Peace Bell Ceremony. Daily Top Stories | Friday: Ukraine, Peace Bell, Afghanistan, Gaza UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: four million Ukrainian children do not have the opportunity to study in normal conditions, the ceremony of striking the Peace Bell, an attack on members of the Hazara community in Afghanistan, the first round of the polio vaccination campaign has ended in Gaza.
Education in times of crisis
Across Ukraine, four million children are unable to attend school in normal conditions. Education Cannot Wait leaders met with Ukrainian schoolchildren and their local partners during a visit to the country this week. The organization and its strategic partners are calling for $600 million in additional funding to achieve the global goals outlined in the foundation’s strategic plan. This will provide children in crisis-affected countries around the world with a quality education and hope for a better future.
Peace Bell
On Friday morning, the traditional Peace Bell ringing ceremony took place in the courtyard of the UN headquarters in New York, timed to coincide with Peace Day. It is celebrated annually on September 21. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took part in it. He recalled that the main task of the United Nations is to maintain peace. At the same time, the head of the UN warned that conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine and other countries pose a threat to all of humanity. He expressed hope that the participants of the Future Summit, which will be held at the UN next week, will allow countries to bring their positions closer together and intensify global efforts to achieve peace.
Attack in Afghanistan
The UN Secretary-General condemns the attack on members of the Shiite Hazara community that took place in the central region of Afghanistan on Thursday. This was stated in a statement by the UN press service. Antonio Guterres expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He reiterated his call to protect civilians. The UN mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack and called for an investigation to bring those responsible to justice.
Vaccination in Gaza
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign has been completed in the Gaza Strip. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and their partners have vaccinated more than 560,000 children under the age of 10. Thus, the humanitarian organizations managed to reach their target and vaccinate about 90 percent of children in the enclave. The next step is to provide a second dose of the vaccine in a few weeks. The head of the WHO called the vaccination campaign a “tremendous success” against the backdrop of the “tragic daily reality” in the Gaza Strip.