Women in El Fasher, Sudan. Top news of the day | Friday: Gaza, Sudan, LGBTIQ+, environment UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: delivery of aid to Gaza through a floating pier, mass famine in Sudan, International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, report on legal protection of the environment.
Aid delivery to Gaza
Aid trucks are now being transported to the shores of Gaza on a floating pier built by the US military. The UN welcomes this opportunity to deliver goods, but warns that the route’s capacity is limited. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the sea corridor cannot replace the most important land routes, which represent the fastest and most effective way to deliver aid to the enclave. The UN reminds that more than two million Palestinians in Gaza today are in desperate straits and dependent on aid.
Famine in Sudan
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for a halt to the escalation of violence in Sudan. He warned that the fighting was having a horrific impact on millions of civilians, with the country facing widespread famine. The war, now thirteen months old, has left half of Sudan’s population in need of assistance – 25 million people, including 14 million children. The UN requested $2.7 billion for humanitarian work in the country, but donors allocated only 12 percent of this amount. Without funding, it is impossible to prevent famine, the UN warned.
Fighting homophobia
The UN Secretary-General welcomes the work of activists defending the rights of members of the LGBTIQ+ community. He commends their fight against discrimination and their commitment to ensuring that all people are equal before the law. Antonio Guterres stated this in his message on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The UN chief recalled that there are “worrying examples of movement in the opposite direction,” where outdated prejudices are reflected in new laws that exploit fears and incite hatred.
Crimes against nature
Structure of environmental laws in the world as a whole remains “complex and patchwork”; This state of affairs must be corrected in order to stop the criminal exploitation of nature. This is stated in a report published on Friday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In the first-ever global analysis of crimes affecting the environment, UNODC shows how 193 UN member states criminalize and punish environmentally damaging activities.