UNRWA continues to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Top news of the day | Wednesday: climate change, Gaza, hunger, SDGs UN
Top news of the day at the UN and around the world: UN chief on environment and climate change, restrictions on humanitarian aid supplies in Gaza, growing food shortages in hunger hotspots, new Leadership Group on Stimulating Goals sustainable development.
World Environment Day
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a statement on the occasion of World Environment Day at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The UN chief cited data released on Wednesday by the Copernicus Climate Change Service showing that May 2024 was the twelfth consecutive hottest month on record. Guterres called for urgent action to cut emissions, protect people and nature from climate extremes, expand climate finance and put pressure on the fossil fuel industry. Global emissions must fall by nine percent each year until 2030 to keep warming to 1.5 degrees, he said. However, emissions increased by one percent last year.
The situation in Gaza
The UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says the ongoing Israeli military operation in Rafah is directly hampering the ability of humanitarian organizations to deliver needed aid to Gaza, as well as the ability to rotate humanitarian personnel. UNRWA maintained a presence in Rafah, with regular trips to Kerem Shalom to deliver fuel and other supplies. The agency said that during the five-day period from May 28 to June 1, only 232 aid trucks entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom, representing a significant decrease compared to the period before the military operation in Rafah.
Growing Hunger
At least 18 countries and regions of the world already suffering from food shortages could face even more widespread famine if aid does not arrive urgently. Many hunger hotspots are in Africa, particularly Sudan, and fears of widespread famine also persist in Gaza, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP). The crisis in South Sudan is so severe that the number of people vulnerable to malnutrition and starvation is projected to nearly double between April and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Sustainable development
Today, the UN Secretary-General created a Leadership Group on Stimulating the Goals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will advocate at the highest levels to ensure developing countries have the financial resources they need to invest in achieving the Goals. The Group includes the UN Secretary-General himself and the heads of state and government of Barbados, Brazil, Canada (co-chair), France, India, Italy, Jamaica (co-chair), Kenya, South Africa and Spain. At its first meeting on June 5, the Group discussed recommendations and actions needed to address the dire financial situation preventing developing countries from accelerating progress towards achieving the SDGs.