That’s according to UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, who briefed reporters in New York, saying critical infrastructure had been damaged in at least four of the capital’s 10 districts, including homes, a hospital and a kindergarten.
“Water and electricity systems were also affected, but authorities managed to quickly restore these vital supplies,” he added, citing UN humanitarians on the ground.
He said the UN and humanitarian partners had distributed blankets and hot meals to hundreds of people and provided psychosocial and medical assistance, in addition to registering those affected for cash assistance.
“Venues have been set up to help people stay warm, complementing authorities’ efforts to find shelter for people whose homes have been damaged,” he added.
Cyber attack
As a result of a cyber attack on one of Ukraine’s largest mobile phone operators, millions of people have been without access to an airstrike warning system in the Kiev region, as well as in some parts of the north and center.
“Once again we emphasize that deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the UN spokesperson said. “That includes telecommunications and other infrastructure that helps people stay informed and protected in times of war.”
Presenting the latest human rights report from the UN rights agency OHCHR, Danielle Bell, head of the Ukraine division, said that “the impact of the continued attacks on civilian sites, human rights violations and civilian suffering that we are witnessing today will reverberate. for generations to come.”
She added that “virtually every aspect of public life, from education and healthcare to the economy and social cohesion, has been negatively affected by the war, causing long-term damage to Ukraine’s social, economic and political fabric ”.
According to the report, 576 civilians had been killed and 1,864 civilians injured between August and the end of November.
About 86 percent of the victims occurred in government-controlled areas in Kiev, mainly in the Donetsk, Kharkov, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. of Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine.
The OHCHR report notes that the majority of civilian casualties and damage result from shelling and multi-missile system (MLRS) attacks near the front line.
The UN chief welcomes signs of progress in talks to end the war in Sudan
The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday welcomed “encouraging developments” reported following the latest talks held by the African regional body IGAD in Djibouti this weekend on ending the military confrontation in Sudan that has hit the country and its has stirred neighboring countries.
IGAD reported that Sudan’s army chief had agreed to a meeting with the head of the rival militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two men have reportedly agreed to meet within fifteen days for talks on a ceasefire and a political process to achieve a lasting peace.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the encouraging developments in the context of the extraordinary meeting of IGAD Heads of State and Government held in Djibouti on 9 December, which discussed the situation in Sudan,” said a statement from his spokesperson.
Committed to supporting mediation
Antonio Guterres reiterated the UN’s “commitment to support the mediation efforts of its African partners and to work with all other relevant stakeholders to help end the war and restore peace in Sudan.”
The conflict between the warring sides began in April as negotiations continued to merge the RSF militia into the national armed forces and begin the transition to civilian rule.
This followed the collapse of a power-sharing council under former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in October 2021, which was dissolved by the military.
Wednesday’s statement said Mr. Guterres was “deeply concerned by the parties’ unwillingness – thus far – to cease hostilities, which has caused untold suffering to civilians across Sudan.”
The UN Chief’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, stands ready to work with all parties and partners to advance the cause of peace in Sudan.
The former U.N. political mission, known as UNITAMS, was terminated early this month after the Security Council agreed to the military government’s request, arguing it fell short of expectations.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting, while millions have been driven from their homes, and allegations of multiple human rights abuses have exacerbated a growing humanitarian crisis.
Europe and Central Asia make progress towards the SDG goal of ‘zero hunger’
Europe and Central Asia are making progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on ‘zero hunger’, including tackling food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, despite serious challenges in recent years.
This is evident from the latest regional overview of food security and nutrition, covering the vast region, published today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Although the average cost of a healthy diet has increased in the region, the number of people who cannot afford a healthy diet decreased in 2022.
The report also notes that the pandemic, conflict, extreme weather and natural disasters have made it more difficult to improve food security and nutrition in recent years.
However, since 2000, the prevalence of malnutrition in the Europe and Central Asia region has been below 2.5 percent and the estimated number of moderately to severely food insecure people has fallen by 4.1 percent to 111.1 million people between 2021 and 2022.
‘Valuable information’
“We hope that this report will provide valuable information that can contribute to effective intersectoral collaboration, including with civil society organizations and the private sector, to accelerate progress towards achieving SDG 2 target in Europe and Central Asia,” said Godfrey Magwenzi , prosecutor. – Fees for the FAO Regional Office.
This contrasts with the “alarming” regional trend on the proportion of people who are overweight and showing signs of obesity.
In 2022, the prevalence of overweight children under five in Europe and Central Asia was 7.1 percent, higher than the global estimate of 5.6 percent.
Adult obesity is increasing in all sub-regions and all countries, the study said.