UN Daily Press Briefing: Gaza Aid, Lebanon Violations, Philippines Cyclone, Hurricane Melissa, and Global Food Prices

Climate Summit and International Diplomacy

• 🌍 The Secretary-General is attending the Belém Climate Summit in Brazil, highlighting the renewable energy revolution and the need for faster progress.
• 💡 He stressed that protecting forests and oceans is a legal, moral, and economic responsibility.
• 🤝 Bilateral meetings were held with leaders from Türkiye, the Republic of Congo, and Barbados.

Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

• 📦 Despite progress, urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza remain immense due to impediments to aid delivery.
• 🏠 Most displaced people are in overcrowded makeshift sites, facing the rainy season without adequate protection.
• 🍎 Significant progress has been made on food distribution, with over one million people reached by the World Food Programme.
• ⚠️ Local food production is challenging due to widespread damage to farmland and contamination from war remnants.

Occupied Palestinian Territory (West Bank)

• 📈 OCHA reports a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians, reaching the highest monthly toll in nearly two decades.
• 🏘️ Over 3,200 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence, with entire herding communities depopulated.
• 🧒 The number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year has reached 42, with children comprising one in five fatalities.

UNIFIL and Lebanon

• 🇱🇧 Israeli airstrikes in UNIFIL's area of operations in southern Lebanon are clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701.
• 🕊️ The UN urges adherence to the cessation of hostilities agreement to avoid jeopardizing hard-won progress.

Philippines Cyclone and Caribbean Hurricane

• 🌀 The UN has fast-tracked nearly $6 million in funding to support over 400,000 people at risk from Tropical Cyclone Fong Fong Wong in the Philippines.
• 🌊 Hurricane Melissa has affected nearly 5 million people in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica, causing at least 75 deaths and displacing over 770,000 people.
• 🛠️ UN agencies are providing essential aid, including food, shelter, health, and livelihood support in affected areas.

West and Central Africa, and Global Food Prices

• 🤝 Over 42,000 refugees have voluntarily returned home in the West and Central Africa region this year, with continued progress dependent on funding.
• 📉 Global food commodity prices declined in October, driven by ample supplies, with the FAO food price index down 1.6% from September.

International Week of Science and Peace

• 🕊️ The International Week of Science and Peace begins, aiming to promote global cooperation and awareness of the links between science, technology, and peace.