Noon Briefings

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxford University’s Poverty and Human Initiative released today a report showing that nearly 8 in 10 people living in multidimensional poverty — this is 887 million people out of 1.1 billion globally — are exposed to climate hazards such as extreme heat, flooding and drought.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, while traveling from Cairo to Rafah, spoke of how vital that route is as a lifeline for aid going into Gaza. He stressed the need for all the crossings to open to allow for a massive scale-up and start turning the situation on the ground around.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, concluded a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he met with both the Saudi and Emirati Ambassadors to Yemen, as well as ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Discussions focused on the detention by Ansar Allah of UN colleagues, those from diplomatic missions and NGO personnel.

As of the end of September, less than one quarter of the over $45.3 billion needed to support life-saving action around the world this year had been received, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns. This is 40 per cent less compared to the same time last year.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that women, children and displaced families are hardest hit by Haiti’s prolonged crisis, which is driving hunger and malnutrition. A record of 5.7 million people - 51 per cent of the population - are experiencing acute levels of hunger, a 3 per cent increase from last year.

In Gaza, the ceasefire announcement has generated new hope for relief at last, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports. Within minutes of taking effect, thousands of people resumed movement north. The United Nations and its aid partners are ready to immediately scale up the humanitarian response.

In Ukraine, several civilians have been killed and injured over the past three days, with most casualties recorded in the Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, power plants and oil depots were damaged during attacks in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Donesk regions.

In Gaza, UN partners report that many people are unable to leave the north due to insecurity, and are struggling to survive amid severe food and shelter shortages. Today, the UN Satellite Centre published a preliminary analysis showing damage to 83 per cent of structures in Gaza City alone.

In Chad, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for an urgent response to the deadly cholera outbreak in the country. The funding aims to contain the spread of the disease — mainly by improving access to water and sanitation, and providing medical support.