Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia to the Security Council. Top news of the day | Wednesday: Ukraine, Africa, famine, multilateralism day UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: casualties among the civilian population of Ukraine, a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Great Lakes region, a fifth of the population of 59 countries of the world would go hungry in 2023, the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
Shelling of Ukraine
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that Kharkov and Odessa were hit by another wave of shelling last night, resulting in new civilian casualties and damage to homes and civilian infrastructure. In Kharkov, the office and vehicles of a humanitarian organization were seriously damaged in the attack. Local authorities in the Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy and Kherson regions also reported shelling, which injured dozens of civilians. Aid workers quickly mobilized to support the population.
Great Lakes
The Security Council held a briefing on the situation in the African Great Lakes region. The Special Envoy for the region, Huang Xia, told Council members that he was concerned about the intensification of the conflict and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the confrontation between Congo and Rwanda. Joyce Msuya, Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, noted during the briefing that the humanitarian system in the region is overburdened. She said urgent steps are needed to resolve conflicts and prevent further deterioration of the situation in the DRC and throughout the region.
Food crises
281.6 million people faced acute hunger last year. More than 20 percent of the population was severely food insecure in 59 countries in 2023, according to the new Global Report on Food Crises. The report’s authors noted that food crises worsened last year, with the situation in Gaza and Sudan causing particular concern. Experts warn that widespread famine could hit northern Gaza in the coming weeks. Sudan had the world’s highest number of people facing severe food shortages last year.
Multilateralism and diplomacy
April 24 is the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. The Day serves as a reminder that the Charter of the United Nations and the purposes and principles enshrined therein provide the primary tools for addressing multifaceted and complex global challenges through collective action. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that dialogue, diplomacy and multilateral solutions provide the surest path to peace and justice.