UN Secretary General: “Humanitarian assistance remains the only ray of hope for millions of people.” Top news of the day | Tuesday: ICC, Ukraine, Gaza, ECOSOC UN
Main events of the day in the UN and the world: the ICC issued arrest warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov; new shelling of Ukrainian cities; the threat of mass famine in the Gaza Strip; UN Secretary General – on the financing of humanitarian operations.
Arrest warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the Second International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, who are accused of allegedly committing international crimes in the context of the situation in Ukraine. At the time of the alleged act, Sergei Shoigu served as the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, and Valery Gerasimov was the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defense. Each is allegedly responsible for the war crimes of targeting civilian objects and causing excessive harm to civilians. Shoigu and Gerasimov are also accused of a crime against humanity.
Shelling of Ukrainian cities
As a result of massive shelling of the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, more than 40 civilians were killed or wounded. In addition, significant damage was caused to residential buildings and other civilian objects. Representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported this, citing local authorities. Humanitarian organizations have provided emergency medical assistance to critically injured residents and are continuing to deliver construction materials to help people rebuild their homes. Humanitarian operations with the participation of the UN are now being carried out in Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Volyn regions.
Gaza Strip – “on the brink of mass famine”
Food security experts warned on Tuesday that more than 20 percent of households in Gaza are “going hungry for days.” According to the latest Integrated Famine Classification report, prepared with the participation of the United Nations, 96 percent of the enclave’s population – about 2.15 million people – faces acute food insecurity at or above “crisis” levels. There is “not a single centimeter of safety left” in Gaza, and the laws and customs of war continue to be ignored to the detriment of the population and humanitarian organizations, said Yasmina Guerda of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She noted that delivering aid to the enclave has become a “daily puzzle” that leaves malnourished children without support.
UN Secretary-General on funding humanitarian operations
On Tuesday morning, the UN Secretary-General delivered a video message to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment. António Guterres noted that multiple conflicts, disregard for the rules of war and the deepening climate crisis are causing horrific human suffering. In these circumstances, the only ray of hope for millions of people around the world remains humanitarian aid coming from outside. However, the UN chief noted, lack of funding and the intimidation faced by many aid workers are undermining the international community’s efforts. In this regard, the Secretary-General called on all UN Member States to urgently provide the funding necessary to implement humanitarian plans.