Consequences of a missile attack on the center of Kyiv. Top news of the day | Monday: Ukraine, temperature record, Gaza, SDGs UN
Top news of the day at the UN and around the world: dozens killed in airstrikes in Ukraine, hottest June on record, nine months of war in Gaza, High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Strikes on Ukraine
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned today’s missile attacks carried out by the Russian Federation on residential and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine, including in the cities of Kyiv, Krivoy Rog, Dnepr and Pokrovsk. The strike was reported to have killed dozens of civilians, including children, and injured more than 150 others. Attacks on civilians and civilian objects are prohibited by international humanitarian law, and any such attacks are unacceptable and must stop immediately, the UN reminds. The Secretary General expressed his deepest condolences to the families of all those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.
The Hottest June
Last June became the hottest on record on the planet and the 13th month in a row when a monthly temperature record was set. For 12 months in a row, the average global temperature has been 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Temperatures in June were above average in southeastern Europe and Turkey, while temperatures were around or below average in Western Europe, Iceland and northwestern Russia. Outside of Europe, temperatures were above average in eastern Canada, western US and Mexico, Brazil, northern Siberia, the Middle East, North Africa and western Antarctica.
War in Gaza
The day before, the war in Gaza crossed the nine-month mark. During that time, the fighting killed at least 520 people sheltering in UN agency shelters and wounded at least 1,602, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA). Commenting on the attack on the UNRWA school and claims that the facility was being used by armed groups, the UN agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said he took such allegations seriously and renewed his call for an independent investigation “to establish the facts and identify those responsible for the attacks on the premises UN or their misuse.”
Sustainable Development
Speaking at the opening of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development ( HLPF 2024, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said reform of the international financial architecture is critical, especially for developing countries that do not receive the support they need. Above all, Mohammed said, one must not lose sight of the fact that based on today’s indicators, only a fifth of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be achieved on time. She emphasized that this can be corrected if the world community implements new ideas and allocates additional funds.