Families who fled their homes took temporary residence at a school in the center of Haiti’s capital. Top news of the day | Thursday: Gaza, Haiti, Yemen, UN Volunteers UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: humanitarian organizations in Gaza need security guarantees, a response to the escalating violence in Haiti, a Security Council briefing on Yemen, new UN volunteers from the Russian Federation begin work.
The situation in Gaza
Humanitarian operations in Gaza must be protected from attacks, said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths. According to media reports, six Palestinians were killed and 83 others were injured in Gaza City as they waited for aid trucks to arrive. Earlier, Griffiths condemned the attacks on a food distribution center in Rafah, which killed at least one UNRWA staff member. The UN warns that famine is inevitable in Gaza, especially in the north of the enclave. While the UN welcomes new ways of distributing aid by sea and air, aid agencies stress it will not replace land deliveries.
Humanitarian assistance to Haiti
In Haiti, the UN and its partners continue vital humanitarian operations. On Wednesday, the World Food Program (WFP) was able to provide hot meals to about 13 thousand displaced people. WFP urgently needs $10 million to continue its work in Haiti. The Pan American Health Organization, UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration, in collaboration with local partners, provide medical and psychosocial assistance to victims of violence. Overall, the Haiti Humanitarian Response Plan is only 3.2 percent funded.
Security Council on Yemen
In a briefing to Security Council members on Thursday, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg highlighted the challenges posed by recent attacks by Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. He said the attacks, along with retaliatory strikes from the US and UK, have worsened an already tense situation and raised fears of a return to widespread conflict. In turn, the Director of Operations of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Edem Wosornu, said that in recent months the food situation in Yemen has deteriorated sharply, which poses a real threat to the lives and well-being of millions of people.
UN Volunteers from Russia
Ten Russian volunteers joined the work of the offices UN resident coordinators in different countries of the world, including Tajikistan. This became possible thanks to the Full Funding Program launched as part of the partnership between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Volunteers (UNV) program. During an online meeting with new volunteers, UNV Executive Coordinator Toili Kurbanov noted the significant contribution of volunteering to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Since the launch of the Full Funding Program in 2018, more than 50 Russians have been seconded to UN offices in the CIS, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific region.