Category: The Civic Circle

The head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, today (7 Aug) told the Security Council that terrorist activity in the region “has surged in scale, complexity and sophistication, including through the use of drones, alternative internet communication, and increasing collusion with transnational organized crime,” and said this “growing insecurity compounds an already dire humanitarian situation.”

Simão said maritime security “remains a concern and requires a coordinated response,” and stressed that “young people are increasingly prime targets for recruitment by terrorist and violent extremist groups.”

At that ceremony, Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation, along with Melissa Fawcett of the Mohegan Tribe, delivered powerful messages calling for unity, recognition and Indigenous rights.

Highlights:

Humanitarian Funding
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon
Security Council
Sudan
Ghana
Afghanistan

HUMANITARIAN FUNDING
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today warned that more than halfway through the year, the humanitarian funding landscape remains dire. As of now, less than 17 per cent of the $46 billion required to meet global humanitarian needs in 2025 has been received. This marks an alarming 40 percent drop compared to the same time last year.
This funding shortfall is a stark reminder that millions of vulnerable people will go without the aid they desperately need. As we have repeatedly warned, the UN and its partners are being forced to do more with less – at tremendous cost to people.
In June, facing the deepest funding cuts ever to hit the international humanitarian system, OCHA launched a hyper-prioritized global appeal to help 114 million people by targeting the most urgent needs within the broader 2025 Global Humanitarian Overview.

LEBANON
In southern Lebanon, the peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continue to observe Israel Defense Forces ground and air military activities, including airstrikes by fighter jets yesterday in Sector East. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, Israeli air strikes yesterday led to fatalities, including one child. The UN once more urges the parties to refrain from any activities that may endanger civilians.
In a major operation to find unauthorized weapon caches and infrastructure, UNIFIL peacekeepers – working in coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces – were deployed over a 320 square kilometer area in Sector West this week. The discoveries included networks of seven fortified tunnels, three bunkers, artillery, rocket launchers, hundreds of explosive shells and rockets, anti-tank mines, and about 250 ready-to-use improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Mortar shells and rockets were also found in Sector East. In addition, unexploded ordnance was discovered in different areas, including an anti-tank mine and rockets in Sector West and mortar rounds in Sector East. They were all referred to the Lebanese Army.
UNIFIL demining teams recently completed the clearance of mines and vegetation around five Blue Line markers ahead of the markers’ refurbishment. These are among about 10 markers damaged or destroyed during recent hostilities. Clearance operations around the remaining markers will begin next week.

This year’s observance, organized in collaboration with UNITAR and AFS Intercultural Programs, provides a dynamic platform for young leaders, policymakers, diplomats, innovators, and civil society actors to engage in meaningful conversations on how technology and partnerships can strengthen global cooperation. Open to all through public registration, the event will encourage diverse participation, ensuring that voices from various backgrounds contribute to shaping a more connected and collaborative world.

Highlights:

Hiroshima
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Security Council
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Somalia
Mozambique
Financial Contribution

HIROSHIMA

Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament, delivered a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf at the commemoration of the 80th year since the bombing of Hiroshima in Japan.
In his message, the Secretary-General said that on this 80th anniversary, we remember those who perished. We stand with the families who carry their memory. And we honour the brave hibakusha — the survivors — whose voices have become a moral force for peace.
He warned that today, the risk of nuclear conflict is growing. Trust is eroding. Geopolitical divisions are widening. And the very weapons that brought such devastation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki are once again being treated as tools of coercion.
Yet, the Secretary-General added, there are some signs of hope. Last year, the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo — which represents the survivors of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings — was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for its tireless work in raising awareness about this critical issue. And in the Pact for the Future, adopted last year, countries re-committed to a world free of nuclear weapons.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The UN humanitarian country team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which brings together UN agencies and NGOs working in that area, today called on Israeli authorities to rescind the requirement obliging international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to share sensitive personal information about their Palestinian employees or face termination of their humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Unless urgent action is taken, humanitarian organizations warn that most international NGO partners could be de-registered by 9 September or sooner – forcing them to withdraw all international staff and preventing them from providing critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. This requirement is part of a set of new restrictive conditions for international NGOs which include potential consequences for public criticism of policies and practices of the Government of Israel.
Already, NGOs that are not registered under the new system are prohibited from sending any supplies to Gaza. This policy has already prevented the delivery of such aid as medicine, food, and hygiene items. There are more details in a press release.

Turning to the Gaza Strip, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that more people are being killed and injured, either along convoy routes or where they are staying. The situation is beyond catastrophic.  
Hospitals are overstretched. Patients are lying on the floor or in the streets, suffering as beds, medical supplies and equipment are severely lacking.  
Yesterday, emergency medical teams were denied entry into Gaza. The World Health Organization tells us that more than 100 health professionals, including surgeons and other specialized medical staff, have been barred from entry since March this year.  
Yesterday, you heard that Israeli authorities allowed the entry of a limited number of trucks carrying commercial goods. While we are still following up to obtain more clarity on this, initial reports from our partners on the ground indicate that the items included rice, sugar and vegetable oil.  
Sugar remains one of the most expensive items on the market. A two-ounce bag costs some $170. Eggs, poultry and meat have disappeared from the market. People rely on pulses and bread to survive, when and if available, which is far from being enough for the most vulnerable people.  
The worsening market situation underscores the urgent need for the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial goods at scale – and consistently. 
Starvation continues to happen, and today, the Ministry of Health reported five new malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to about almost 200 deaths, half of whom are children. Our colleagues tell us that “hunger and malnutrition have devastating impacts, including a heightened risk of illness and death.

Briefing the Security Council today (Aug 05), Jenča said that released hostages had described “distressing accounts of deprivation, ill-treatment, and abuse,” while armed groups had circulated videos showing detainees clearly suffering and speaking under duress. “Since 7 October 2023, Hamas and other armed groups have circulated dozens of videos of hostages,” he said.

The meeting came days after the release of new footage by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad showing two Israeli hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, visibly emaciated and with David being forced to dig his own grave.

Ilay David, the brother of Evyatar David, said, “My brother was a living skeleton. He had barely the strength to move or speak.” He added, “We were reminded just how much more cruel and inhumane Hamas and its sick partners are.”

David urged the international community to ensure humanitarian aid reaches the hostages. “While aid flows into Gaza to help the population, the hostages are being denied even the most basic necessities of life. They haven’t received the shred of humanitarian aid since they were captive. This is a flagrant violation of international law,” he said.

Russian Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy said it was “evident that Israel’s complete freedom of action would have been impossible without direct military support and international political cover from the United States. Illustrative in this regard was the joint U.S.-Israeli boycott of the high-level international conference in support of the two-state solution, held from July 28 to 30, as well as Washington’s futile attempts to dissuade its partners from participating in this representative forum.”

The US Representative Dorothy Shea said, “We must be clear that unproductive publicity stunts like last week’s Two State Solution Conference and unilateral announcements regarding recognition of a Palestinian state undercut the efforts of mediators and prolong the war.”

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said, Israel is “demanding that the world take a stance against conditions of captivity of Israelis when it is holding two million people captive under its deadly siege, when 76 Palestinian prisoners have died under torture or starving or due to medical neglect in the last 20 months alone.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said, “The Palestinians invented terrorism as a way to promote their means, and it includes all Palestinians fractions. And until this very day, the Palestinian Authority continue to pay salaries to terrorists and terrorist families accordingly to the crime the terrorists committed, and this is how they encourage terrorism until this very day.”

Highlights:
Secretary – General / Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries
Plastic Pollution
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sudan
Afghanistan / Refugees
India / UN Partnership For South – South Cooperation on the SDGS

PLASTIC POLLUTION
The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, opened today in Geneva. The session, which will continue until 14 August, aims to finalize and approve the text of the agreement and forward it for consideration and adoption at a future Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries.
Noting that countries are negotiating a global plastics treaty to help beat plastic pollution, the Secretary-General emphasized that we need a fair deal that tackles the full life-cycle of plastics, reflects the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Climate Change and supports a shift away from fossil fuels.
Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, pointed out that plastic pollution is already in nature, in our oceans and even in our bodies. And plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow 50 per cent by 2040, she added.
If we continue on the current trajectory, Ms. Andersen warned, the world will be drowning in plastic pollution – with massive consequences for planetary, economic and human health. She stressed that agreeing to a treaty text is the first step to beating plastic pollution for everyone, everywhere.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
This afternoon at 3:00 pm, the Security Council will hold a briefing on the situation in the Middle East. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča will brief, and the Council will also hear from Ilay David, the brother of a hostage who is being held in Gaza. 
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that people continue to struggle to survive in Gaza. With starvation on the rise, the volumes of supplies that are entering Gaza remain insufficient to meet people’s needs. In addition, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to face many impediments preventing us from bringing in aid in sufficient quantities and distributing it to communities.
UN partners working on food assistance warn that massive food shortages continue to impact people’s chances for survival. As malnutrition levels are rising, children are more likely to have weakened immune systems, hindering their development and growth far into the future.
Last Thursday, 71 kitchens prepared and delivered more than 270,000 hot meals across Gaza. These included 10,000 meals delivered to health facilities, most of which are struggling to operate as mass casualties, widespread destruction and shortages of basic necessities continue to overwhelm the healthcare system.
The number of meals being provided is far below the minimum required to reach more than two million people in Gaza. We need an urgent scale-up of supplies, as well as an environment that allows humanitarians to reach people in need safely, rapidly and efficiently.
UN staff working in health say that some quantities of medicine have managed to reach Gaza in recent days. Medicine shortages place an additional strain on healthcare workers who continue to work under immense pressure and with very limited resources.
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that the number of people diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare, potentially deadly condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves – has reached 46 cases and two deaths in July, with 38 per cent of the cases requiring intensive treatment.
This syndrome can be caused by a compromised immune system, poor nutrition and hygiene-related infections. WHO is working with the Health Ministry to continue surveillance of cases and address the gaps related to diagnostics and treatment.
Yesterday, the UN was able to bring three fuel tankers to Gaza City. The fuel was offloaded in a UNOPS-managed fuel station and will be used to power the most critical health, water and sanitation and emergency telecommunication facilities. OCHA once again stresses that much more fuel is needed daily to run emergency operations. Current levels of fuel are only allowing the UN and our partners to function at the bare minimum.
The UN and its partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene underscore that access to clean water remains limited, putting people’s health and well-being at risk. Ninety-six per cent of households across Gaza surveyed by our partners in July face moderate to severe challenges in accessing clean water – whether to drink, bathe their children or wash dishes. 

Highlights:
Secretary – General / Travel
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Syria
Yemen
Sudan
Uganda
New Resident Coordinators

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In response to questions about the videos of the Israeli hostages shown by Hamas, the Deputy Spokesperson said the Secretary-General was very shocked by this unacceptable violation of human dignity.
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that many people reportedly continue to be killed and injured, including people seeking food along the UN convoy routes and militarized distribution points. Some 1,500 people have been reportedly killed since May.
Meanwhile, our colleagues continue to risk their lives to provide life-saving assistance. On Sunday, Israeli air strikes killed a health worker from the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Khan Younis.
Furthermore, yesterday, the Israeli military issued yet another displacement order in Gaza City, covering the neighborhood of Tufah. OCHA says that these orders continue to push people into overcrowded, unsafe areas with no shelters and essential supplies. OCHA reminds us that only 12 per cent of Gaza is outside the Israeli-militarized zone or areas affected by displacement orders. Our partners are still unable to respond to shelter needs due to zero stock, with no shelter supplies having entered Gaza since early March.
In the past few days, the UN and our partners have managed to collect wheat flour, ready-to-eat rations and hot meal commodities from the crossings; however, most of the cargo was offloaded by the hungry crowds before reaching its destinations.
While nutrition supplies have entered during the past week, including high-energy biscuits for pregnant and breastfeeding women and infant formula, and hygiene kits, UNICEF emphasized yesterday that this is still a fraction of what is needed and reminded that malnutrition among children in Gaza is reaching catastrophic levels.
The UN and our partners reiterate that a ceasefire is critically needed to reach all those in need and urge for the continued facilitation of a sustained, uninterrupted and scaled-up flow of aid, including commercial goods.
Regarding fuel, yesterday, the UN was able to collect about 200,000 litres from Kerem Shalom crossing; however, the limited quantities that have been entering Gaza since last week do not suffice to remedy the shortages.
For example, water, sanitation and hygiene operations continue to be affected by the lack of fuel. While some 70,000 litres of fuel are needed every day for emergency operations, only 29,000 litres have been received, which is far below the minimum quantity needed.
In a welcome development, Israeli authorities have approved an increase in the number of fuel tankers that are allowed to enter per week. We will update you once we have clarity.
As we enter the second week since the Israeli announcement of the tactical pause to allow safe passages for our convoys, colleagues tell us that realities on the ground remain largely the same. Aid that has entered remains by far insufficient for the starving population and our convoys continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.
Some missions inside Gaza take more than 18 hours to be completed. The teams are compelled to wait for more than 10 hours at a stretch on the roads, which are often dangerous, congested or impassable.
Yesterday, while seven out of 11 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated, OCHA tells us that two others were impeded; one to collect health items was not fully accomplished; one was cancelled by the organizers.
Turning to the West Bank, OCHA tells us that violence by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian communities continues unabated. Settler violence incidents are on the rise. Last week, OCHA documented at least 24 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both.  OCHA reiterates its call for the protection of civilians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.