Author: Kathleen Downie

Briefing the Council today (Aug 19), Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, warned that even as needs rise, funding for women’s frontline organizations is collapsing. “We are told there is no money for lifesaving aid, even as military expenditure soars, and the world spends more in 24 hours on arms than it does in a year on addressing gender-based violence in conflict,” she said.

Patten’s remarks drew on the Secretary-General’s latest annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, published on 14 August and covering the period from January to December 2024.

She noted that women and girls accounted for 92 percent of verified cases last year, with victims ranging in age from one to 75 years old. “Sexual violence against children increased by a shocking 35 percent over the past year, with incidents of gang-rape rising dramatically, inflicting enduring, generational harm,” she said.

From Darfur, Ikhlass Ahmed of the Darfur Advocacy Group described how sexual violence remains widespread. “Hardly a day goes by without a new report of rape of a woman or girl,” she told the Council, adding that more than 30 women and girls have been detained by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher for over seven months. “These stories and these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, as survivors often remain silent due to stigma and fear of retaliation,” she said.

Ahmed also reported at least 174 attacks on health providers and facilities since the conflict began, including clinics serving survivors of sexual violence. “In April, the RSF burned down a women-led community kitchen in Zamzam Camp, deliberately killing volunteers Hasanat Musa, who was pregnant, and Nana Bahar Idris,” she added.

Before the debate, the signatories to the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security – Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, the UK, and the US – delivered a joint statement on conflict-related sexual violence, at a stakeout ahead of the meeting.

Mr. Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Operational Support (accompanied by survivors of that bombing) will lead the Wreath-laying ceremony, he will lay a wreath in front of the plaque honouring those who lost their lives in Baghdad, followed by a moment of silence.

Pobee said the international community has “repeatedly called for a cessation of hostilities, de-escalation and return to dialogue. However, she added, they “have not yielded any concrete response” and instead, “a pattern of violations and unilateral actions persists, which continues to undermine the ability of the Government of national unity to implement the Agreement.”

If this trend continues, she said, “it will likely lead to a shift in conflict dynamics, from subnational and community-based violence to a more complex landscape shaped by ethnic divisions involving signatory parties and other actors, including those from neighbouring countries.”

Pobee called on the parties “to unblock the current political deadlock by fully recommitting to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, releasing the political detainees, engaging in direct high-level dialogue, and recommit implementing an inclusive peace process, particularly on key issues such as transitional security arrangements, transitional justice, constitution-making, and elections.”

The Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) George Aggrey Owinow, briefing remotely from Juba, said, “the current situation and trajectory of the country, if not urgently addressed, risks to reverse all that has been gained and may lead to a collapse” of the peace agreement, “which could return the country back to an armed conflict.”

The RJMEC and its partners, Aggrey Owinow said, “have repeatedly called for constructive dialog, de-escalation of tensions, addressed the issues of detainees and returned to full and implementation” of the agreement.

For his part, South Sudan’s Ambassador Sabino Edward Nyawella Amaikweytold the Council that “South Sudan remains committed to ensuring that any obstacles – real or perceived – to and UNMISS operations are addressed in good faith and without delay.”

Nyawella Amaikweytold confirmed that “any such situations could either be attributed to our efforts to ensuring safety of the mission’s assets and or personnel, or they are merely due to lack of information sharing, or the capacity of the individuals involved. It is never a policy of the government of the Republic of South Sudan to hinder UNMISS mandate.”

Highlights:
Secretary-General/Travels
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Ukraine
Sudan
South Sudan
Secretary-General/Flooding in India and Pakistan
United Nations Support Office In Somalia (UNSOS)
Resident Coordinator

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Today, the Secretary-General will leave New York for Japan to attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama and the UN Special Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka.
Mr. Guterres is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, as well as other officials including the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Iwaya Takeshi,
This will be the Secretary-General’s seventh visit to Japan. It will highlight the cooperative relationship between the UN and Japan. TICAD is also a very important platform to discuss ways to support Africa.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the situation is beyond catastrophic in the Gaza Strip. Amid ongoing hostilities and extreme hunger, more deaths are recorded every day. Hunger-related deaths continue to be reported, including among children.
Partners say that, last week, in the north and the south of Gaza, more than 80 community kitchens were able to produce some 380,000 meals each day. Back in April, the daily tally of community kitchens was more than a million meals each day. Communities rely on hot meals once a day from these kitchens – but the amount they’re able to cook remains insufficient to meet the needs of the population in Gaza.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said that its teams are doing everything they can to deliver food to people. But the supplies remain far below standards – less than half of WFP daily target.
The agency said that organized distributions, WFP-supported hot meals, and bakeries, depend on far more aid that is actually getting into Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that five people, including two children, died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation.
To prevent such deaths, and as we’ve been saying repeatedly humanitarians must be able to deliver food at scale, and consistently, through all available crossings and routes to reach the population of 2.1 million people, half of whom are children.
Yesterday, eight out of the 12 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated without impediments. They included the transfer of nutritional supplies and fuel to the north.
One mission was to replace a water pipeline in Deir al Balah, and that mission was denied. Three others were impeded but eventually fully accomplished, including the collection of food aid from the Zikim crossing and the Kerem Shalom/ Karem Abu Salem crossing.
Movement restrictions also included holding points and long waiting lines inside the Strip, hinder the delivery of aid and supplies to people who are in desperate need.
We have seen the Israeli authorities’ announcement that they will lift the ban on shelter supplies, which have not been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip in five months. This is a welcome development, as the need for shelter and household items has increased. UN partners estimate that at least 1.35 million people need emergency shelter and some 1.4 million need essential household items. This represents an increase of about 4 and 8 per cent, respectively, compared with just June, a few months ago.
However, we are also concerned that the announcement by the Israeli authorities comes in connection with the looming announced expansion of the military activities in the Gaza city. This would displace thousands of people, once again, into an overcrowded area in the south of the Strip, which is almost devoid of the most basic infrastructure and services, including water, food and medical services.
Since early March, when the Israeli shelter ban came into force, more than 780,000 displacements have taken place. Existing shelters have deteriorated or been left behind amid repeated displacement orders.
Yet again, we repeat that it will not participate in any forced displacement of people. The UN and its partners reiterate our commitment to serve people wherever they are.
All civilians must be protected, whether they choose to stay or whether they choose to move. Those who decide to move must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows.
We also need unimpeded humanitarian access across all of Gaza, including community-based distributions and supplies entering at scale through all possible crossings, as we have been saying. All available supplies must be let into Gaza, including through the northern crossings.

Secretary-General / Plastic Pollution Treaty
Secretary – General / Trip Announcement
Trip Announcement / Peace Operations
Senior Personnel Appointment
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Central Emergency Response Fund
Financial Contribution

SECRETARY-GENERAL/PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY
In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General said that he deeply regrets that, despite earnest efforts, negotiations to reach an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in maritime environment, concluded without achieving a consensus. The Secretary-General welcomed the determination of Member States in continuing to work to beat plastic pollution and keep engaged on the process, united in purpose, to deliver the treaty the world needs to tackle these monumental challenges to people and the environment.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The UN once again warns that the already dire situation could worsen without a reliable, rapid, safe and unrestricted flow of supplies into the Gaza Strip. The UN and its humanitarian partners report that ongoing delays and other impediments, including bottlenecks at holding points and interference in the loading process at the platforms, are impacting our efforts to collect supplies from the crossings and bring them to people in need.
Yesterday, five out of 12 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated without impediments. They included the collection of supplies from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem and the transfer of fuel to the north. Four missions were canceled by the organizers and three others were impeded and only eventually fully accomplished – these included the collection of food aid from Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings.
And on the starvation crisis in Gaza, more deaths are being reported, including many children, who are regularly admitted to hospitals for malnutrition. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that many healthcare facilities have run out of bedspace to treat malnourished patients. Access to healthcare must be restored immediately.
The UN continues to receive extremely disturbing reports of aid seekers being killed and injured. Between May 27th and August 8th, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah treated more than 4,500 wounded patients, most of whom reported that they were injured while trying to reach food distribution sites. People also report being injured in the crush of the crowd or being beaten and robbed of their supplies immediately after receiving them.
It is imperative that the UN and its humanitarian partners are enabled to deliver aid at scale, using community-based mechanisms to reach the most vulnerable.
Without these conditions in place, and if military operations continue or escalate, more deaths, forced displacement and destruction are inevitable, and this could prolong the ordeal of the hostages also being held in the Strip. The UN also calls again for their immediate and unconditional release.
One can only imagine that people in Gaza are gravely concerned by the potential impact of an expansion of operations in Gaza city. We reiterate that the UN will not participate in any forced displacement of the population. Fleeing civilians must be protected and the must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows. And if they choose to stay, they should not be threatened or put at risk.
And just to note that although the slight easing on the entry of commercial supplies has led to food price drops that we have been telling you, energy prices on the other hand have skyrocketed.
Cooking gas has not been available in markets for the past five months, and firewood has become even less affordable. More people are resorting to using waste and scrap wood as alternative fuel sources for cooking, which only makes worse health and protection risks, and causes environmental hazards. Partners working on food security warn that both the quantity and quality of supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum requirements to meet most people’s needs.

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With her background in human rights law, Georgette Gagnon was once said to represent the conscience of war. Currently serving as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, she has been devastated by the sweeping loss of rights for women and girls there.

“You used to see across the country hundreds of girls going to school… Now, of course, you don’t see that, and it’s heartbreaking. It’s such a huge loss for the entire society,” she says.

UN Video interviewed the director/producer of the filim, Ms. Maria Fernanda Lauret of UNICEF in time for the release of the documentary and for World Humanitarian Day 2025.