Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, is traveling to Cairo, Egypt, tomorrow for a mission to last several days. He will plan to visit Israel.
He said this morning that we’re living in the worst of times.
Mr. Griffiths said the taking of hostages – including women, children, the elderly and the ill – is unacceptable and illegal, calling for their immediate release.
He also stressed that people must be able to move out of harm’s way with assistance and that they must be safely go to safer areas and have their needs met.
Mr. Griffiths also underscored that we need access for aid, expressing hope that the Rafah crossing point will open soon to allow aid into Gaza.
UN agencies have supplies ready to move into southern Gaza to meet surging humanitarian needs. It is critical that life-saving assistance is allowed to move through the Rafah crossing without delay.
A planeload of supplies from the World Health Organization arrived to Al Arish airport in Egypt at the weekend.
The cargo includes enough trauma medicines and health supplies to treat 1,200 wounded patients, 1,500 patients suffering from heart diseases and other conditions, and basic health items to meet the needs of 300,000 people, including pregnant women.
For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) has plans to reach nearly 225,000 displaced people in 19 UN shelters in southern Gaza.
WFP is also expecting five trucks carrying 100 tons of food parcels and 15 tons of fortified biscuits to arrive in Arish.
Chad
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, Violette Kakyomya, briefed reporters earlier today in Geneva and warned that the country is facing multiples humanitarian crises calling for urgent support.
The conflict in Sudan had a strong impact on Chad, with nearly 490,000 Sudanese refugees having crossed the border into eastern Chad to seek safety and protection. The vast majority of them are women and children.
In total, 1 million refugees live in Chad – 1 in 17 people, who lives in Chad is a refugee.
The conflict in Sudan is also affecting Chad’s supply chain. The prices of basic food commodities in the region have more than doubled since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan.
Food insecurity and malnutrition affects 5.7 million people.
Chad is also one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Last year, the heaviest rains since the 1960s triggered a major environmental and humanitarian crisis, affecting 1.4 million people and destroying 350,000 hectares of farmland.
Mrs. Kakyoma underlined the extreme generosity of the people in Chad who continue to welcome refugees and call for support to ensure a sustained humanitarian support as 7 million Chadians – out of 18 million – need humanitarian assistance this year.
The US$921 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Chad is just over one quarter percent funded.
Ukraine
Civilians are facing daily attacks along frontline areas in the east and south of the country.
In recent days, homes, schools, health facilities, port infrastructure and aid distribution points have all been hit.
We and our humanitarian partners continue to deliver in affected areas: On Saturday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, led a convoy carrying assistance for some 1,000 civilians to Chasiv Yar, just six kilometres from the front line in the Donetsk region.
Civilians there told her they have been cut off from water, electricity and gas for more than a year. Most homes and civilian infrastructure have been damaged, and 90 per cent of the population has fled.
This year, the UN has organized more than 90 inter-agency convoys to front-line communities in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine, with one-third delivering aid to the Donetsk region.
We and our partners have reached more than 8.3 million people in Ukraine with humanitarian assistance in 2023.