World news summary: Sudan latest aid, toxic air in Pakistan, Ukraine and Syria updated

United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, speaking to journalists in New York, said trucks carrying food and nutrition for about 12,500 people in the camp were on strike, and the agency said it was determined deliver life-saving aid “safely and quickly”.

“WFP emphasizing that the Adre corridor is a vital lifeline to get emergency assistance to desperate families across the Darfur region,” he added.

Food is nearly 500,000

“Through this route, WFP has now transported more than 5,600 tonnes of food and nutritional supplies – enough for nearly half a million people – and that has happened in just three months since 20 August.”

He said it was important that the crossing remained “usable and open for humanitarians to ramp up aid and get a steady stream of aid to communities facing extreme hunger.” ”.

WFP said it is also using a network of local retailers under contract with WFP to get aid to ZamZam, which will allow the emergency food agency to reach about 100,000 people of the 180,000 it hopes to reach. hope to approach.

Pakistan: Toxic air threatens more than 11 million children under 5 years old in Punjab

Toxic smoke is threatening the lives of more than 11 million children under 5 years old in Pakistan’s most populous province, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday.

“As smog continues to persist in Punjab province, I am extremely concerned about the health of young children who are forced to breathe toxic, polluted air,” speak Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.

Record air pollution

Last week, air pollution levels in the provincial capital Lahore and another major city, Multan, broke records, being 100 times higher than air quality guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. (WHO).

According to media reports, hundreds of people have been hospitalized, including dozens of children, and air pollution is so severe that it can now be seen from space.

Fadil said before air pollution levels reached records, about 12% of deaths in children under 5 years old were due to air pollution.

He added: “The impact of this year’s exceptional smog will take time to assess but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have a devastating impact, especially for children and pregnant women”.

Millions of people have to miss school

Meanwhile, schools in areas affected by dust have closed until mid-month to protect children. However, education is currently disrupted for about 16 million children at a time when Pakistan is facing an “education emergency”, with more than 26 million boys and girls out of school.

“Every child has the right to clean air. Children’s health and right to education must be protected. UNICEF calls on the Government of Pakistan to fully realize these rights for every child,” Mr. Fadil said.

UNICEF is supporting awareness measures as part of the Punjab Government’s official plan to reduce smog.

“Reducing emissions from agricultural and industrial activities and encouraging clean, sustainable energy and transportation initiatives is no longer just a climate change mitigation strategy,” said Mr. Fadil. but also very important to protect children’s health today.”

More than 100 civilian casualties in Ukraine since Thursday

Ukrainian authorities reported on Monday that there had been more than 100 civilian casualties across the country in the past five days, including children, along with widespread infrastructure damage.

United Nations Aid Coordination Office OCHA said the deadly attack in Zaporizhzhia on Saturday – the second in five days – left dozens of casualties.

“Authorities also reported an increase in drone attacks in the south of the country, especially in the Odesa, Mykolayiv and Kherson regions,” the UN spokesperson said. resulting in numerous civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including heating and gas facilities.” Stéphane Dujarric said.

United Nations support

Aid workers provided hot meals, materials to cover windows, blankets, solar lights and hygiene kits as well as cash and psychosocial support.

OCHA said in some frontline communities, basic food is becoming scarce as many stores have shut down.

To address this problem, the World Food Program (WFP) provided ovens, dough kneaders and generators, among others, to 14 bakeries in six war-affected areas in Ukraine.

Families wait to cross the Masnaa border from Lebanon to Syria.

Senior humanitarians say crisis in Syria ‘deepening’

Senior United Nations humanitarian officer warning on Monday that the crisis in Syria is “deepening and spreading”, with more than 500,000 people seeking refuge there after fleeing the war in Lebanon, adding that 16.7 million people have received assistance. support.

In a joint statement, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnan pointed out that two out of every three people in Syria need assistance. .

More than 75% of the new arrivals – since the war between Israel and Hezbollah militants escalated in September – are women, children and people with special needs.

“These people were forced to seek refuge in a country already reeling from a humanitarian crisis that has lasted more than a decade,” officials said.

Services have ‘reached breaking point’

“Most new arrivals are being hosted by relatives and friends in communities that are already struggling. They are accessing services provided through existing humanitarian response mechanisms that are already stretched.”

The $4.07 billion humanitarian response plan in Syria is only 27.5% funded. Since the launch of the Emergency Appeal in September seeking an additional $324 million, “only a paltry $32 million” has been secured – a figure that includes a $12 million allocation from the Coalition’s emergency fund. United Nations, CERF.

They called on the donor community to significantly and urgently increase their support for Syria’s humanitarian response.

“The costs of inaction will be enormous and will go beyond deeper human suffering, in terms of increased regional instability, out-of-region migration and deepening the conflict”.