2024 marks record heatwave year. Top stories of the day | Thursday: Ukraine, Middle East, climate, refugees UN
Top stories of the day in the UN and the world: Kyiv, Odessa and Zaporizhia attacked, 2024 could be the warmest year on record, 123 million internally displaced people in the world, the future of Gaza.
Attacks on Kyiv, Odessa and Zaporizhia
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that as a result of the night attacks on Kyiv, as well as Odessa and Zaporizhia, civilians were injured, residential buildings and hospitals were damaged. Humanitarian organizations quickly mobilized and began to provide assistance to the population. In particular, they are providing people with materials for temporary repair of damaged windows, which will help keep their apartments warm. Today and yesterday, the authorities also reported dozens of wounded and killed civilians in the frontline areas of Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions. Critical civilian infrastructure was damaged.
Situation in the Middle East
The UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, held meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, as well as with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, UN Assistant Spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said at a briefing in New York on Tuesday. According to her, the talks with Israeli officials focused on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2720. Kaag also raised the issue of measures to resolve the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and emphasized the UN position on UNRWA. During the dialogue with Palestinian officials, the coordination of efforts to resume the Palestinian Authority’s functions in Gaza was discussed.
123 million internally displaced people in the world
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for “urgent international support” as the number of internally displaced people worldwide reaches 123 million and ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Sudan and elsewhere continue to displace people further. In his address to the Third Committee of the General Assembly, Grandi drew attention to the “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have caused widespread civilian casualties and destroyed infrastructure including schools, hospitals and roads. He noted that over the past weeks, more than 470,000 people have crossed the border between Lebanon and Syria.
Warmest Year on Record?
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2024 promises to be the warmest year on record, with the global average temperature exceeding that of 2023. The global temperature analysis released Thursday covers the period from January to September 2024. The information was provided to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the COP29 climate change conference, which opens next week in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Humanity is setting the planet on fire and paying the price,” the UN Secretary-General said of the data. More details will be provided in a WMO update to be released on 11 November during COP29.