UN Noon Briefing: Cyprus, Gaza Crisis, Afghanistan Earthquake, Haiti Violence, Ukraine Aid & More

Secretary-General's Travel and Climate Justice

• ✈️ The Secretary-General is returning to New York after speaking with media in Papua New Guinea.
• 💡 He emphasized climate justice, stating that international communities benefiting from Papua New Guinea's natural resources must provide promised support for adaptation and resilience.
• 💰 Reforms to international financial institutions were reiterated to better address development challenges.

Cyprus Peace Efforts

• 🕊️ The Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, will travel to Cyprus next week.
• 🤝 She is scheduled to meet with the Greek Cypriot leader on September 12th and the Turkish Cypriot leader on September 15th, engaging with other stakeholders.

Intensified Offensive in Gaza

• 💥 The offensive in Gaza City has intensified, causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure and increasing displacement.
• 🏠 Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building, with nearby tents sheltering displaced people also damaged; further attacks on buildings are anticipated.
• ⚠️ Famine has been confirmed, and increasing numbers of people are fleeing, with transport costs to the south exceeding $1,000.
• 🚚 Humanitarian personnel face significant impediments in movement coordination, with many requests denied or delayed.
• 🏥 Despite challenges, fuel and supplies for water, hygiene, and sanitation were secured, and the WHO distributed critical nutritional supplies to Al Nasser Hospital.
• 🆘 Humanitarians call for scaled-up, sustained, and safe access for food and medicine, especially to the north, including Gaza City.

West Bank Violence and Demolitions

• 📈 Since January, over 2,780 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces or settlers, a 39% increase from last year.
• 🏡 Over 1,150 structures have been demolished across the West Bank for lacking permits, a 44% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Afghanistan Earthquake Response

• 🆘 The UN's emergency relief coordinator highlighted the devastating earthquake as the latest crisis exposing the cost of shrinking humanitarian resources.
• 💰 OCHA released $10 million to kickstart the response, with de facto authorities and countries providing relief supplies and funding.
• 📦 UNHCR dispatched $4.5 million worth of emergency relief items, but its stock in Afghanistan is currently low.

Dire Situation in Haiti

• ⚠️ Gender-based atrocities in Haiti are at alarming levels, with over 6,200 incidents reported between January and July, nearly half of which were rapes, often perpetrated by armed gang members.
• 👧 Adult women are most affected, but one in seven survivors is a child.
• 🏥 Only a quarter of rape survivors accessed medical care within the critical 72-hour window due to insecurity, stigma, and a weak referral system.
• 💸 Chronic underfunding, with only 18% of the $19 million needed received, leaves most survivors without necessary care.

Ukraine Conflict and Aid Worker Safety

• 💔 The UN condemned an attack in the Cherniv region that killed and injured humanitarian workers, including deminers from the Danish Refugee Council.
• ⚠️ At least four other aid workers have been killed and 34 injured in Ukraine this year.
• 🏠 Hostilities continue, causing civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure.

Ebola Outbreak and Human Rights in DRC

• 🦠 The UN and partners are supporting the government's response to a new Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, with 28 suspected cases and 15 fatalities reported.
• ⚖️ A report by the UN Human Rights Office indicates that all parties to the conflict in North and South Kivu have committed serious violations of international humanitarian law, potentially amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Other Updates

• 💧 Severe flooding in northern India has affected over 380,000 people, with dozens reported killed and thousands of acres of farmland damaged.
• 📈 The FAO Food Price Index remained largely unchanged in August, though it is 6.9% higher than a year ago.
• 🌬️ Sunday is the International Day of Clean Air and Blue Skies, highlighting the link between air quality and climate change.
• 🤝 Today is the International Day of Charity, and Sunday is the International Day of Police Cooperation and World Duchenne Awareness Day.
• 💰 Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo paid their regular budget dues.