The current round of conflict has forced 1.3 million people to flee Lebanon. Top News of the Day | Wednesday: UNRWA, Lebanon, Afghanistan, USA UN
Top news of the day in the UN and the world: Lebanese civilians suffer as a result of the outbreak of violence, opium production has increased in Afghanistan, UN chief congratulates Donald Trump on his election victory, International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War.
3,000 dead in Lebanon
The latest escalation of the conflict in Lebanon has left more than 3,000 people dead, UN humanitarian officials said on Wednesday. The death toll in Lebanon since October 8, 2023, is 58 percent higher than the previous 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The conflict has reached a “critical point,” according to the agency, with an estimated 1.3 million people forced to flee Lebanon. OCHA warned that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate due to increased Israeli airstrikes and displacement orders.
Rising Opium Production in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s opium production is set to rise by 19 percent in 2024 despite a ban imposed by the Taliban, according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The increase follows a 95 percent decline in 2023, but current opium production levels are still well below 2022 levels. UNODC Executive Director Ghada Wali stressed the need to create alternatives for Afghan farmers, taking into account their challenges. “As opium production in Afghanistan remains low, we have a responsibility to support Afghan farmers in developing sustainable livelihoods outside of illicit markets,” she said.
Trump wins US election
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed gratitude to the people of the United States for their active participation in the democratic process. This is stated in a statement made on behalf of the head of the UN by his press secretary Stephane Dujarric. The statement was made public on Wednesday after the results of the presidential election were announced in the United States. According to media reports, Donald Trump won. The UN Secretary-General congratulated Trump on his victory and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation between the United States and the United Nations, emphasizing that it is “the most important pillar of international relations.” The UN, as Guterres noted, is ready for constructive cooperation with the new US administration to address the serious problems that humanity faces today.
Environmental Consequences of War
Every year on November 6, the UN celebrates the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. Humanity has always counted war casualties in terms of killed and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and infrastructure, while the environment has remained a silent and unnoticed victim of war. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found that over the past 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether valuable resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. It has also been found that conflicts related to natural resources are twice as likely to relapse as other conflicts. The UN reminds us that there can be no lasting and sustainable peace where nature is destroyed.