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UNRWA seeks $1.2 billion to meet urgent needs in Gaza and the West Bank

The funding will cover humanitarian response through the end of the year, with the goal of meeting the most urgent needs of 1.7 million people in war-ravaged Gaza and more than 200,000 Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. 

Lifeline for millions 

“The scars of war are seen on a massive scale in Gaza. Meanwhile violence is increasing in the West Bank,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said. 

“It is critical to support UNRWA in providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance and development services in health and education. The past months proved that there is no replacement or alternative to UNRWA.” 

As the largest humanitarian organisation on the ground in Gaza, UNRWA is the backbone of the aid operation in the enclave, managing shelters hosting more than one million people, distributing food, providing primary healthcare and coordinating logistics for aid deliveries. 

Two hundred days into the war, the priority now is to bring in much needed supplies, including food, into Gaza, where the population has become almost entirely dependent on handouts and relief assistance. 

Bombardment continues 

Meanwhile, UNRWA has condemned continuing “bombardment and attacks” of its facilities in Gaza. 

Posting on the social media platform X, UNRWA said that a school-turned-shelter in the Nuseirat camp was targeted three times on 11 and 13 April, killing seven people and causing injuries and further displacement. 

In another social media post, the agency reported that it had conducted a mission with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to northern Gaza on Tuesday to provide lifesaving medical and water-purification aid to people in Jabalia. 

 

UN coordinator in Gaza announces new plan to deliver lifesaving aid

“The operationalisation of the mechanism will allow for pipeline prioritisation, predictability, visibility and tracking of supplies to Gaza,” she told ambassadors.

The new plan stemmed from Security Council resolution 2720, adopted in December, which established Ms. Kaag’s position and requested her to forge a UN mechanism to accelerate aid deliveries into the war-torn enclave, which now faces looming famine.

Since Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October that left 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage, Israeli military operations have killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as UN and other humanitarian agencies continue to report long delays by Israeli authorities to allow lifesaving aid in at a scale that meets ever growing needs.

“As the resolution intended, the mechanism is designed to facilitate and support the work of all humanitarian partners on the ground,” Ms. Kaag said.

Monitoring in Gaza starts ‘as soon as possible’

The mechanism will initially be applied to the Cyprus and Jordan aid routes, and technical consultations will soon be finalised with Egypt on its route, she said, adding that she has informed Israel about the operationalisation of the mechanism.

“Verification and monitoring inside Gaza will commence as soon as possible,” she explained. “In the coming weeks, my office in Gaza will also be operational.”

In addition, a database and notification system will go online for all cargo destined for Gaza along supply routes, with the approval for placing international monitors at crossings, inspection and supply points having been requested from relevant authorities, she said.

Children climb over the ruins of a property in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza.
© UNRWA

Children climb over the ruins of a property in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza.

Paradigm shift needed now

The UN coordinator underlined “the importance of a paradigm shift” to continue to meet the immense needs of the civilian population in a safe and secure manner.

That means a further scale up in the quality and quantity of assistance and distribution alongside irreversible steps to enable safe, secure and unhindered delivery inside Gaza as well as planning and timely preparations for early recovery and reconstruction.

“There is no substitute for political will to sustain these efforts,” she said, emphasising that aid agencies must be able to move food, medicine and other supplies safely and via all possible routes and crossings, into and throughout every part of Gaza.

“Effective humanitarian operations cannot be reduced to counting trucks,” she said. “This is a false metric for gauging whether humanitarian assistance is sufficient, let alone whether it responds to the basic humanitarian requirements.”

In this vein, she said the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, is “irreplaceable and indispensable as a humanitarian lifeline and must be allowed to deliver on its mandate”.

Israel’s commitments to ramp up aid deliveries

Israel has taken a number of steps to improve aid delivery since it made commitments on 5 April in response to requests by the UN and the international community, the UN Coordinator said.

That included an increase in the volume of aid cleared, inspected and crossed into Gaza, the temporary opening of the Erez crossing and the opening of the Ashdod port for humanitarian goods as well as repairing the Nahal Oz water supply line.

“Whilst implementation of some measures is ongoing, further definitive and urgent steps are needed to set the course for a sustained flow of humanitarian and commercial goods into Gaza in terms of volume, need and reach,” she said. “Given the scale and scope of destruction and the extent of human suffering every day counts.”

A bakery in Gaza supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reopens after 170 days following a delivery of fuel and flour.
© WFP

A bakery in Gaza supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reopens after 170 days following a delivery of fuel and flour.

Implementation is urgent

In this regard, she said the UN is in contact with the Israeli Government on other measures that need urgent or continuous implementation, including issues pertaining to checkpoint procedures, road repairs and timely clearances to allow humanitarian convoy movements to take place as scheduled.

“Implementation is urgent,” she said, adding that her office is establishing a monitoring framework to determine the progress and impact of respective measures taken.

Delivering aid at scale requires a functioning humanitarian notification system and improved and direct communications between humanitarians and military decisionmakers on the ground, she said. “Effective and credible deconfliction is vital for all humanitarian actors on the ground.”

Air and maritime corridors

While air and sea aid deliveries can never be a substitute for land transportation, she said the Cyprus maritime corridor provides for additionality of humanitarian aid to Gaza. UN monitors have been deployed to Cyprus as part of the mechanism outlined in resolution 2720.

At the same time, preparations for building a floating port and pier on the shores of Gaza are advancing, with the involvement of the US and other Member States, she said, adding that the UN has outlined the parameters under which it can play a meaningful role in the distribution of aid via this corridor.

She said her office proposed a multi-donor funding mechanism in addition to providing Secretariat support to the maritime corridor to ensure full coordination with the operations on the ground in Gaza, noting that several Member States have indicated their intent to phase out air drops in conjunction with scaling up assistance via land and sea.

Northern Gaza lies in ruins after months of bombardments.
© WFP/Ali Jadallah

Northern Gaza lies in ruins after months of bombardments.

Reconstruction plans

The extent of the destruction and the devastating impact of this war on the entire population call for an ambitious and comprehensive plan of support with commensurate investments, Ms. Kaag said.

The recent UN, European Union and World Bank interim disaster assessment illustrates the scale of the damage and the magnitude of investments required across all sectors, including rebuilding and repairing of the more than 84 per cent of destroyed health facilities.

Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s message, she said the Palestinian Authority has a critical role to play in Gaza, adding that “the international community must work toward enabling its return, strengthen its governance capacity and prepare it to reassume its responsibilities” in the enclave.

Israeli operation in Rafah would compound ongoing catastrophe

Ms. Kaag echoed the UN’s grave concern over the prospect of an Israeli operation in Rafah, where at least 1.2 million people are seeking shelter following evacuation orders months ago.

“Such action would compound an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, with consequences for people already displaced and enduring severe hardships and suffering,” she said.

In addition, “the UN’s ability to deliver will be constrained,” she added.

“Let us remember that behind every statistic is a human story of loss and suffering,” she concluded. “It isour duty to provide protection, support and therefore hope to the Palestinian population in Gaza. It is also our duty to advocate for lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian State.”

Ambassador Barbara Woodward of the United Kingdom addresses the UN Security Council.
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Ambassador Barbara Woodward of the United Kingdom addresses the UN Security Council.

Scale up implementation: United Kingdom

United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country joins Ms. Kaag’s important efforts to prevent the situation in Gaza from deteriorating even further.

She welcomed Israel’s commitment to increase aid flows into Gaza, including through the Ashdod port, the Erez checkpoint and by extending the opening hours of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

“We now need to see more implementation. There has been some welcome progress in this regard, but much more needs to be done,” she said.

Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood of the United States addresses the UN Security Council.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood of the United States addresses the UN Security Council.

Protect civilians and aid workers: United States

United States Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood noted that the humanitarian situation is more than disastrous in Gaza and that President Joseph Biden has called on Israel to take concrete and measurable steps to protect civilians and ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel. 

He said Israel must do more immediately to prevent more casualties, and the positive steps taken so far are insufficient. Israel must take immediate steps to open checkpoints into northern Gaza and immediately implement its commitments regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid through the port of Ashdod.

He said the plan outlined by Ms. Kaag is vital to ensuring aid reaches Gaza on a large scale.

Geng Shuang, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of China, addresses the UN Security Council.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Geng Shuang, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of China, addresses the UN Security Council.

China: ‘Hunger cannot be used as a weapon’

The Deputy Permanent Representative of China, Geng Shuang, said the worsening humanitarian disaster remains alarming, despite three Council resolutions and the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which were never implemented due to the numerous restrictions deliberately imposed on aid deliveries. As such, the new mechanism will play an important role in removing obstacles to the arrival of aid.

“Now, it is up to the occupying Power to act to ensure the arrival of aid; hunger cannot be used as a weapon,” he said. Urging all countries to resume funding for UNRWA and refrain from using false pretexts to inflict additional collective sanctions on the Gazan population, he said Israel’s allegations of terrorism against UNRWA are simply baseless.

Brett Jonathan Miller, Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel, addresses the Security Council.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Brett Jonathan Miller, Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel, addresses the Security Council.

Israel expects to see ‘higher numbers’ of aid deliveries

Israel’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Brett Jonathan Miller, said Israeli authorities are working on opening more aid crossings, and its humanitarian efforts have already brought substantial improvements on the ground, with more than 25,000 trucks entering the enclave since October.

“We expect to see higher numbers in the future,” he said.

Raising other concerns, Mr. Miller said the “UN must find solutions” to logistical issues to keep pace with the speed Israel is clearing aid shipments. He also said the Council must “step up its own efforts” to bring home the 133 hostages held captive since October.

For a full summary of this and other meetings of major UN bodies, visit UN Meetings Coverage in English and French.

Russia vetoes Security Council draft resolution on a weapon-free outer space

The Security Council rejected the draft resolution, introduced by Japan and the United States, by a vote of 13 in favour to one against, with one abstention (China), that would have had the 15-member organ call on “all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and of the prevention of an arms race in outer space.”

Also by the draft, the Council would have called on all nations “to refrain from actions contrary to that objective and to the relevant existing treaties in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation”.

Council rejects amendment tabled by China and Russia

Members also rejected an amendment tabled by China and Russia, by a vote of seven in favour to seven against, with one abstention, failing to reach the required nine votes for an adoption.

The amendment suggested an additional paragraph, which would have had the Council call on “all States, and above all those with major space capabilities, to take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space and the threat or use of force in outer space, from space against Earth and from Earth against objects in outer space, and to seek through negotiations the early elaboration of appropriate reliably verifiable legally binding multilateral agreements.”

For a full summary of this and other meetings of major UN bodies, visit UN Meetings Coverage in English and French.

UN migration agency assists survivors of deadly shipwreck off Djibouti

The migrants were on a boat carrying at least 77 people from Ras al-Ara off Yemen’s coast which capsized off the coast of Djibouti, near Obock, leaving 24 dead and 20 others missing.

Just two weeks ago, a similar accident, resulting in the death of at least 38 migrants, occurred.  

“The occurrence of two such tragedies within a span of two weeks highlights the dangers faced by children, women, and men migrating through irregular routes, underscoring the importance of establishing safe and legal pathways for migration,” said Tanja Pacifico, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti.   

Searching for a better life 

In both cases, it is believed that migrants were trying to return to Djibouti from Yemen after being unable to travel to Saudi Arabia for better work and other opportunities.

Each year, tens of thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa, in particular Ethiopia and Somalia, attempt to travel through Djibouti for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nations, but are often unsuccessful and end up stranded in Yemen.

“We must work to prevent as much as possible those circumstances where migrants’ safety and well-being are threatened and ensure that migrants are able to maintain contact with their families,” Ms. Pacifico said.

Numbers on the rise

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has reported that 3,682 migrants have left Yemen for Djibouti since the beginning of 2024 – this is more than double the figure from last year.

Despite the dangerous and life-threatening journey, IOM’s DTM recorded about 380,000 journeys along the Eastern Corridor from Africa to countries in the Arab Peninsula which claimed the lives of 1,350 – many more deaths have gone unreported. 

IOM Djibouti is continually supporting local authorities to prevent similar deaths on sea and land. The organization has also partnered with 48 other humanitarian and development groups and governments to coordinate the Regional Migrant Response Plan (MRP) which will respond to migrants’ humanitarian needs along the Eastern Route. 

Ms. Pacifico noted, “IOM, as Coordinator of the UN Network on Migration, is actively working on actionable recommendations for providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in distress and addressing the plight of missing migrants and their families.” 

Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond

According to the latest Global Report on Food Crises, more than one in five people in 59 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2023, compared with around just one in 10 in 48 countries in 2016.

“When we talk about acute food insecurity, we are talking about hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to people’s livelihoods and lives. This is hunger that threatens to slide into famine and cause widespread death,” said Dominique Burgeon, Director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in Geneva.

COVID-19 threshold

The report – a joint initiative involving FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – found that although the overall percentage of people defined as dangerously food insecure last year was 1.2 per cent lower than in 2022, the problem has worsened significantly since the COVID-19 crisis.

When the coronavirus hit in late 2019, around one in six people in 55 countries faced worrying food insecurity levels, compared with one in five just a year later, the Global Report on Food Crises indicates.

GRFC 2024: Number of people in GRFC countries/territories facing high levels of acute food insecurity
FSIN

GRFC 2024: Number of people in GRFC countries/territories facing high levels of acute food insecurity

‘People clearly dying of hunger in Gaza’ 

Food crises escalated alarmingly in 2023, the report’s authors noted, citing particular concerns over Gaza and Sudan today “where people are clearly dying of hunger”, said Gian Carlo Cirri, WFP Director, Geneva office. 

After nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment, “people cannot meet even the most basic, food needs. They have exhausted all coping strategies, like eating animal fodder, begging, selling off their belongings to buy food. They are most of the time destitute and clearly some of them are dying of hunger,” Mr. Cirri said.

The only way to halt the famine is to ensure daily deliveries of food supplies “in a very short time”, the WFP official told journalists in Geneva.

“We’ve mentioned the necessity to rebuild livelihoods, to address root causes and so on. But, in the immediate time, like tomorrow, we really need to significantly increase our food supplies. This means rolling out massive and consistent food assistance in conditions that allow humanitarian staff and supplies to move freely and (for) affected people to access safely the assistance.”

‘Closer by the day to famine’

The new warning on Gaza is in line with repeated dire assessments from respected food insecurity experts who issued an alert that famine is likely “anytime” between now and May 2024 in northern governorates.

“We are getting closer by the day to a famine situation. Malnutrition among children is spreading. We estimate 30 per cent of children below the age of two is now acutely malnourished or wasted and 70 per cent of the population in the north is facing catastrophic hunger,” WFP’s Mr. Cirri said. “There is reasonable evidence that all three famine thresholds – food insecurity, malnutrition, mortality – will be passed in the next six weeks.”

Sudan danger

On Sudan, the UN report noted that 20.3 million people – or 42 per cent of the population – struggled to find enough to eat last year, after conflict erupted in April. 

This represents the highest number of people in the world facing “emergency” levels of acute food insecurity, or phase four, in line with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warning scale, where phase five (IPC5) indicates the highest level of danger.

With only a few weeks left before the beginning of the planting season, humanitarian assistance must be allowed immediately inside and across Sudan to avoid any further deterioration of the situation, the report’s authors insisted. 

WFP and its partner World Relief provide emergency food supplies in West Darfur.
© WFP/World Relief

WFP and its partner World Relief provide emergency food supplies in West Darfur.

“What is very concerning for us is that the bulk of those people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. And that, for example, if you take the Al-Jazeera state, this is a critical state for food production; it’s about 50 per cent of the wheat production of Sudan that is coming out of the state,” said FAO’s Mr. Burgeon.

“It is absolutely critical that wherever it will be possible to access the people [that] we provide them with agricultural inputs on time so that they can plant their fields. If those people fail to plant their fields, it means we have to be prepared for massive food assistance requirements until the next harvest next year.”

The report also warned that people in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Mali likely endured the worst levels of food insecurity – IPC 5 – in 2023. 

Data were not available for some countries where there have been enduring fears over food crises, including Ethiopia, the report’s authors noted, while also pointing out that in Haiti, 19,200 people identified as IPC5 from September 2022 to February 2023 “no longer faced these conditions for the rest of 2023”.

Around 36 million people in 39 countries faced emergency – IPC4 – levels of acute food insecurity last year, which was four per cent more than in 2022. More than a third of them were in Sudan and Afghanistan. 

“Households in this severe situation face large food gaps, which are either reflected in high acute malnutrition rates and excess mortality or mitigated by use of emergency coping strategies,” the Global Report on Food Crises said.

In addition, some 165.5 million people in 41 countries faced crisis – IPC 3 – levels of acute food insecurity and around 292 million people in 40 countries were in IPC2.

Learn more about famine and how it is monitored in our explainer here.

UK’s newly passed ‘Safety in Rwanda’ bill is anything but safe: UN officials

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a joint statement calling on the UK Government to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda.

This arrangement seeks to shift responsibility for refugee protection, undermining international cooperation, Mr. Grandi added.

“The new legislation marks a further step away from the UK’s long tradition of providing refuge to those in need, in breach of the Refugee Convention,” he said. “Protecting refugees requires all countries, not just those neighbouring crisis zones, to uphold their obligations.”

Instead, the UK should take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants, based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law, the UN officials said.

A Ukrainian girl comforts her six-year-old brother as they prepare to leave a UNICEF-supported centre in Romania for their next destination. (file)
© UNICEF/Alex Nicodim

A Ukrainian girl comforts her six-year-old brother as they prepare to leave a UNICEF-supported centre in Romania for their next destination. (file)

Raises risks for asylum seekers

The asylum and immigration legislation, known commonly as the Safety of Rwanda bill, was tabled before Parliament alongside the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Treaty after the UK’s Supreme Court found last year that the proposed transfer of asylum seekers to the African country would breach international and UK law.

The court’s decision had noted weaknesses in Rwanda’s system for determining individual asylum claims.

But, the bill and the treaty do not in practice overcome the protection gaps identified by the Supreme Court, the UN officials stated, adding that once enacted, the measures will restrict the UK courts from properly scrutinising removal decisions, leaving asylum seekers with limited room to appeal even if they face significant risks.

New bill sets ‘a perilous precedent’

Mr. Türk said the bill infringes on the rule of law.

“By shifting responsibility for refugees, reducing the UK’s courts’ ability to scrutinise removal decisions, restricting access to legal remedies in the UK and limiting the scope of domestic and international human rights protections for a specific group of people, this new legislation seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK and sets a perilous precedent globally,” the UN rights chief said.

He said it is critical to the protection of the human rights and dignity of refugees and migrants seeking protection that all removals from the UK are carried out after assessing their specific individual circumstances in strict compliance with international human rights and refugee law.

A fair, efficient and well-governed migration and asylum system is key to ensuring access to protection for those in need and enabling the return home of those with no lawful basis to remain, the UN officials said.

Acknowledging the challenges presented by the irregular movement of refugees and migrants, often in dangerous circumstances, the UN leaders nonetheless expressed grave concern that the legislation would facilitate transfers under the UK-Rwanda asylum partnership, with only limited consideration of their individual circumstances or any protection risks.

They called on the UK instead to pursue practical cooperation with countries along the routes that refugees and migrants take, to strengthen protection and offer real alternatives. This includes expanding safe and regular pathways to protection, they said.

A plane about to take off from Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.
© Unsplash/Sebastian Grochowicz

A plane about to take off from Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.

Progressively restrictive laws

The UN officials pointed out that the new legislation is the third in a series of progressively restrictive laws that have eroded access to refugee protection in the UK since 2022, including through a ban on access to asylum or other forms of permission to stay in the UK for those arriving irregularly via a third country.

If implemented, the new bill would “pave the way for asylum seekers, including families with children, to be summarily sent to Rwanda to present their asylum claims, with no prospect of return to the UK”, they said.

The new bill will also drastically limit the ability for asylum seekers to challenge or appeal removal decisions, with decision makers and judges required to conclusively treat Rwanda as a “safe” country in terms of protecting asylum seekers, regardless of any evidence to the contrary, now or in the future, the UN officials said.

This situation is even more concerning given the legislation expressly authorises the UK Government to disregard any protective interim remedies from the European Court of Human Rights, the UN chiefs warned.

UN chief calls for all hands on deck at Climate Promise 2025 launch

The Climate Promise 2025 aims to accelerate efforts from local to international levels to take more ambitious steps to ensure the global temperature does not heat up beyond the 1.5° limit, a goal set with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the initiative, driven by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), recognises an important truth in the climate battle: “it is not all doom and gloom”.

“Many countries have the will to take more ambitious steps on climate action, but the world needs to mobilise to ensure there is a way,” he said at the Below 1.5 by 2025: The Plan launch event.

Hosted by actor Ato Essandoh, the event featured conversations and pledges for action interspersed with videos aired from around the world, echoing a chorus of calls for world leaders to join and keep the promise.

Watch the full event below.

Like water for coffee

Business leaders shared their experiences in aligning production practices with the Paris Agreement.

A representative from Lavazza in Italy described how UNDP-facilitated efforts are working towards such achievements as deforestation-free coffee in Ecuador alongside other innovations to come.

In addition, Indigenous groups from around the world shared their own initiatives, from climate-friendly coffee cultivation to raising awareness about mitigation and how to preserve and share traditional knowledge.

In northern Colombia, 80 Afro-Colombian families, 20 Indigenous families and 127 victims of violence joined forces to carry out one of the largest beekeeping projects in the country, with support from FAO. (file)
Fabio Rodríguez

In northern Colombia, 80 Afro-Colombian families, 20 Indigenous families and 127 victims of violence joined forces to carry out one of the largest beekeeping projects in the country, with support from FAO. (file)

Catapulting development

The UN chief said the Climate Promise 2025 represents the entire UN system coming together, helping governments rise to the moment, seize the opportunity and create new national climate plans aligned with the 1.5° limit.

UNDP’s Climate Promise has already worked with 128 countries on the last round of national climate plans to increase quality and ambition.

“Done right, national climate plans double as national investment plans and reinforce national development plans,” the UN Secretary-General said. “They can catapult sustainable development, connecting billions to clean power, boosting health, creating clean jobs and advancing equality.”

Tackling ‘climate chaos’

Mr. Guterres said the need is urgent, as this March was the planet’s hottest on record, the tenth month of record heat in a row, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

From Europe to Asia, “climate chaos” keeps piling up, he said, pointing to record-breaking rainstorms in the United Arab Emirates, decimated crops and withering water supplies in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as recent warnings from scientists about global coral bleaching as a result of soaring ocean temperatures;

“What we are seeing is just a preview of the disaster that awaits unless we limit the long-term rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” he warned. “It’s make or break for the 1.5 degree limit.”

‘The 1.5° limit is still possible, but not for long’

All countries must play their part, Mr. Guterres said, including the Group of 20 (G20), which accounts for around 80 per cent of emissions. 

“We need concrete steps this year to get finance flowing and enable a surge in climate ambition,” he said.

He said the G20 “must lead” the way by submitting robust, ambitious and comprehensive new national climate plans well ahead of COP30 and committing to dramatically accelerate fossil fuel phase-out, detailing policies and regulations to provide certainty and predictability to markets, from carbon pricing to fossil fuel subsidies, and increasing financial and technology support to developing countries.

“The 1.5-degree limit is still possible, but not for long,” he said. “The United Nations is rallying to support you. Please, seize the opportunity. Together, let’s make the next round of climate action plans count.”

SDG 13
United Nations

SDG 13

SDG 13: COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

 

  • Strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
  • Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
  • Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaption, impact reduction and early warning
  • Raise capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries

 

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Silence the guns, amplify women’s voices for peace to end rape in wartime

Presenting her annual report, Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, noted that weapons continue to flow into the hands of perpetrators while most victims remain emptyhanded when it comes to reparations and redress. 

“The essential, existential task we face is to silence the guns and amplify the voices of women as a critical constituency for peace,” she said. 

An underreported crime 

The report covers incidents, patterns and trends across 21 situations of concern, including Israel and Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). 

She said the rise in recorded cases was particularly alarming in a global context where humanitarian access remains severely restricted and constrained. 

Most cases, 95 per cent, involved women and girls. In 32 per cent of the incidents, children, overwhelmingly girls, were victims, while 21 cases were found to target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons. 

While the report conveys the severity and brutality of these incidents, she stressed that it does not reflect the global scale or prevalence of what is a chronically underreported, historically hidden crime. 

“We know that for every survivor who comes forward, many others are silenced by social pressures, stigma, insecurity, the paucity of services and the limited prospects for justice,” she said. 

Gaza conflict 

For the first time, the report contains a dedicated section on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

In the wake of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the Government invited Ms. Patten to visit the country. She and her team confirmed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in at least three locations and that sexual violence was committed against individuals held as hostages, which may be ongoing. 

They also visited the occupied West Bank where, according to UN-verified information, the arrests and detention of Palestinian women and men by Israeli security forces following the October attacks have often been accompanied by ill-treatment, including forms of sexual violence. Similar allegations have emerged from Gaza, she added. 

“These findings in no way justify or legitimise further hostilities, and I continue to echo the calls of the Secretary-General for a humanitarian ceasefire to end the unspeakable suffering of Palestinian civilians and to bring about the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” she said. 

Access and impunity 

The report documents how sexual violence has curtailed women’s access to livelihoods and girls’ access to education amid record levels of displacement. 

“For instance, in eastern DRC, the climate of interlinked physical and food insecurity has driven many displaced women and girls into prostitution out of sheer economic desperation,” she said. 

Meanwhile, “sexual violence perpetrated with impunity remains profitable in the political economy of war,” she noted. For example, armed groups in Haiti continue to generate revenue and use the threat of sexual violence to extort even higher ransoms.

Survivors silenced

The report lists 58 parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual violence, mainly non-State actors. Over 70 per cent are “persistent perpetrators”, meaning they have appeared on the list for five or more years.

Another trend has been the “unprecedented level of lethal violence” to silence survivors of sexual assault, including reports from the DRC and Myanmar of rapists subsequently killing their victims. Armed actors have also threatened healthcare workers in Sudan, while human rights defenders in South Sudan, DRC and elsewhere have faced reprisals.

“Across time and space, we see that the availability of weapons directly facilitates these attacks,” Ms. Patten said. 

Hope on the horizon

Stressing that “we cannot address sexual violence without shifting power dynamics,” she called for greater women’s participation, weapons regulation and embargoes, financial support for human rights defenders and change on the ground. 

“Women in the war-torn corners of our world need to see hope on the political horizon,” she said.  

 

“Our words, deeds and decisions in this Chamber and beyond must give them cause for hope and must contribute to peace with justice, peace with gender equality, peace with dignity and development, peace that endures.” 

 

UNRWA committed to implement independent review recommendations

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini briefed journalists in New York a day after the independent review panel published its findings. 

Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna spearheaded the report, which found that UNRWA has put in place a large number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure its commitment to the principle of neutrality and outlines some 50 recommendations. 

Preparing to update 

UNRWA is committed to implement the Colonna report’s recommendations, he said, before reporting on his meeting with UN Member States that morning. 

“I have informed them that we are now preparing updating our response plan. We will in fact make sure that partners are aware of the measures already being taken and being in line with the recommendations,” he said. 

He noted that while some recommendations can be implemented quickly, others will require additional staff and strong commitment and support from the international community. 

Mr. Lazzarini also explained that the Colonna report is separate from an ongoing probe by the UN’s top investigative body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), into Israeli allegations that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led assault on its territory. 

UNRWA under attack 

The Commissioner-General was in New York for the report’s launch and a Security Council meeting last week focused on UNRWA, which continues to provide support in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. 

He said he told the Council that attacks against the agency “are not necessarily motivated because of neutrality issues, but are primarily motivated by the objective to strip the Palestinians from their refugee status”. 

This was why there have been calls for UNRWA not to be present in Gaza, the West Bank and beyond, he added. 

While before the Council, he also called for “an independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard” of UN premises, staff and operations in Gaza. 

UNRWA flag-lowering ceremony at the UNRWA Lebanon Field Office in Beirut.
© UNRWA/Fadi El Tayyar

UNRWA flag-lowering ceremony at the UNRWA Lebanon Field Office in Beirut.

Staff killed, premises destroyed 

To date, 180 UNRWA staff and at least 400 people seeking UN protection have been killed in the hostilities. More than 160 UNRWA premises have been damaged or completely destroyed. 

There have also been reports that UNRWA premises that have been vacated have been used for military purposes, either by the Israeli army, Hamas or other political factions or armed groups on the ground. Staff have also been arrested and mistreated, if not tortured. 

“You have seen the report which came out yesterday,” he told reporters. “So hence, the importance to have an investigation and to have accountability in order not to set a new low standard in future conflict situations.” 

Aid on the move 

Mr. Lazzarini also highlighted several positive developments. He said the number of aid trucks entering Gaza this month averages around 200 daily, with a peak of 360 on Monday, representing a positive trend when compared to March. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) has also entered northern Gaza through the Erez crossing on three occasions. 

“My colleagues are also reporting that convoys which went to the north have not been assaulted as they used to be in the past by desperate people who were struggling to get their share of the assistance,” he noted. 

Anxiety over impending offensive 

However, as warmer weather approaches, he warned about the possibility of new disease outbreaks, especially in the south, where garbage collection is a priority. 

“I have also been reminded about the deep anxiety prevailing in the south about the possible looming upcoming military offensive, which seems to be back on the table,” he said, referring to a potential assault on Rafah. 

Mr. Lazzarini was asked about funding lost following the allegations against UNRWA, which prompted up to 18 countries to halt their support to the agency. 

Several countries “have come back”, he said, expressing hope that more will return in the wake of the Colonna report and the measures that will be put in place. 

Additionally, since the start of the year, UNRWA has raised $150 million from the general public, which he called “an extraordinary indication of grassroots solidarity vis-à-vis the organization”. 

 

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WMO report: Asia hit hardest by climate change and extreme weather

Following close on the heels of the study of climate change in Europe, published by WMO on Monday, the State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of climate change across several indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat, sea level rise and more. 

“The report’s conclusions are sobering. Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms,” said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General. 

Climate change has exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events that profoundly impact societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives, she underscored.

Faster than average

With the warming trend almost doubling since the period from 1960–1990, Asia is heating up faster than the global average, with increased casualties and economic losses from floods, storms, and more severe heatwaves. 

In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the northwest Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave. In many areas of the region, including the Arabian Sea, the southern Kara Sea, and the southeastern Laptev Sea, the sea surface is warming more than three times faster than globally. The Barents Sea was identified by the report as a “climate change hotspot”.

Driven by thermal expansion and the melting of glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, sea level continued to rise globally. However, in Asia, rates were higher than the global mean over 1993–2023.

Last year, the continent (just to vary the language) saw 79 water hazard-related disasters, with over 80 per cent linked to floods and storms, resulting in over 2,000 fatalities and affecting nine million people directly, according to the Emergency Events Database.

Temperatures up, precipitation down

Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat in 2023. Asia’s annual mean near-surface temperature ranked as the second highest on record with 0.91 °C above the 1991–2020 average. Particularly high temperatures were observed from western Siberia to central Asia, and from eastern China to Japan. Japan and Kazakhstan experienced a record warm year.

Meanwhile, the level of precipitation was below normal in large parts of the Turan Lowland (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan), the Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan) and the Himalayas, as well as around the Ganges and lower course of the Brahmaputra Rivers (India and Bangladesh). 

The Arakan Mountains in Myanmar and the lower course of the Mekong River areas have also seen less rainfall than usual, while Southwest China suffered from a drought, with below-normal precipitation levels nearly every month of 2023. 

Despite overall lower precipitation, several extreme events occurred, such as heavy rainfall in Myanmar in May; floods and storms across India, Pakistan, and Nepal in June and July, and record hourly rainfall in Hong Kong in September, to name a few. 

Retreating glaciers and receding permafrost 

Home to the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions, the High-Mountain Asia region with the Tibetan Plateau at its centre, has approximately 100,000 square kilometres of glaciers. Over the last several decades, most of those have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate. Twenty out of 22 observed glaciers continued losing mass, yielding to record-breaking high temperatures and dry conditions.

Glaciers in the Everest region are melting at an unprecedented rate.
UN Nepal/Narendra Shrestha

Glaciers in the Everest region are melting at an unprecedented rate.

Permafrost – soil that continuously remains below 0 °C for two or more years – is also surrendering territories to the increasing air temperatures in the Arctic. The most rapid thawing of permafrost in Asia is observed in the Polar Urals and the western regions of Western Siberia. 

Severe dust storms, lightning and thunders, waves of extreme cold and thick smog were also among extreme events that affected lives of millions across Asia. 

Early warning for all

The report shows that from 1970 to 2021, there were 3,612 disasters attributed to weather, climate and water extremes, with 984,263 deaths and $1.4 trillion in economic losses. The region accounted for 47 per cent of all reported deaths caused by natural disasters worldwide, with tropical cyclones as the leading cause of reported deaths.

To mitigate these impacts, the WMO and its partners advocate for a strong early warning and disaster risk reduction system to save lives and prevent future economic crises exacerbated by climate change.

“Early warning and better preparedness saved thousands of lives,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which partnered in producing the report. 

“ESCAP and WMO, working in partnership, will continue to invest in raising climate ambition and accelerating the implementation of sound policy, including bringing an early warning to all in the region so that no one is left behind as our climate change crisis continues to evolve,” she assured. 

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