A burnt car and destroyed buildings in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. Top news of the day | Monday: Ukraine, Middle East, Sudan, UN-80 UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: a series of intense attacks on the territory of Ukraine, the economic consequences of the escalation in the Middle East, regional consultations on Sudan, reform of the United Nations system within the framework of the UN-80 initiative.
Ukraine: new series of attacks
UN humanitarian agencies say a series of intense attacks in Ukraine over the weekend resulted in the deaths of 42 people, including one child. About 200 civilians were injured, including more than a dozen children. The strikes also damaged health, education and energy facilities, causing power outages in several regions, authorities said. Humanitarian organizations note that since the beginning of the year, more than 25 thousand people have been forced to leave their homes in the Donetsk region. UN partners continue to support government-led evacuations.
Consequences of escalation in the Middle East
Escalation in the Middle East is having an increasing humanitarian and economic impact on countries around the world, the UN warns. On Monday, during morning trading in Asia, the price of Brent crude oil rose to almost $110 per barrel. The crisis is also affecting humanitarian work: rising prices for fuel and transport are increasing the cost of providing assistance. The World Food Program (WFP) said the Middle East crisis has significantly disrupted global food supply chains. WFP projects that if the crisis drags on, up to 45 million more people worldwide could be on the brink of famine.
Regional Consultations on Sudan
The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, met in Nairobi with the Commander of the Sudan Rapid Reaction Force, General Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti. The diplomat’s visit to the Kenyan capital follows his recent talks with the Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and meetings with government officials in Khartoum. All parties with whom Haavisto met during his travels expressed their willingness to cooperate with the United Nations and its envoy. Haavisto also visited Cairo over the weekend, where he held talks with Egyptian officials, representatives of the League of Arab States and members of the Sudanese diaspora. changes. This was stated by the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Burbock, speaking at an informal meeting of the General Assembly in New York on Monday. An important step, she said, was the adoption last week of a key resolution on the creation, implementation and review of mandates. Over more than 80 years of the UN’s existence, over 40 thousand mandates have been created, while some of them have lost relevance, are duplicated or are not used. Burbock also recalled that it is planned to appoint two co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Review Working Group in the near future.