UN Noon Briefing: Gaza Aid, Sudan Crisis, Chagos Islands Agreement, and More (May 22, 2025)

Condemnation of D.C. Attack

• 🇺🇳 The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of two Israeli Embassy officials in Washington, D.C., reiterating his condemnation of attacks against diplomatic officials.
• ⚖️ A call is made for the perpetrator to be brought to justice, with sympathies extended to the victims' families and the Government of Israel.

Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

• 🚚 Approximately 90 trucks carrying nutrition supplies, flour, and medicines entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom, though this is insufficient for the 2.1 million population.
• 🚫 Basic supplies like fresh food, hygiene items, and fuel have been blocked for over 80 days, with only nutrition products, food ingredients, and medical supplies currently allowed.
• 🏥 Bakeries in southern and central Gaza have resumed bread production with WFP support, but families still face a high risk of famine.
• ⚠️ Military operations continue, with reports of attacks on tents and buildings, and Al Awda hospital in North Gaza reportedly caught fire after an attack, heavily damaging its medicine warehouse.
• 💧 Water wells are shutting down due to lack of fuel, and Israeli authorities continue to deny attempts to deliver fuel.
• 🚶 Reaching Kerem Shalom requires navigating Israeli-militarized areas, often involving long waits for military activities to pause.

Conflict and Displacement in Sudan

• 🇸🇩 The humanitarian situation in Sudan is worsening due to surging fighting, displacing nearly 47,000 people in West Kordofan and 1,000 in North Darfur in the past week.
• 📈 Soaring food prices and a surge in cholera cases are deepening the crisis, compounded by a near-total electricity blackout in Khartoum.
• 🌊 Residents are resorting to unsafe water sources, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
• 🌍 Over 25,000 South Sudanese refugees have crossed into White Nile State fleeing insecurity and worsening conditions.
• 💰 Only 13% of the $4.2 billion needed for Sudan's humanitarian response plan has been received.

UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF) Allocations

• 🇨🇩 $750,000 from CERF's anticipatory action program was allocated to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support the response to a cholera surge.
• 🌍 $9.5 million was released to support climate action initiatives in eight countries, including Afghanistan, Chad, and Somalia.
• 🇸🇸 $10 million was released to provide life-saving aid to over 270,000 people in South Sudan, targeting vulnerable communities impacted by conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and cholera.

Other Key Updates

• 🇬🇧 The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement between the UK and Mauritius regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, emphasizing the value of diplomacy.
• 🛡️ The Security Council was briefed on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, with over 36,000 civilian deaths recorded in 14 armed conflicts this year.
• 🧑‍💼 Yasmin Fouad of Egypt was appointed as the next Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
• 🌳 Today is the International Day of Biological Diversity, with the Secretary-General highlighting the theme of living in harmony with nature.
• 🇭🇹 The humanitarian appeal for Haiti, requiring $98 million, has only received 7.7% of the needed funding.
• 🇮🇱 Regarding aid into Gaza, a small number of trucks carrying flour were intercepted by residents in an act of "self-distribution" due to high anxiety over aid delivery.
• 🇺🇦 The UN calls for an end to the war in Ukraine and for adherence to international principles and law, in response to reports of Ukrainian drone launches on the Russian Federation.