WHO has released a report on the impact of industries on the health of people in Europe and Central Asia. Top news of the day | Wednesday: Gaza, Ukraine, UNCTAD, health UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the report of the Independent Commission on Gaza, the Secretary General at the UNCTAD Forum in Geneva, the interests of big business and public health, the reconstruction conference in Ukraine.
Report on Gaza
During the October 7 attack and subsequent military operations, Palestinian armed groups and the Israeli authorities committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is one of the conclusions of the report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel. “Amid months of loss and despair, retribution and atrocities, the only tangible result has been the deepening suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis, with civilians once again bearing the brunt of the decisions of those in power,” the commission’s report said.
Conference on the restoration of Ukraine
The UN will step up financial support for Ukraine amid intensifying attacks that are killing civilians and damaging critical civilian infrastructure. This was stated by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, who represents the Secretary-General at this forum, speaking at the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin. About two thousand representatives of the world of politics, business and international organizations are participating in the Berlin conference. Forum participants discuss the long-term prospects for the recovery of Ukraine and ways to attract investment into its economy. At the opening of the conference on June 11, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz spoke. p>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Global Leaders Forum, organized by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary these days. The meeting takes place on the eve of the opening of the G7 summit in Italy. Guterres used the podium today to reiterate his deep concern about the unequal distribution of wealth in the global economy. He called on advanced economies to provide developing countries with the technological and financial support needed to combat climate change. The UN Secretary General stressed that the G7 countries must commit to doubling funding for adaptation measures by next year and filling the gap that has arisen in this area.
Industrial giants and health population
The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe has for the first time released a report on the impact of specific industries on the health of residents of Europe and Central Asia. Four industrial products—tobacco, processed foods, fossil fuels and alcohol—are responsible for 19 million deaths a year worldwide. This represents 34 percent of the total deaths. In the European Region alone, these industries are fully or partially responsible for 2.7 million deaths per year.