UN Deputy Chief Amina Mohammed at the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Top news of the day | Friday: Small Islands, Gaza, Ukraine, World No Tobacco Day UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the results of the conference on small island developing states, obstacles to access to humanitarian assistance in Gaza, child casualties in Ukraine, the tobacco industry manipulates youth.
Small island states
The road map to achieving sustainable prosperity for small island states, agreed on Thursday in Antigua and Barbuda, “marks the beginning of a new journey,” the UN Under-Secretary-General said. Speaking at the closing of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Amina Mohammed stressed that despite growing threats, the islands and the global community “have reason for hope and optimism.” The plan for the next 10 years, agreed upon by all parties to the conference and entitled “A Renewed Declaration on Sustainable Prosperity”, sets out the collective development goals of small island states and outlines the support measures needed to achieve them.
Famine in Gaza
Aid reaching Gaza is woefully inadequate and children are starving in the enclave, UN aid workers said on Friday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs emphasized the obligations of the Israeli authorities under international law. Aid workers cannot travel through active war zones to reach those in need, an OCHA spokesman said. WHO said that together with partners and health authorities, the organization continues to offer services to children suffering from the most life-threatening form of malnutrition. However, due to the recent escalation of hostilities, the nutrition center at the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza is not operating.
Victims in Ukraine
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, strongly condemned the attacks on Kharkiv’s Novobavarsky district, which killed and injured people, including children and rescuers. The Humanitarian Coordinator’s office also recalled that the fighting continues to cause enormous physical, psychological and emotional harm to children, ruining their lives and threatening their future. The UN Human Rights Office has confirmed that more than 600 children have been killed and more than 1,420 injured across Ukraine since February 2022. However, the real toll is likely much higher. In 2023, the UN provided primary health care to more than 5.1 million children and mothers and education services to more than 2.5 million children and teachers.
Tobacco industry
37 million children aged 13–15 years use tobacco products, with higher rates of e-cigarette use among adolescents than adults in many countries. 20 per cent of 15-year-olds in the WHO European Region have smoked an e-cigarette in the past month. World No Tobacco Day is celebrated on 31 May. Ahead of the day, WHO and STOP, the global tobacco industry watchdog, released a report, Hooking the Next Generation, which traces how the tobacco and nicotine industries develop products, market campaigns and influence the political climate to addict young people around the world.