World News Summary: Burning of UNRWA office in East Jerusalem, UN investigating death of staff in Gaza, food insecurity in South Sudan
This time it was “an arson attempt by Israeli children and youth UNRWA”, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a social media posts on Tuesday.
“This has to stop,” he said.
Last Thursday night, Mr. Lazzarini said Israelis set fires twice around the UNRWA headquarters while staff from several United Nations agencies were present in the compound.
“While there were no casualties among our employees, the fire caused extensive damage to outdoor areas,” he said at the time, noting Note that UNRWA headquarters has a gas and diesel station on its premises for the agency’s vehicle fleet.
In last week’s incident, a crowd “accompanied by armed men was witnessed outside the compound chanting ‘burn the United Nations,'” the UNRWA chief said. and the office director and other employees helped put out the fire, as Israeli authorities had done “moments before they showed up.”
‘New dangerous standards’
According to the United Nations agency, on Monday, displaced families returned to Khan Younis to find shelter and safety in UNRWA schools, but found classrooms burned, walls broken. blown away and rubble.
Meanwhile, the UNRWA head noted that over the past two months, Israeli extremists have held protests outside the UNRWA complex in East Jerusalem, called for by an elected member of the Jerusalem municipality. call to action. Last week, the protest turned violent when protesters threw rocks at UN staff and the compound’s buildings.
He said UN staff were regularly harassed and threatened, the compound had been vandalized and severely damaged, and in some cases, “Israeli extremists threatened staff with guns.”
“It is the responsibility of the State of Israel as an occupying power to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times,” he said via social media after last week’s arson attempt.
“The perpetrators of these attacks must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. Anything less would set a dangerous new standard.”
Gaza: UN investigates murder of Indian staff
The United Nations has opened an investigation into the recent killing of an Indian employee in Rafah, southern Gaza, amid militant attacks, Foundation deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday. Israel’s ongoing seven-month conflict.
A United Nations vehicle was driving to the European Hospital in Rafah on Monday when deadly shots were fired, killing one UN international staff member and injuring another. Mr Haq said “there is regular work going on to get people to different locations and this is part of that”.
“We are in discussions with Israel to determine exactly how this incident occurred and the nature of what happened,” Haq said. “I don’t think at this stage we have any doubts about where the shots came from or what the circumstances were. We believe it came from a tank in the area.”
UN’s ‘first international casualty’ in Gaza
“What we know so far indicates that a weapon appears to have hit the back of a white United Nations vehicle, carrying two UN staff, killing one,” he explained. and another person was injured.”
The dead employee was identified as Waibhav Anil Kale, a former army officer from India, and the injured employee was a Jordanian woman who is receiving medical care, Mr. Haq said. and expressed the condolences of the United Nations Secretary-General.
Kale “is the first international casualty” in Gaza, the deputy spokesman said, adding that there are currently 71 international United Nations staff in the besieged area.
“The investigation is still very early and details of the incident are still being verified by the Israel Defense Forces,” he added.
A woman is being checked for malnutrition in South Sudan. (document)
South Sudan: 7 million people may face high levels of food insecurity
More than 7 million people in South Sudan were at risk of experiencing high levels of food insecurity in July, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. recently (OCHA) report.
According to the report, nearly 79,000 people, mainly in areas affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate-related shocks, could face catastrophic levels of hunger.
The UN tripled daily patrols in Tambura
Mr Haq said UN humanitarian partners were assisting civilians displaced by inter-communal fighting in Tambura district, western Equatoria. About 26,000 people have left the district, leaving some residential areas in Tambura abandoned.
“Our peacekeeping colleagues are closely monitoring the situation in Tambura,” Mr. Haq said. “To prevent further violence, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (SKIP) immediately deployed additional peacekeepers to fortify the site.”
He added that the United Nations Mission reported that it had tripled the number of daily patrols.
Returnees and refugees
The number of returnees and refugees from the conflict in Sudan is putting a strain on already limited services, he continued. More than 670,000 new people have been registered in South Sudan since the start of the war in Sudan in April 2023, with 80% of them being returnees.
He also said the underfunded humanitarian appeal, which received only 11% of the $1.8 billion needed, posed challenges for response efforts.
A mothers’ support group in Timor-Leste is promoting the importance of good nutrition for all children.
The President of the General Assembly called for further progress on global goals
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, said on Tuesday that tangible progress was being made towards Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and 17 Sustainable development goals (SDG).
Mr. Francis told the Annual Conference that the United Nations Development System (UNDS) “continues to provide integrated and evidence-based policy advice to help countries implement the 2030 Agenda” as a support section for each country. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting on operational activities for development.
A total of 78% of governments have recognized the United Nations as a partner in supporting their national priorities, he said, and 98% of host governments said that UN country teams “have increased effectively strengthen capacity to help build resilience to crises, natural disasters and climate extremes.”
Keep goals on track
However, the President of the General Assembly said at the SDG Summit last September there was a call to address the slow progress in achieving the global goals and that only 15% of them were going right direction.
“We must build on this momentum as we move towards the Future Summit in September – a Summit that offers the opportunity to meaningfully scale up commitments to achieve the Agenda,” he said. 2030 agenda”. a sense of purpose and collaboration to deliver a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous world for all.
In the video message referring to this event, UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was still deeply concerned about the United Nations’ development funding.
“Ensuring sustainable and predictable funding” is his main priority for the system this year, he said.
