A child undergoes treatment for malnutrition in a hospital in Darfur. Top News of the Day | Monday: Gaza, Colombia, Ukraine, Sudan UN
Top news of the day in the UN and around the world: the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening, the Secretary-General is heading to Colombia to take part in a conference on biodiversity, strikes on the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions of Ukraine, the head of the UN calls for an end to violence in Sudan.
Situation in Gaza
Amid ongoing Israeli military operations across Gaza, particularly in the north, UN aid agencies warned on Monday that the already dire situation in the Strip was “only getting worse.” The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) said Gazans were running short of food and aid supplies to the enclave were at their lowest levels in months. Supplies to the Strip were also severely restricted. UNRWA officials said many people were trapped under rubble in northern Gaza, with emergency services unable to reach them.
UN chief in Colombia
Secretary-General António Guterres travels to Cali, Colombia, today to attend the high-level segment of the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP16). He will deliver a speech there stressing the need to preserve the planet’s natural diversity. The UN chief will participate in discussions with representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as youth and women’s organizations. Guterres is also scheduled to meet with the President of Colombia and speak at an event on plastic pollution.
Strikes in Ukraine
UN humanitarian workers have reported strikes in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions of Ukraine over the weekend. Local authorities have also reported civilian casualties, including children, and damage to civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian organizations quickly mobilized to provide emergency assistance and provided victims with hot meals, psychological and legal support, and assistance in repairing buildings.
Security Council on Sudan
The people of Sudan are enduring a “nightmare of violence” in which thousands of civilians have died and countless others have fallen victim to “unimaginable atrocities,” including mass rape, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN Security Council today. He recalled that the conflict in Sudan broke out a year and a half ago, and today, against the backdrop of a “full-scale humanitarian catastrophe,” almost 25 million people in the country need assistance. The UN chief called for an end to hostilities, an intensification of diplomatic efforts, and the achievement of peace in Sudan.