A Haitian family arrives at a temporary refugee reception center in Panama after crossing the Darien Gap. Top news of the day | Tuesday: Gaza, Ukraine, migrants, austerity regime at the UN UN
The main news of the day in the UN and the world: continuation of violence in Gaza contrary to the UN Security Council resolution; deadliest year for migrants; torture and execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war; economy mode at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Combat in Gaza
Intense fighting continues in Gaza between Hamas militants and Israeli forces. Delivering aid to people on the brink of famine remains difficult, UN aid workers said Tuesday. Speaking in Rafah, southern Gaza, UN Children’s Fund spokesman James Elder said 13,750 children had died in the strip since October 7, according to Gaza health authorities. Commenting on reports of a “double-digit number of children killed overnight”, Elder noted that this happened just hours after a UN Security Council resolution was passed calling for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan.
Torture and execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has published new data on the torture of Ukrainian military personnel in Russian captivity and a sharp increase in the number of credible allegations of executions of prisoners of war. The findings confirm previously established facts of torture and ill-treatment, deaths in custody, incommunicado detention, forced disappearances and harsh conditions of detention. Between December 2023 and February 2024, the Mission recorded credible allegations of the execution of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war in 12 separate incidents. Three of these incidents were independently verified by the Mission.
The Deadliest Year for Migrants
Last year was the deadliest year for migrants deadliest in modern history – more than 8,540 dead; 60 percent of them drowned. The International Organization for Migration reported this on Tuesday. In 2024, the trends remain equally alarming. On the Mediterranean route, the death toll is almost as high as before, with 956 deaths recorded since 1 January. According to the UN, one in three deaths among migrants occurs while fleeing armed conflict. More than two-thirds of the migrants whose deaths have been documented remain unidentified.
Austerity at UN headquarters in Geneva
In 2023, the UN ended the year with the lowest collection of payments in the last five years and is forced to save on everything to keep the organization running. This was stated on Tuesday by Kira Kruglikova, Director of the Administrative Division of the UN Office in Geneva. Only 142 Member States have paid their contributions in full, meaning a very difficult financial situation in 2024, she said. Due to the liquidity crisis, the UN has cut non-salary expenses in Geneva by 42 percent. From April 22, measures will be introduced to improve operational efficiency and further reduce costs.