Tents of displaced people crowd along the Gaza City coastline. Top news of the day | Tuesday: Ukraine, Gaza, Libya, humanitarian funding UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: shelling of a convoy with humanitarian aid in the Kherson region, damage assessment in Gaza, Security Council meeting on Libya, global humanitarian funding.
Shelling of a convoy in the Kherson region
On Tuesday, an interdepartmental humanitarian convoy of four trucks with clearly marked UN symbols, delivering aid to the city of Belozerka in the Kherson region, came under attack by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The humanitarian mission included employees of the Ukrainian offices of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). When they arrived at the site, intense shelling began, and later, during unloading, two World Food Program (WFP) trucks, also clearly marked, were targeted by drones equipped with a system that allowed the operator to receive real-time video. UN Coordinator Matthias Schmale strongly condemned the attack on the UN convoy.
The situation in Libya
Libyan political institutions continue to stall in implementing key stages of the roadmap developed with the assistance of the UN Mission in Libya. This was stated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hannah Tetteh, speaking at a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday. “Libya cannot afford further delays,” Tetteh emphasized, calling on the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State of Libya for constructive interaction. According to her, the lack of agreement on the composition of the Electoral Commission and the legal framework for elections threatens the entire process of democratic renewal.A preliminary assessment by the UN, the European Union and the World Bank puts the damage caused to Gaza by the fighting at $70 billion. To launch a massive recovery operation, $20 billion will be needed over the next three years alone. Speaking at a briefing in Geneva, a UN Development Program official said there were “very positive signals” from potential donors, including Arab states, European countries and the United States, who have also expressed willingness to participate in the early stages of recovery. Meanwhile, UN humanitarian agencies on Tuesday again called on Israeli authorities to open all crossings into Gaza.
Global humanitarian funding
The UN warns that less than three months before the end of the year a quarter of the amount requested for humanitarian aid in 2025. As of the end of September, $9.6 of the more than $45.3 billion needed to implement lifesaving activities had been received. This is 40 percent less than the same period last year. The UN emphasizes that such funding gaps have devastating consequences for millions of people – depriving them of health care, families of food, and children of education. In Afghanistan, for example, more than 420 health facilities have closed this year, leaving three million people without life-saving care. In Somalia, food aid had to be cut – now only 350 thousand people will receive support.