World news summary: Health challenges in Gaza, justice for Africa, rising violence in Myanmar
United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the situation was especially dire in Northern Gaza province, which has been under siege for more than two months. speak during his daily press conference from New York.
He added that access to basic services was also severely limited and noted that the United Nations agency that supports Palestinian refugees, UNRWAcontinues to be the lifeline for the people.
The UN still reaches millions
UNRWA accounts for more than half of those with access to health services since the conflict began in October 2023, providing some 6.7 million medical consultations across Gaza as of this month.
More than 90 mobile teams are currently providing medical services at 54 medical points inside and outside shelters in the Central Region, Khan Younis, Al Mawasi and Gaza province.
“Meanwhile, seven of UNRWA’s 27 health centers in Gaza remain operational,” Mr. Dujarric told journalists.
“However, as you know, the number of health facilities still operating at any given time is constantly changing due to insecurity and limited access.”
The medicine stock is running out
UNRWA has warned that drug stocks in health facilities are running low and that at least 60 drugs will run out within a month.
In Gaza, severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies persist due to access obstacles and the limited number of safe and viable routes to get supplies into the enclave.
UN Secretary General António Guterres addresses parliamentarians in Lesotho.
Guterres called for justice for Africa in a speech to the Lesotho parliament
The UN Secretary General called for Africa to have a stronger role in global affairs an address on Thursday before parliament in Lesotho.
António Guterres is making his first visit to the Southern African country to mark the 200th anniversary of the Basotho nation becoming the Kingdom of Lesotho after gaining independence from Britain in 1966.
He said the profound injustices stemming from colonialism were denying Africa its rightful place on the world stage.
He cited the United NationsSecurity Council as an example, note that nearly 80 years after its founding, the continent is still waiting for even a single permanent seat.
“This damages Africa but it also damages the Council – its effectiveness, its legitimacy and its credibility,” he said.
The Secretary-General stated that crises such as the conflicts raging from Sudan to the Sahel, require not only global attention but also African leadership.
“However, Africa does not have a permanent voice when the world decides on issues of war and peace…in Africa, through the Security Council,” he observed, adding “this That is unacceptable – and it must change.”
He called for correcting injustices on other fronts, including with regard to debt relief and financing climate action.
A child lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s rice fields in central Myanmar.
Parties in Myanmar called for an end to the fighting as violence escalated
The Secretary-General is also deeply concerned about reports of escalating violence in Myanmar, causing further suffering and displacement of civilians, his spokesman said Thursday in New York.
Indiscriminate aerial attacks causing civilian casualties continue to be reported in many parts of the country under military rule since February 2021.
Mr. Guterres reiterated his call for all parties to the conflict to end violence and reminded them of their obligation to protect civilians, as required by international law.
He also called on all parties to prevent further incitement of inter-communal tensions.
The world’s leading opium producer
Meanwhile, Myanmar remains the top source of opium and heroin, although opium production has slowed.Latest surveyby the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC ).
The report analyzes data collected during the third growing season since the military took power following a coup.
It shows a moderate decrease of 4% – from 47,100 hectares to 45,200 – and a similar decrease in yield per hectare, indicating an initial stabilization of the current high level of farming, thereby reinforcing reinforce Myanmar’s position as the world’s leading source of opium.
However, the uneven distribution of declines across the country – as well as uncertainties regarding the impact of the continued drug ban in Afghanistan on global demand for opium and heroin – shows that the Myanmar’s opium economy is at a crossroads.
UNODC“As domestic conflict dynamics remain acute and global supply chains adjust to the ban in Afghanistan, we see significant risk of further expansion in the coming years,” said regional representative Masood Karimipour. next”.
