Category: The Civic Circle

Paulsen said the findings lay out “the scale, the nature, and the magnitude of the famine unfolding.” According to the IPC report, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic deprivation and “over one million people, some 54 per cent of the population, are facing what’s classified as Emergency Phase Four. By the end of September, famine is projected to further expand to the Governorates of Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis,” Paulsen noted.

Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of the WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, said the confirmation reflects extreme conditions. “What we have is extreme food deprivation, widespread acute malnutrition, and starvation-related deaths, and that should all make us pause,” he said.

“When a famine is confirmed, it also means that we’re not just in an extreme food crisis. It means we’ve crossed the tipping point,” Bauer added. “We’re not in a mathematical problem where we can say that X money or X million dollars or Y trucks will solve this problem. The problem becomes much more complex, especially in the case of the exponentially rising number of people facing malnutrition.”

He highlighted the rarity of such declarations. “Since the IPC itself was created more than 20 years ago, this is only the fifth time that there has been a famine confirmation. There was one in 2011 in Somalia, 2017 in South Sudan, 2020 in South Sudan again, and then in 2024 in Sudan,” Bauer said. “So, this is a historic moment; we also have two concurrent famines – Gaza and Sudan. To have two famines at the same time, that’s something that’s absolutely unprecedented. What this also constitutes is the first famine that has been confirmed in the Middle East.”

The situation is particularly grave for children, a UNICEF official warned. “Within this humanitarian emergency in Gaza, there’s a real child survival crisis,” said Samir Elhawary, Acting Deputy Director of Emergency Programs at UNICEF. “We see malnutrition accelerating at a catastrophic pace, and for many, far too many children, it’s already too late.”

Elhawary said aid restrictions had long been pushing children into extreme food poverty. “The signs were unmistakable: children with wasted bodies, too weak to cry or to eat; babies dying of hunger and preventable disease; and parents arriving at clinics without enough food to feed their children.”

Addressing the Security Council today (22 Aug), Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee said, “Regrettably, the evolution of the security situation on the ground has not matched the progress achieved on the diplomatic front, while the parties are yet to comply with their obligations under Security Council resolution 2773.”

She continued, “The number of civilian casualties has risen dramatically. Humanitarian workers are risking their lives to provide limited assistance to a population whose needs continue to grow. Conflict-related sexual violence persists, amid general indifference.”

She added, “The forced recruitment of children continues. As the school year is about to start, thousands of other children will be unable to go to school, because of insecurity. Despite a relative lull in direct clashes, the parties continue to deploy troops and transfer weapons along the front lines.”

She said, “Today, 5.9 million Congolese are internally displaced, including one million in North Kivu and 1.5 million in South Kivu. Families are repeatedly uprooted, caught in a cycle of fear and constant displacement. This relentless instability not only erodes social cohesion but threatens any prospect for long-term peace and recovery.”

She stressed, “The adoption by the DRC and Rwanda of the terms of reference of the Joint Oversight Committee, the Joint Coordination Mechanism of the Washington Agreement, and the declaration of principles for a regional economic integration framework, are encouraging. It should be emphasized, at the same time, that while commitment to process is welcome, it is no substitute for an actual cessation of hostilities on the ground and genuine steps to end the privations of conflict in eastern DRC.”

Also addressing the Council today, Zénon Mukongo Ngay, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations, said, “Despite all these peace initiatives, we remain concerned, in light of recent developments, about the sincerity of Rwanda’s commitment and that of their AFC/M23 auxiliaries, who persist in trampling on their obligations under the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Declaration of Principles.”

Tetteh briefed the Council today (21 Aug) in New York on the situation in Libya. She noted that 26 Libyan municipalities successfully went to the polls on 16 August in spite of significant challenges. She commended the dedication of HNEC, their staff and teams in the polling stations and the security officials for making the elections possible.

“By the end of polling day, voter turnout was 71 per cent,” the head of UNSMIL said, describing it as “a clear signal that the Libyan people are yearning to elect their representatives.”

“In some areas, this was the first time any elections have happened since 2014,” Tetteh added.

However, the chief of UNSMIL added, “the suspension of municipal elections in eastern and southern Libya previously referenced is an equally clear sign that not all are committed to supporting Libya’s democratic development and there is an urgent need for a reset in the political process.”

Tetteh also proposed a roadmap built around three core pillars: one, the implementation of a technically sound and politically viable electoral framework aimed at holding Presidential and Legislative elections; two, unifying institutions through a new unified government; and three, a structured dialogue that enables broad participation of Libyans to address the critical issues that need to be tackled in order to create a conducive environment for elections, shaping a shared vision and addressing long term drivers of conflict while underpinning short term efforts to unify institutions and enhance governance in key sectors, she told the Council.

The head of the Mission reaffirmed UNSMIL’s call for “a unified, realistic and balanced budget that reflects agreed priorities and promotes financial sustainability and monetary stability.”

She also urged all concerned entities that receive public salaries throughout Libya to “adhere to the automated public salary payment system.”

Tetteh is also alarmed by the forced return of migrants to conflict zones, including Sudan.

She said, “In Kufra, the number of Sudanese refugees exceeds the number of residents, and conditions are dire.”

The UNSMIL chief urged the donor community to “increase its support for our refugee response plan.”

Somalian Ambassador Mohammed Rabiussef spoke as the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya.

He reiterated the Committee’s commitment to “contributing to the promotion of peace and stability in Libya.”

For his part, Libyan Ambassador Taher M. El-Sonni told the Council, “Everything we are discussing today and have discussed in the past, be it illegal migration or the spread of arms or terrorist groups or armed groups, or violations of human rights to the smuggling of oil and other. All of these are simply manifestations.”

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Amid the precarious military and political situation, 16 million Syrians across the country need humanitarian aid, according to Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Additionally, over 185,000 people have been displaced across Sweida, Dar’a, Rural Damascus and beyond.

“The overall situation is dire. We need to sustain urgent delivery of food, health, shelter, clean water, fuel, restoration of water and electricity infrastructure, education. In some areas, those arriving now outnumber the existing population. Services are overwhelmed,” said Mr. Fletcher.

Teams from the UN humanitarian aid coordination office (OCHA) have visited Sweida and other towns, delivering aid and assessing needs.

OCHA has also provided emergency food packages, flour and essential household items to tens of thousands of people.

However, insecurity and road closures have disrupted the supply of aid from the UN, NGO partners and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

“We need better humanitarian and commercial access. And most of all, we need safety,” Mr. Fletcher stressed, particularly referring to attacks on aid convoys, health facilities, medics and ambulances.

Nevertheless, “despite funding and security challenges, the UN and partners are delivering as much lifesaving support as we can with the resources we have,” reaching 3.5 million people on average each month, a noticeable increase from last year.

But with the 2025 humanitarian appeal in the country only 14 per cent funded, ongoing aid cuts in many Western capitals are projected to lead to reduced staffing of at least 40 per cent across the humanitarian community inside Syria.

The UN relief chief emphasised that without more funding, “we won’t be able to sustain these vital efforts, let alone expand them to more people who need them.”

Highlights:
Secretary-General/Gaza
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Secretary-General/Travels
Security Council
Security Council/Libya
Global Health Challenges/Extreme Heat
Senior Personnel Appointment
International Days

SECRETARY-GENERAL/GAZA
In a statement issued early this morning, the Secretary-General said that just when it seems there are no words left to describe the living hell in Gaza, a new one has been added: “famine”. This is not a mystery, he said; it is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself.
The Secretary-General noted that famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival. He pointed out that people are starving, children are dying and those with the duty to act are failing.
The Secretary-General said that as the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law, including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population. He stressed that we cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.
No more excuses, the Secretary-General said, adding that the time for action is not tomorrow, it is now. He emphasized that we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and full, unfettered humanitarian access.
There have been also several other statements on this, including from our Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Agencies and our UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. All of those statements are available online.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Now on the humanitarian side, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remind us, again today, that civilians are bearing the brunt of this war. As strikes continue to intensify across the Strip, casualties are flooding hospitals’ emergency departments.
We and our partners continue to warn of the catastrophic consequences that the intensification of the ongoing offensive in Gaza city would have for civilians. Overnight and into today, multiple strikes were reported in the Jabalya Al Balad and An Nazla neighbourhoods. Our partners monitoring population movements in the Strip say that as a result, about 900 people reportedly left, heading towards the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood and western Gaza city.
Once again, we remind parties to the conflict of their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers and those who cannot or choose not to move. As we have said before, those fleeing must be allowed to do so safely. They must also be allowed to return if they wish to do so, as the situation allows. OCHA reiterates the urgency of ensuring people have access to aid and basic services, whether they leave or stay. Supplies must be allowed to enter Gaza through all available crossings and corridors. We and our humanitarian partners must have safe, predictable and sustained access to deliver aid at scale to people in immense need of assistance.
Our colleagues working on health remind us that nearly half of all hospitals and field hospitals are located in Gaza city and account for 40 per cent of the total inpatient bed capacity in all of the Gaza Strip. Expansion of military operations would further cripple the collapsing healthcare system.
Many medical facilities in the south are operating several times over their bedspace capacity. Partners stress that access to healthcare must be immediately restored to avert more preventable deaths.

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Yacoub El Hillo spent more than thirty years serving refugees and displaced people in some of the world’s worst conflict zones. But when cataclysmic war erupted in his hometown of Khartoum, Sudan, the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) had to help his own family flee the violence.

“I don’t think there’s any home in Khartoum that was spared … the assumption is that everything is gone.”

Having served in more than 16 duty stations, from Liberia to Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan, Yacoub El Hillo has rarely seen any conflict as devastating as the one currently decimating Sudan.

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The UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Thursday, saying that amid a strained ceasefire and military skirmishes in Syria, the political transition “remains on a knife’s edge”.

Geir Pedersen told ambassadors that in Sweida governate, where sectarian violence in July also spurred conflict in the capital Damascus, the 19 July ceasefire has come under strain, but the conflict has not resumed so far.

However, “we are still seeing dangerous hostilities and skirmishes on the margins of Sweida, and violence could resume at any moment,” he said.

In northeast Syria, efforts to implement the 10 March agreement between the interim security forces and the mostly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue. Just this month, there have been spikes in violence between the two militaries in the Aleppo governorate.

While attempts to convene the two sides outside of the country have been unsuccessful, Mr. Pedersen welcomed reports of contacts between officials.

Despite these security incidents, Mr. Pedersen stressed that the situation has been relatively calm this month, applauding the efforts of those who have worked to tamp down hostilities.

However, in terms of the political situation, “the country remains deeply fragile and the transition remains on a knife-edge.”

After 13 years of civil war, Mr. Pedersen underscored the need for an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition that enables the Syrian people determine their own future peacefully, independently and democratically.

“Syrians need to feel that this transition is not a series of ad hoc arrangements and isolated institutions, but a clear and comprehensive path, based on inclusion and transparency, to implement the principles of resolution 2254,” he said.

To encourage the voluntary, safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons, Mr. Pedersen stressed the need for coordinated support to repair Syria’s depleted infrastructure.

Highlights:
Secretary-General/Japan
Secretary-General/Israeli Settlements
Deputy Secretary-General
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Ukraine
Security Council
Libya
Lebanon
Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

SECRETARY-GENERAL/JAPAN
The Secretary-General continues his visit to Japan. Today, he held a press conference in Yokohama on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development. He reiterated the importance of reaching immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages held in the Strip, and to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause.
On the TICAD Summit, Mr. Guterres said that discussions at the conference focused on how partnership with Africa can strengthen solutions the whole world needs – in peace, in global governance, finance, climate action, and digital transformation.
Today, the Secretary-General also held meetings with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iwaya Takesh, and separately with the Mayor of Yokohama.
While in Yokohama, Mr. Guterres met with the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani. They discussed cooperation between Ghana and the UN, as well as the situation in the region.
The Secretary-General also met with the Head of State and Head of Government of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto. They discussed the Haiti Mission, and exchanged views on the regional situation in the Great Lakes, East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
The Secretary-General is currently on his way to Osaka where the EXPO is being held.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Secretary-General condemned the decision of the Higher Planning Committee to grant approval for more than 3,400 housing units in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank. He notes that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are a violation of international law and run directly counter to UN resolutions.
The Secretary-General said that the advancement of this project is an existential threat to the two-State solution. It would sever the northern and southern West Bank and have severe consequences for the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
He reiterated his call on the Government of Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity and to comply fully with its obligations under international law and to act in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and in line with the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General will depart later today for Abuja, Nigeria, to attend the inaugural Regional Security Conference of African Defence Chiefs entitled the “African Defence Chiefs Summit”. The Summit will bring together defence leaders from across the continent to discuss collective approaches to peace and security and stability in Africa. At the Summit, she will highlight that sustainable development and peace and security are mutually reinforcing and must be advanced together to tackle today’s complex security challenges. While in Abuja, the Deputy Secretary-General will also meet with senior government officials of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), and other key stakeholders to advance cooperation on sustainable development, peace and security, and humanitarian priorities.
Following her visit to Nigeria, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Santiago, in Chile, to participate in the World Summit on Teachers where she will underscore the central role of teachers in advancing the SDG4 and the global education agenda. The Summit builds on the outcomes of the 2022 Transforming Education Summit and advances the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession, reinforcing the urgent need to invest in, and support, teachers worldwide. While in Chile, she will also meet with senior government officials, the UN Country Team, and other stakeholders to discuss national progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on Friday, 29 August.