Displaced persons camp in Goma, DR Congo. Top stories of the day | Tuesday: Ukraine, DR Congo, AI, Women and Girls in Science UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: civilians killed in frontline fighting, tens of thousands displaced in North and South Kivu provinces in DR Congo, UN chief speaks at AI summit in Paris, February 11 is International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Ukraine: civilian deaths
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that from February 7 to the present day, civilians have been killed and dozens injured, including children, as a result of fighting in frontline areas. Citing local authorities, OCHA also notes that the attacks have damaged critical infrastructure, causing power and gas outages. In the Poltava region, nine towns and villages faced interruptions in the supply of heat and electricity, while in Donetsk, shelling damaged power lines, leaving more than 170,000 people without electricity and heating for two days. In the Kharkiv region, a glide bomb hit damaged several residential buildings and a medical facility.
Population Displacement in the Congo
Humanitarian organizations report that the violence has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in North and South Kivu provinces. Some 110,000 people who had previously fled to Goma, the capital of North Kivu, have been forced to leave the city in search of safety. More than 100,000 people have already arrived in the capital of South Kivu, Bukavu, which is currently under attack by the M23 armed group. The UN is concerned about the looting of humanitarian facilities in places where displaced people are located. This significantly complicates the provision of assistance to displaced people.
Guterres at the AI summit in Paris
The world is not ready for the future of artificial intelligence, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said today at the AI Action Summit in Paris. He stressed that AI, which was once the stuff of science fiction, has now become a powerful force transforming the world, but also challenging human values and rights. Guterres called for coordinated efforts to build energy-efficient digital infrastructure and develop principles for the governance of artificial intelligence.
Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In his message on the occasion of the Day, the UN Secretary-General noted that today women still make up only a third of the global scientific community. The more we exclude women from science and technology, the more we limit our collective ability to address pressing global challenges, from climate change to the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the UN chief stressed.