Category: The Civic Circle

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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, briefing the Security Council, said that the people of Yemen are facing “an ever-growing humanitarian crisis” that has left the country the third most food insecure in the world. He warned that before February next year, one million more Yemenis are expected to be pushed into extreme hunger, joining 17 million already struggling to feed themselves, including over 40,000 people in catastrophic conditions. “Seventy per cent of households in Yemen do not have enough food to meet their daily needs – the highest rate ever recorded,” Fletcher told Council members. Nearly half of the population is suffering severe food deprivation, he said, adding that “in one out of five households, someone goes a full day and night without any food at all.”

The humanitarian chief pointed to localized efforts that are saving lives despite a difficult operating environment. In Hajjah, aid organizations strengthened their response after children in displacement camps died from starvation, scaling up food distributions, hygiene kits, and cash support. In Amran, support from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund allowed local partners to provide health and nutrition services to 15,000 people, including at the Maswar Rural Hospital. In Marib, UNICEF and WHO are providing emergency nutrition through four hospitals, treating hundreds of severely malnourished children, pregnant women, and new mothers. Humanitarian partners have also reached over 172,000 people affected by floods with shelter, clean water, and non-food items.

Despite these efforts, Fletcher stressed that “it is not enough.” Funding shortages are limiting the scale of response, he said, noting that two million women and girls have already lost access to reproductive health services in a country where a woman dies every two hours in childbirth. He warned that “funding cuts are costing lives” at a time when conflict and a collapsing economy continue to devastate Yemen.

The Under-Secretary-General also expressed grave concern over continued hostilities, including air strikes in Sana’a and Al Jawf since the last Council briefing that reportedly caused more than 300 casualties. He reiterated that “international humanitarian law must be respected; civilians and civilian objects must be protected.”

Equally alarming, Fletcher said, is the detention of 44 United Nations staff by Houthi authorities since late August, along with dozens of personnel from NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions. “The arbitrary detention of UN staff, the forcible entry of UN offices, and the seizure of equipment fundamentally undermines our ability to deliver at scale,” he told the Council. “Detaining UN staff does not help the people of Yemen. It does not feed the hungry, heal the sick, nor protect those displaced by floods or fighting.”

Highlights:

Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sudan
Sudan / Humanitarian
Yemen
Ukraine
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Haiti
Trip Announcement
Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
Scientific Advisory Board
International Day of Democracy

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which took place over the weekend across Gaza City, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured. This is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation.
We reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and full respect for international law.
Yesterday, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said that in the previous four days alone, 10 of the agency’s buildings have been hit in Gaza City. This includes seven schools and two clinics used as shelters for thousands of displaced people. Consequently, Mr. Lazzarini warned that exhausted and terrified civilians are again being forced to leave northern Gaza.
People are fleeing using the Al Rashid Road, which is the only route available for movement to the south and is extremely congested.
Over the past few days, colleagues monitoring the movement of people in Gaza counted almost 70,000 displacements heading south, primarily to Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. In the past month, partners observed about 150,000 movements from north to south.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that forced displacement from Gaza City exhausts families’ resources and disrupts their last lifelines. Without safe, sustained access, the risk of worsening hunger grows, especially for children.
Meanwhile, the cost of transportation to the south has increased, and many who cannot afford to pay as much as $1,600 to move are having to stay put.
Our partners report that one third of malnutrition treatment facilities in Gaza City have already shut down due to forced displacement orders. Today, the Ministry of Health said that three more people died due to malnutrition and starvation over a span of 24 hours. Overall, the Ministry reports that 425 people across Gaza have died due to malnutrition and starvation, about a third of them children.  
Our partners working in water, sanitation and hygiene have scaled up water production and are distributing water at reception points. They have been able to increase the number of meals being provided in the past few days, distributing about 40,000 additional meals daily. Throughout Gaza as of Saturday, 558,000 daily meals were prepared and delivered by 20 partners through 116 kitchens. 
However, health services continue to be heavily constrained, since clinics have suspended their services due to insecurity and displacement orders. In Deir al Balah, more than half of the ambulances are now out of service, with a very limited number of ambulances to serve thousands of people.
OCHA reports that humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue to face impediments. Yesterday, out of 17 missions that our teams coordinated with the Israeli authorities, only four were facilitated. Seven missions were denied, including the delivery of water tanks to the north. Another four missions were impeded on the ground but three of them were nevertheless accomplished, and these included the collection of fuel and food cargo from Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem. Two other missions had to be cancelled by the organizers.
OCHA continues to call for unimpeded humanitarian access. Aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into and within Gaza, including the north.   
Additionally, our partners estimate that about 77 per cent of road networks in Gaza have been damaged, with Gaza and Khan Younis governorates worst affected.

SUDAN
The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Ramtane Lamamra, is currently in Port Sudan after concluding consultations in Nairobi. He has had very constructive engagements with Sudanese stakeholders across the spectrum, as well key interlocutors from the international community.
This will help lay the groundwork necessary to support an inclusive process that can deliver a sustainable solution that preserves Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.
The UN looks forward to working closely with the UN’s regional partners, including the African Union, IGAD and the League of Arab States on the recommencement of efforts towards an intra-Sudanese dialogue.