Occupied Palestinian Territory
Thousands of Palestinians continue to flee to the southern town of Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza's population of 2.2 million people. Most are living in makeshift structures, tent or out in the open, according to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The health care system continues to suffer, and the Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals are reportedly suffering from a serious shortage of oxygen that patients are depending on.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization's Director-General, Dr. Tedros said that Nasser Hospital is currently serving 400 patients. Once the most important referral hospital in southern Gaza, within a week Nasser has gone from partially to minimally functional, reflecting the unwarranted and ongoing dismantling of the health system, he said.
Meanwhile, UNICEF estimates that at least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or separated. This corresponds to 1 per cent of the overall displaced population of 1.7 million people.
The conflict has had a severe impact on children's mental health. UNICEF now estimates that almost all children in the Gaza Strip need mental health and psychosocial support - that's more than 1 million children.
Since the start of the conflict, UNICEF and its partners have provided this support to more than 40,000 children and 10,000 caregivers. Given the scale of needs, this is far from sufficient - and the only way to deliver these services at scale is with a ceasefire.
Ukraine
The Humanitarian Coordinator there, Denise Brown, today condemned a deadly attack on aid workers in the south of the country.
Two aid workers from an NGO called HEKS/EPER were killed yesterday, and several others injured when their vehicles were attacked.
Just a week ago, a similar attack on humanitarian vehicles injured a aid worker in the town of Chasiv Yar, in the east.
Last year, 50 aid workers were killed or injured in Ukraine, including 11 who were killed in the line of duty.
Despite the challenges and insecurity, humanitarian workers continue to deliver aid. Today, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivered three trucks of humanitarian supplies to the residents of front-line communities in the Kharkiv Region. The supplies included hygiene kits, thermal blankets, sleeping bags, kitchen sets, evacuation kits and construction materials to repair damaged homes.
Yemen
The UN and partners yesterday released the 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview and Response Plan, which seeks $2.7 billion to support more than 11 million people across the country.
After more than nine years of conflict, the daily struggles of people in Yemen are aggravated by economic deterioration and severely disrupted public infrastructure and services, as well as climate change. More than 18 million people in Yemen - which is more than half the country's population - need humanitarian aid and protection services.
Some 12.4 million people lack sufficient access to safe drinking water, increasing the risk of infectious diseases, while more than 4.5 million children are out of school.
The country is also experiencing some of the highest malnutrition rates ever recorded, with nearly half of all children under the age of five experiencing moderate to severe stunting - and the situation continues to worsen. Our partners estimate that 17.6 million people will face acute food insecurity this year.
To support more sustainable programming and a shift away from a reliance on aid, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan also emphasizes collaboration with development partners to support livelihoods, basic services and economic conditions to build long-term solutions.
Ethiopia
In a joint statement yesterday, the UN and the Government called for urgent funding to respond to food insecurity across the northern highlands region.
The impact of an El Niño-driven drought is ravaging communities in Afar, Amhara, Tigray and Oromia, as well as Southern and South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region. Severe water shortages, dried pastures and reduced harvests are affecting millions of lives and livestock, with reports of alarming food insecurity and rising malnutrition.
A recent joint assessment by the Government and our humanitarian partners concluded that the number of critically food insecure people will continue to grow over the next few months, reaching a peak of 10.8 million during the lean season between July and September. Malnutrition rates in parts of Afar, Amhara and Tigray and other regions have already surpassed globally recognized crisis thresholds, although the situation is currently not reflective of famine-like conditions.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
While the situation in many of these areas is already alarming, there is an opportunity to avert a serious humanitarian catastrophe through additional funding to urgently scale up and sustain response efforts. More than 6 million people are already being assisted with food and cash across affected areas, but huge gaps remain.
Central African Republic
The UN and our partners today launched the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan.
While the situation has improved in some areas, humanitarian needs will remain high this year - mainly due to the consequences of the conflict that lasted over a decade, as well as the impact of the war in Sudan and insecurity in the border region with Chad.
The UN and our partners are seeking nearly $370 million to support 1.9 million people this year.
In some relatively stable areas in the interior of the country, after consultation with authorities and affected communities, humanitarian organizations will work with development partners to provide support in the areas of protection and resilience.
