gather to forge a new international consensus as part of the Summit of the Future. 

 Ms. Mohammed called for two specific outcomes on education at the Summit. 

“First, we need a clear recognition from world leaders of the urgent need to transform and invest in education as a global imperative,” she said.

“Second, we need major breakthroughs on issues that are critical for education, including reform of the international financial architecture, strengthened digital cooperation and a new agenda for peace.”

Education a human right

Without additional measures, an estimated 84 million children and young people will still be denied access to the classroom by 2030, and approximately 300 million students will lack the basic – and vital – numeracy and literacy skills.

“Education is a fundamental human right. Investing in education is the greatest investment we can make in our common future, in peace, and sustainable development, and particularly in gender equality,” Ms. Mohammed stressed.

Contemporary education systems across the world are beset by challenges, including access, equity, relevance and digital inequality – which could leave billions of people behind, she added.

“I know that we can make 2024 a turning point for education. Let’s get to it.”

Spotlight on violence against women

During her visit to Brussels, the Deputy Secretary-General also chaired the Governing Body meeting of the Spotlight Initiative, the world’s largest targeted effort to eliminate violence against women and girls.  

The UN initiative is in partnership with the (EU) and other stakeholders and responds to all forms of violence against women and girls. 

Its programmes across 30 countries and regions, focus on domestic and family violence, sexual and gender-based violence and rising rates of femicide, together with human trafficking. 

Since 2019, the initiative has resulted in more than 2.5 million women and girls accessing gender-based violence services, and two million men and boys have been educated on positive masculinity.

 
 
 
Read more...

World News in Brief: Shipwreck tragedy off Djibouti coast, drone attacks continue at Ukraine nuclear plant, Madagascar cyclone update

© IOM Djibouti The ill-fated boat, off the Djibouti coast, near the coastal town of Obock, in northeastern Djibouti, which was packed with over 60 migrants before becoming shipwrecked. At least 38 migrants died.
INTERNATIONAL, 9 April 2024, Peace and Security - At least 38 migrants - including women and children – died when their overcrowded boat capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the UN migration agency (IOM) reported on Tuesday.
The incident took place at around 4 AM local time on Monday, about 200 meters offshore near the coastal town of Obock. 

Twenty-two people were rescued by local fishermen and are being given treatment and support by IOM, agency spokesperson Yvonne Ndege told UN News in an exclusive interview.

At least six others are missing and presumed dead. Around 66 migrants in total were onboard travelling across the Gulf of Aden, from Yemen to Djibouti.

Well-travelled route

Every year thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa, especially Ethiopia and Somalia, leave their homes in a bid to reach Gulf countries for work, travelling through Djibouti and across the Gulf of Aden.

But many find themselves stranded in Yemen, facing severe hardships amidst the ongoing war and economic crisis there. 

They are also at risk of abuse by smugglers and traffickers and have to contend with perilous sea journeys on their way back. 

“With reference to this latest tragedy these were migrants from the Horn of Africa predominantly from Ethiopia who were traveling back to Djibouti,” Ms. Ndege said.

Further drone attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant an ‘ominous development’

A further drone attack on Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia marks an “ominous development” and a major worsening of safety and security, the head of the UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, said on Tuesday.

Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency’s team of experts stationed at the plant – who verified the impact of several such attacks on the Russian-occupied plant on Sunday – reported hearing bursts of rifle fire followed by a loud explosion at 11:05am local time.

This was the same time that the plant later said an incoming drone had detonated on the roof of the facility’s training centre.

The incident adds to deepening concern over the already highly precarious nuclear safety and security situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the ZNPP, which has been shelled several times since the conflict started in February 2022 and lost all off-site power eight times.

The training centre is located just outside the site perimeter, around half a kilometre from reactor unit 1, and the incident did not pose any threat to nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, whose six reactors have all been shut down for the past 20 months.

'Playing with fire'

However, there are ZNPP staff routinely present there. The IAEA team requested immediate access to the building to assess the possible impact but was informed that the military security situation did not allow it. 

“Today’s reported incident – although outside the site perimeter – is an ominous development as it indicates an apparent readiness to continue these attacks, despite the grave dangers they pose to nuclear safety and security and our repeated calls for military restraint”, said Mr. Grossi.

“Whoever is behind them, they are playing with fire. Attacking a nuclear power plant is extremely irresponsible and dangerous, and it must stop,” he added. 

Over 200,000 need humanitarian aid following Madagascar cyclone

An estimated 220,000 people require immediate humanitarian assistance due to the catastrophic impact of Tuesday’s tropical cyclone Gamane in northeast Madagascar.

The storm made landfall on March 27 in the northeast of Madagascar, wreaking havoc in the regions of Analanjirofo, Diana, Atsinanana, and Sava. 

“The cyclone exacerbates the hardships of populations already burdened by multiple crises," said Roger Charles Evina, IOM Chief of Mission in Madagascar. 

“El Nino conditions resulted in erratic rainfalls in the past months, with populations in the Grand Sud bracing for a severe drought, while Tropical Storm Alvaro in January and excessive rainfall in February have resulted in major flooding in the north and southwestern regions, affecting close to 52,000 people.”  

In response to the devastation caused, IOM participated in a joint aerial assessment conducted on 30 March by humanitarian partners and the National Office for Risks and Disaster Management.

Initial reports indicate that over 535,000 people have been affected across 33 flooded communes, with 18 people killed and 22,000 persons displaced. 

Close to 19,000 homes were flooded and extensive damage are reported on roads and essential infrastructures, including 22 health centres and 135 schools.

More than 2,200 hectares of rice fields face the risk of being silted, jeopardising livelihoods of populations across the affected areas. 

Read more...

Massive investment and financial reform needed to rescue SDGs

UN News/Daniel Dickinson Traders in Madagascar. one of the most under-developed countries in Africa, transport charcoal to market.

INTERNATIONAL, 9 April 2024, SDGs - Financing for sustainable development is at a crossroads and without urgent investment, global efforts to achieve a more just and equitable world by 2030 will fail, the UN deputy chief warned on Tuesday. 

Presenting the latest UN report on the issue, Amina Mohammed called for “a surge in investment” and reform of the international financial system to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are woefully offtrack. 

World leaders adopted the 17 SDGs nearly a decade ago and they include ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring availability to clean water and sanitation, and reducing inequality within and among countries.

‘Finance is the crux’ 

“At our current rates, we estimate some 600 million people will still be living in extreme poverty beyond 2030. And as the report shows, finance is the crux of the problem,” Ms. Mohammed said, speaking at UN Headquarters in New York.

The 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report says urgent steps are needed to mobilise financing at scale to close the development financing gap, now estimated at $4.2 trillion annually, up from $ 2.5 trillion before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, rising geopolitical tensions, climate disasters and a global cost-of-living crisis have hit billions of people, battering progress on healthcare, education, and other development targets. 

Drowning in debt 

Staggering debt burdens and rising borrowing costs are large contributors to the sustainable development crisis. 

Estimates are that in the least developed countries, debt service will be $40 billion annually between 2023 and 2025, up more than 50 per cent from $26 billion in 2022. Stronger and more frequent climate related disasters account for more than half of the debt upsurge in vulnerable countries.  

Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed said roughly 40 per cent of the global population, some 3.3 billion people, live in countries where governments now spend more on interest payments than on education or health.  

Meanwhile, the global economy is not supporting investment and development as it should, she noted. Average growth rates have steadily declined over the last 25 years, from over six per cent before the global financial crisis more than 15 years ago to around four per cent today. 

Reform outdated financial system 

The report calls for scaling up public and private investment in the SDGs, highlighting the importance of reform of the development bank system.   

In this regard, donors also need to make good on commitments on Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate finance. 

Secondly, the current international financial architecture – established nearly 80 years ago – must also be remade as it is “no longer fit for purpose”, she said, and developing countries should have a greater voice in global economic governance. 

Close ‘credibility gaps’ 

Finally, world leaders must close “credibility gaps” and trust deficits. This is especially the case for wealthier nations, which have made promises on global governance reform, aid delivery, and domestic reforms to tackle corruption and inequality, including gender inequality. 

Stating that the report’s message could not be clearer, Ms. Mohammed said “we must choose now either to succeed together or we will fail together,” stressing that “failure is not an option.” 

The report also encourages governments to make the most of “significant opportunities ahead”, she added, pointing to major conferences such as the Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters in September and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development scheduled for next year. 

The Summit has been described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, and to reaffirm commitments, including to the SDGs. 

Read more...
Subscribe to this RSS feed

Soualiga Radio