Deaths and injuries after desperate crowds overrun UN warehouse in Gaza
In Gaza, desperate hunger has driven crowds of civilians to storm a UN warehouse, reportedly leaving two dead and several injured.
The World Food Programme, WFP, said the incident happened at one of their facilities in Deir Al-Balah on Wednesday, where limited stocks of wheat flour had been stored for use by bakeries.
WFP’s regional director, Corinne Fleischer, described it as a tragedy that should never have happened, calling for an immediate and steady flow of aid.
UN agencies warn that Gaza is on the brink of catastrophe after 80 days of near-total Israeli blockade, with only a trickle of aid allowed to enter in the last few days.
Meanwhile, the UN and humanitarian partners reported on Thursday that Gaza’s fishing sector has been almost totally wiped out.
UN human rights office, OHCHR, found a pattern of Israeli military attacks on fishers at sea – and on land – with 94 per cent of trawlers and all large fishing vessels now lost.
UN honours service and sacrifice of peacekeepers
The United Nations on Thursday is honouring staff serving in the field under the blue flag, through events across the world marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
More than 68,000 civilian, military, and police personnel are currently posted at 11 peacekeeping missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The Day pays tribute to their unwavering service and sacrifice while honouring the more than 4,400 ‘blue helmets’ who have died in the line of duty over the past eight decades – 57 in 2024 alone.
This year’s theme focuses on the future of peacekeeping. UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted they face “increasingly complex situations in an increasingly complex world.”
UN News spoke to Squadron Leader Sharon Mwinsote Syme of Ghana, who is this year’s UN Military Gender Advocate award winner for her work boosting gender equality while serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in the disputed Abyei region between neighbouring Sudan and South Sudan.
CUT: “It is very important to integrate gender perspectives into peacekeeping operations because we need to understand the gender dynamics within our area of operations. Otherwise, we may not be able to have the right intervention, we may not be able to carry out the right activities.”
A boost for green finance in the Congo Basin
On Thursday, the UN launched a new $15 million initiative to boost sustainable investment in the Congo Basin, one of the world’s most vital ecosystems.
The initiative supports four countries in the region by empowering local entrepreneurs and small businesses to lead the way toward a sustainable, forest-friendly economy.
The Congo Basin rainforest is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks and is home to over 75 million people, including Indigenous Peoples whose livelihoods are deeply intertwined with the wellbeing of the forest.
Despite its importance and the ongoing threat of deforestation and unsustainable land use, this critical ecosystem has not received the same level of attention compared to other tropical forests.
The Pro-Congo initiative, a partnership between the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) aims to demonstrate that businesses, whose model does not depend on deforestation, can be profitable while following sustainable practices.
Matt Wells, UN News
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