Delivering relief aid to flood victims in Myanmar. Daily Top Stories | Wednesday: Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, Women UN
The main news of the day in the UN and around the world: a new center to support the elderly in Ukraine, health needs in Gaza, emergency aid for flood victims in Myanmar, protecting women as peacekeeping operations wind down.
Assistance for elderly Ukrainians
The United Nations Development Programme has opened a new centre to support older people in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine with financial support from the European Union. The centre helps them adapt to their new location after being evacuated. Currently, the centre offers group sewing classes for both internally displaced persons and local residents. In addition, a psychologist sees the elderly at the centre. The project was initiated by a local charity.
Healthcare in Gaza
In the last week of July, the World Health Organization (WHO) supported the evacuation of nearly 100 patients and their companions from Gaza to Belgium, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, the WHO’s efforts are being hampered by the closure of the Rafah border crossing. According to Hanan Balkhi, head of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, the detection of poliovirus in environmental samples in Gaza is now a serious concern. A ceasefire is needed to carry out successful vaccination campaigns, the WHO representative stressed.
Floods in Myanmar
The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing emergency assistance in Myanmar, where severe flooding caused by monsoon rains has affected more than 200,000 people, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes. WFP teams have so far delivered aid to at least 120,000 people in several parts of the country. Those affected have received financial support as well as food aid. WFP continues to monitor the situation and prepare to further scale up its flood response as needed.
Women and Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping operations have become important in promoting women’s leadership and empowerment, ensuring their meaningful participation in political and peace processes, and protecting women and girls from abuses and human rights violations. This was stated by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobi, speaking at a UN Security Council meeting dedicated to the security and protection of women’s rights in the context of the accelerated drawdown of peacekeeping operations. Let us recall that the UN has wound down its missions in Sudan and Mali. A phased withdrawal of forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently underway.