South Sudan floods have affected up to 300,000 people since May. Daily Top Stories | Wednesday: South Sudan, Gaza, record temperatures, Ukraine UN
Top news of the day at the UN and around the world: humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, fighting in Gaza hampers polio vaccination efforts, July could be hottest month on record, UN will help rebuild 26 more Ukrainian schools.
The situation in South Sudan
The Security Council held a briefing on the situation in South Sudan. The head of the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom said that UNMISS continues to support preparations for elections in the country. In turn, a representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Edem Wosornu said that the people of South Sudan are facing food insecurity, climate disasters and an economic crisis, and are also suffering from the consequences of the conflict in Sudan and a reduction in humanitarian funding. She warned that up to 300,000 people have been affected by floods since May, while humanitarian organizations lack the funds to take the necessary measures.
Polio risk in Gaza
The risk of polio spreading in Gaza remains high, UN humanitarian agencies said. Gaps in immunization, coupled with poor water quality and lack of sanitation, increase the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio and others, the experts said. To implement a mass vaccination campaign, humanitarian pauses in hostilities are needed to allow safe access throughout the enclave and protect health workers, the UN agencies said.
Extreme Heat
Hundreds of millions of people around the world have been exposed to extreme heat this summer, with July 2024 likely to be the hottest month on record, the World Meteorological Organization said, citing data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last month was also the hottest July on record. According to a new analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly half a billion children live in areas where there are twice as many extreme hot days as there were 60 years ago.
Schools in Ukraine
As part of the ongoing Renovating Schools in Ukraine project, 26 more schools in the Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions have received reconstruction assistance. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is coordinating the reconstruction of more than 80 schools damaged during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The repairs are needed to ensure that students can return to school and attend classes in person as soon as it is safe to do so.