Distribution of food aid after an airstrike in Kharkiv, September 2024 Top news of the day | Tuesday: Ukraine, Lebanon, Yemen, statelessness UN
Top news of the day in the UN and around the world: civilians have been affected in the frontline areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine, the population of a quarter of Lebanon has been forced to evacuate, Yemen is being drawn deeper into a regional escalation, the Global Alliance to End Statelessness begins work.
Military actions in Ukraine
Fighting in the frontline areas of Donetsk, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine has led to dozens of casualties among the population and damage to civilian infrastructure, UN humanitarian agencies reported today, citing local authorities. According to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, humanitarian organizations have mobilized emergency aid, including providing victims with psychological support and materials for temporary repairs. Dujarric also reported that September saw the highest number of civilian casualties in Ukraine this year: according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, 208 people were killed and 1,220 were injured as a result of the conflict.
Evacuation in Lebanon
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the death toll in Lebanon since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023 has reached more than 2,200 people and continues to rise. In addition, more than 10,000 people were injured as a result of the fighting. Meanwhile, more than 25 percent of Lebanon was under Israeli evacuation warnings, the UNHCR noted. According to the country’s government, about 1.2 million people have currently been forced to flee their homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the population is “facing the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.”
Situation in Yemen
The military escalation in the Middle East, which has been going on for a year, continues to intensify and risks spiraling out of control. This was stated by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, speaking at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday. According to him, this year has been particularly difficult for UN personnel. In Yemen, the Ansar Allah movement arbitrarily detains UN staff, civil society representatives and diplomatic missions. Ansar Allah continues to attack international shipping and is attempting to carry out airstrikes on Israel, Grundberg added.
Eradicating Statelessness
More than 100 states, civil society organizations, academic and other institutions have joined the new Global Alliance to End Statelessness, hosted by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The launch of the Global Alliance was officially launched by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during the annual meeting of UNHCR’s Executive Committee, which began on Monday in Geneva. Representatives of Turkmenistan shared their experience during the meeting. Thus, this country has officially resolved all known cases of statelessness on its territory, providing documents to more than 32,000 people.