Escalating violence in Haiti’s capital has left thousands of people homeless. Top news of the day | Wednesday: Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, right to housing UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: aid supplies need to be increased in Gaza, Sudan faces the largest famine, Security Council on the situation in Haiti, housing costs and homelessness rates are rising.
Humanitarian supplies to Gaza
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged permission to increase aid supplies to Gaza, especially to the north of the enclave, where one in six children are malnourished and at risk of dying from malnutrition. The cargo that can be transported into the sector today is not enough to provide people with the basic necessities. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council continues to try to pass a resolution that could change the situation for the people of Gaza. The draft document proposed by the United States is now on the agenda. It calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for approximately six weeks, together with the release of all hostages.”
Famine in Sudan
UN officials have warned that military conflict in Sudan could trigger “the world’s worst famine.” The country is already experiencing the largest forced displacement of the population, the World Food Program (WFP) noted. Currently, 18 million people in Sudan are severely food insecure, and five million are at risk of deathly malnutrition. The WFP warns that its efforts face serious obstacles due to restrictions on movement, hostilities and interventions by parties to the conflict, as well as lack of funding.
Violence in Haiti
The Security Council meets closed Wednesday to discuss escalating gang violence in Haiti. The situation in Port-au-Prince remains extremely unstable, with all international flights still cancelled. UN aid workers say the capital’s population needs access to food, health care, water and hygiene products, as well as psychological support. At the same time, escalating violence is undermining relief efforts. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again called for urgent action, including funding for the Multinational Security Support Mission.
Housing and homelessness
Housing costs and homelessness rates are rising around the world, Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal said during a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Millions of people live in informal settlements and substandard buildings, he said. He also proposed recognizing the destruction of housing during conflict as a crime against humanity. Turning to the conflicts of our day and recent decades, the expert condemned the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure during military operations, citing as examples Aleppo, Grozny, Mariupol, Gaza, Myanmar and Sudan.