Consequences of attacks on the center of Kharkov. Top news of the day | Tuesday: Ukraine, Afghanistan, tourism, infections UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: the humanitarian situation in the Kharkov region, the UN Deputy Secretary General visited Afghanistan, international tourism has almost completely recovered after the pandemic, the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases is growing.
Evacuation in the Kharkov region
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman Shabia Mantu said that over the past week, more than 10,300 people were evacuated by Ukrainian authorities from the border areas of the Kharkiv region with the support of volunteers and humanitarian organizations. Most of the evacuees were elderly and disabled people who were unable to leave on their own and were forced to leave their homes with only a few belongings, she said. Local authorities and humanitarian organizations, including UNHCR, have set up a transit center in Kharkiv where evacuees are registered as internally displaced persons. They are provided with humanitarian assistance, including psychosocial, legal and financial support.
Deputy UN Chief in Afghanistan
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo was on a visit to Afghanistan from 18 to 21 May. She met with the de facto authorities, as well as the diplomatic community and civil society representatives. The focus was on the upcoming meeting of special representatives for Afghanistan, which the UN will hold in Doha on June 30 and July 1. DiCarlo extended a preliminary invitation to Afghanistan’s de facto foreign minister to attend the meeting. She also raised the issue of human rights in Afghanistan, including the restrictions women face in education.
Rebuilding the Industry tourism
International tourism has almost fully recovered from the pandemic, with international arrivals reaching 97 percent of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to the World Tourism Organization, more than 285 million people traveled abroad between January and March this year. This is about 20 percent more than in the first quarter of last year. The fastest growth was in the Middle East, with international arrivals in the region in the first three months of the year 36 percent above pre-pandemic levels.
Infectious diseases
Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rising in many parts of the world, according to a new report from the World Health Organization healthcare. Global epidemics of STIs, HIV and viral hepatitis result in 2.5 million deaths annually. At the same time, countries’ efforts to expand access to health services to prevent and treat these diseases are yielding enormous results. WHO has confirmed that 19 countries have been able to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis.