A family outside their temporary shelter in a displaced persons camp west of Goma. Top news of the day | Monday: Gaza, DRC, South Sudan, antibiotics UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the release of hostages and humanitarian operations in Gaza, the Security Council meeting on DR Congo, the escalation of the political crisis in South Sudan, the growth of pathogen resistance to antibiotics threatens the population.
The situation in Gaza
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is attending the peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, welcomes the continued adherence to the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. He called on all parties to strengthen this regime and transform it into lasting peace. Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher announced an additional $11 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to expand humanitarian operations in the enclave ahead of winter. Speaking today in Sharm el-Sheikh on the eve of the summit, he noted that the UN and partners are actively implementing their humanitarian plan.
Conflict in DR Congo
There is now “real hope” for a ceasefire that would pave the way for a lasting and permanent solution to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). UN Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes Region Huang Xia stated this at a meeting of the Security Council on Monday. Despite the progress achieved through peace initiatives, further efforts are needed to achieve sustainable peace, he said. The special envoy praised the efforts of the United States and Qatar to facilitate the negotiations and expressed hope that they will resume soon.
Violence in the South Sudan
The escalating political crisis in South Sudan is provoking renewed armed violence and exacerbating the already dire situation of the country’s residents. This was stated today by experts from the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan following their mission to the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They reported that the number of armed clashes and forced displacements is growing again, with about 300 thousand people leaving the country since the beginning of the year. The region is home to 2.5 million South Sudanese refugees.
Antimicrobial resistance
One in six laboratory-confirmed cases of common bacterial infections worldwide in 2023 was characterized by resistance to antibiotic treatment. From 2018 to 2023, more than 40 percent of monitored pathogen-antibiotic combinations showed increased resistance. These are the findings of a report published today by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO data shows that rising resistance to critical antibiotics is increasingly threatening public health.