The team went In Sweida City, as well as two districts – Shahba and Salkhad – where they met representatives and partners of the local community, in addition to visiting travel sites and reception centers.

Members also carried out evaluations in the three districts of the governorate, where hundreds of people were killed, and some 175,000 displaced people, in recent sectarian violence in the middle of the current political transition from Syria since the fall of the Assad regime last December.

A senior United Nations officials said THE Security advice Earlier this week, a fragile ceasefire “holds largely”.

More help delivered

Ochha said that a fifth convoy of humanitarian aid organized by the Syrian Red Arab Croissant also arrived in Sweida on Thursday. It was the largest so far, with 40 trucks.

The convoy, which included assistance from the United Nations, delivered medical supplies, flour, fuel, preserves, hygiene kits and shelter equipment, among other assistance.

On Wednesday, the Syrian Arab Arab Croissant also delivered four tankers carrying more than 120,000 liters of fuel.

Haiti: armed groups broaden activities

The armed groups in Haiti expand their presence and their activities in the Artibonite region which has triggered displacement waves, according to the OCHA.

Last Monday, violence linked to armed groups broke out in the city of Liancourt, where a vehicle and several houses were burnt down. This followed a week of violent clashes.

On July 19, nearly 15,000 people were moved to four municipalities in Arbonite. They remain in the foster families, many of whom had trouble meeting the basic needs.

OCHA said the response efforts were underway, led by local humanitarian partners. They distributed hygiene kits to more than 500 displaced households and with reception communities, as well as hundreds of hot meals.

Lightning Flash 2017 in the United States Great Plains is a new world record

A flash in a notorious storm hotspot in the United States almost a decade ago was the longest ever recorded, the world meteorological organization (Wmo)) announcement THURSDAY.

Megaflash – an incredible 829 kilometers long (515 miles) – occurred during a major storm in the big plains in October 2017 and was about 61 kilometers more than the previous record, also established in the same region.

It has spread from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, equivalent to the distance between Paris and Venice in Europe: a trip that would take about eight to nine by car, or at least 90 minutes by plane.

Value of early alert systems

The flash was not identified in the original analysis of the 2017 storm, but was discovered by review.

The WMO weather and climate committee recognized the new record with the help of the latest satellite technologies and the results were published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

“Lightning is a source of wonder but also a major risk that claims many lives in the world each year and is therefore one of the priorities for the International warning of first warnings for all initiatives“Said the secretary general of the WMO, Celeste Saulo.

Launched in 2022, the initiative aims to guarantee that everyone on the planet is protected against dangerous times, water or climate via early alert systems by the end of 2027.

This assessment of the United Nations Trade and Development body, Trectacome an update Posted Thursday before the last series of talks to develop a legally binding international instrument against plastic pollution.

“Although plastics are directly linked to the triple planetary triple crisis – pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change – there is still no complete international treaty governing their composition, design, production, trade and elimination,” said UNCTAD.

Pollute our oceans

In 2023, plastic production reached 436 million metric tonnes worldwide, the negotiated value exceeding $ 1.1 billion of dollars. It also represented 5% of the total trade in goods.

However, 75% of all plastics ever produced has become waste, most of which have been in the world’s oceans and ecosystems.

This pollution also threatens food systems and human well-being, especially in small islands and coastal developing countries with a limited capacity to cope.

Support for substitutes

UNCTAD pleads for tariff and non -tariff measures to support ecologically durable plastic substitutes which are often derived from natural sources such as minerals, plants or animals, and can be recycled or transformed into compost.

The global trade in these substitutes reached $ 485 billion in 2023, with an annual growth of 5.6% in developing economies.

The evolution will require measures to meet the challenges linked to tariff and non -tariff measures, limited market access and low regulatory incentives.

Tariff disparities

UNCTAD explained that a reduction in prices on plastic and rubber products in the past 30 years – from 34% to 7.2% – has made them “artificially cheap”. Meanwhile, alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibers and algae are facing average tariffs of 14.4%

“These disparities in the way materials are treated discourage investment in alternative products and hinder innovation in developing countries which aim to export safer and more durable alternatives to plastics based on fossil fuel,” he said.

Currently, 98% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, which means that emissions and environmental damage should increase if they are without control. In response, many countries use non -tariff measures such as prohibitions, labeling requirements and product standards.

However, these regulations differ, resulting in fragmentation and an increase in compliance costs. In addition, small businesses and low -income exporters are fighting in the face of overlapping or inconsistent requirements, thus affecting the way they can both participate and benefit from sustainable trade.

Hope for treaty conferences

For UNCTAD, talks towards the plastic pollution treaty are promising. They started in 2022, the final round taking place next week at the UN in Geneva.

The treaty would cover the entire life cycle of plastics – production, consumption and waste – in a fair and complete setting.

The United Nations agency has declared that a successful treaty should include tariff and non -tariff measures to support sustainable plastic substitutes, investments in waste management and circular infrastructure, digital tools for traceability and customs compliance, as well as the coherence of policies through the executives achieved by the World Trade Organization (OMC); the United Nations climate secretariat, UNCCCC; The Basel Convention on hazardous waste and related regional measures.

The United Nations High Commissioner Office for Human Rights (Ohchr) Thursday, urged the Angolan authorities to conduct rapid, in -depth and independent investigations on deaths as well as the reported use of excessive force during manifestations.

“” Uncorified images suggest that the security forces have used living ammunition and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, which underlines unnecessary and disproportionate use of force,Ohchr spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan said.

He added that if some demonstrators have used violence and looting, any force used by the authorities must comply with international human rights standards.

“” Anyone who may have been arbitrarily owned must be immediately released.“”

Quick climbing in the situation

The demonstrations began on Monday as a strike by taxi minibus drivers on an increase of a third of diesel prices, part of a government effort to reduce fuel grants. According to the media, the demonstrations quickly spread, becoming one of the most disturbing protest waves in Angola in recent years.

Government officials said that at least one police officer was one of the people killed. Nearly 200 people were said to have been injured and shops and vehicles were allegedly vandalized, mainly in the capital, Luanda.

Sporadic shots were also reported in some parts of the city earlier in the week, and the emergency services were exceeded. Many companies remained closed on Thursday and hospitals would have had trouble dealing with the number of victims.

Ensure the protection of rights

The OHCHR stressed that if the authorities are responsible for maintaining public order, they must do so in a way that protects human rights.

“” All demonstrators who descend into the street to express their opinions should do so peacefully,“Said Mr. Al-Kheetan. »»All human rights violations must be surveyed and those responsible.“”

The Office of Rights of the United Nations also reiterated the importance of protecting fundamental freedoms, including rights to life, expression and the Pacific Assembly, in any response to apply the law.

Of the 154 deaths related to malnutrition since October 2023 (including 89 children) reported by the Gazan health authorities, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that 63 occurred in July only.

These deaths follow a sharp drop in food consumption: 81% of households declared poor food consumption in July (compared to 33% in April) and 24% experienced a sharp end (compared to 4%), crossing the famine threshold, according to the humanitarian update published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ochha) Wednesday.

Acute malnutrition rates have also exceeded famine thresholds in Khan Younis, Deir Al Balah and Gaza City.

Given these recent figures, IPC food security experts warned that the Famine scenario The worst case was held. However, they added that if the third famine threshold of deaths linked to famine increases, data collection remains a challenge.

UN agencies have practiced that time is exhausted for a large -scale humanitarian response. 22% of the population analyzed is faced with a “catastrophic” level of food insecurityAnd an additional 54% are at the “emergency” level.

At the same time, less than 15% of essential nutrition services remain functional.

Attacks against civilians

Of the more than 60,000 Palestinians reported since October 2023, almost 9,000 died after hostilities rekindled in March and 640 between July 23 and 30.

Civilian victims While looking for food Also increasing, with 1,239 killed and more than 8,152 injured since May 27.

The OCHA has also noted that travel figures since March 18 have exceeded 767,800, although no new evacuation order has been issued by the Israeli authorities since July 20. The order of July 20 affecting a humanitarian center in Deir Al Balah has since been canceled.

In the middle of continuous displacement, overcrowding in shelters, lack of intimacy and the worsening of hunger have raised the risk of sexist violence (GBV) for women and girls.

The conditions are particularly disastrous in the south of Gaza, where there are no more safe shelters for the survivors of the GBV.

Humanitarian measures

Between July 23 and 29, only 47% of the 92 coordinated aid movements were entirely facilitated by the Israeli authorities. About 16% was refused, 26% hampered after initial approval and 11% removed by the organizers.

The Israeli army announced a 10 -hour daily break in military activity, from July 27, in Al Mawasi, Deir Al Balah and Gaza City “to increase the extent of humanitarian aid entering Gaza”.

They also announced measures, including flour paratroopers, sugar and canned food; The reconnection of the Israel power line to the desalination plant in the south of Gaza; the elimination of customs barriers on food, drugs and fuel from Egypt; and the designation of secure roads for the United Nations humanitarian convoys.

However, humanitarian partners have warned that Airdrops could endanger civilians, lead to uneven distribution and not be needs.

Work with limited funding

In addition, the lack of sufficient funding is also to hinder response efforts.

As of July 30, only about 21% of the $ 4 billion requested for the urgent humanitarian appeal of 2025 for the region were guaranteed, leaving critical gaps.

Mr. Thapa said that the motto of his presidency will be “to offer better”, which requires strengthening partnerships and multilateralism to achieve a more effective implementation of initiatives, including the 2030 agenda Adopted 15 years ago.

“Better delivery is not an option – it is an imperative. This is our restoration path of confidence in multilateralism, the distribution of divisions, to empower the most vulnerable and most translated commitments in action, “he said.

Four vice-presidents were also elected for the coming year: Amar Bendjama (Algeria), Héctor Gómez Hernández (Spain), Wellington Darío Bencosme Castaños (Dominican Republic) and Paréyr Hovhannisyan (Armenia).

80 years of ecosoc

The UN Economic and social council (ECOSOC) is one of the six main United Nations bodies, responsible for promoting international economic and social and social development.

It has 54 Member States, elected by the General Assembly for three -year mandates on a rotating basis, with seats distributed by region.

ECOSOC coordinates the work of agencies, commissions and specialized UN organizations on questions ranging from sustainable development and human rights. It also serves as a central platform to promote debate, forge a consensus and promote measures on global economic and social issues.

For Mr. Thapa, this body is at the heart of the training of the world development program and the guarantee that no one is left behind.

“Ecosoc is our place. He needs dedication, participation and active commitment to all members of the UN and stakeholders, “he said.

Five ways to better deliver

Although “offering better” is the motto of the presidency of Mr. Thapa, he described five specific areas on which he and the Council will concentrate during the coming year.

With more than 735 million people worldwide, its first priority area is to transform agriculture to strengthen rural resilience and finish hunger.

Digital entrepreneurship and young people’s commitment are linked to this – and are its second priority area. He noted the “bulge of young people” in many developing countries which, according to him, will be a powerful demographic asset if he can be benefited.

Like the presidents of Ecosoc before him, his third priority area deals with climate action and resilience. This time, however, he would like Ecosoc to focus specifically on the lakes and flood floods.

Its last two priority areas are to reform international financial architecture so that it is more inclusive and commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Ecosoc.

Thapa noted that he and Ecosoc’s support will endeavor to meet these challenges in the midst of multiple crises, in particular the acceleration of climate change, the increase in geopolitical tensions and the decrease in confidence in the multilateral system.

“These challenges are systemic and interconnected. They require integrated, inclusive and prospective responses, ”said Thapa.

Repair, repair, repair

Before the remarks of Mr. Thapa, Bob Rae, outgoing president of Ecosoc and ambassador from Canada to the UN, thought about his mandate. He recognized that the world is currently in a time of great difficulties and authentic anxiety.

But he said that it was to be the work of Ecosoc – and the member states of the UN more broadly – not only to give a voice to this anxiety and this difficulty, but also to find solutions for this.

“We hear a lot in the United Nations discourse on how things are broken, how things collapsed, how things are dislocated … But our work is to repair, it is to repair, it is to allow things to heal, it is to rotate change,” said Mr. Rae.

Mr. Thapa and Mr. Rae said that multilateralism can work and that the Ecosoc should play a unique role in the rewriting of the story surrounding international cooperation.

“We must reaffirm our collective belief in the power of multilateralism – not as an abstract ideal, but as a pragmatic tool to provide better results for all,” said Thapa.

Without fuel, many basic installations cannot work, from water treatment factories to medical infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Gazans now on the brink of famine have been reduced to taking desperate measures in their search for food, traveling the roads taken by convoys, said Olga Cherevko, worker of the UN aid, Olga Cherevko UN News.

“While we were driving, I saw an elderly man on the side of the road completely alone, on my knees, and he picked up handles of lenses that had spread on the ground in one of the previous convoys that had passed,” she said.

“He picked them up with his hands and simply put them in his t-shirt because it is obviously the only option he has at the moment to find food, because it is how desperate the situation has become. »»

Desperate actions

Gaza’s latest reports indicate that mothers who are not able to breastfeed because they do not eat enough to feed their babies, chickpeas, bread and rice, which are not suitable for infants.

In a Social media messageThe United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) stressed that “this is a condition that we can prevent”, calling for increased humanitarian access.

Furthermore, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO)) underlines that “the health needs in Gaza are immense. A continuous flow of medical supplies is critical. “

Meanwhile, health officers reported on Wednesday that at least 50 gasans had been killed and 400 others injured while waiting for food near Zikim Crossing in the North.

Ms. Cherevko, who works with the United Nations Coordination Office, Ochhaexplained that his mission to Kerem Shalom on Thursday morning had been delayed at a “maintenance point” for two hours before being authorized to go to the crossing point separating Gaza from Israel.

“Tactical breaks” are not enough

Although fuel supplies are welcome, they are far from sufficient, she insisted.

“We need hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel to enter every day so that we can even feed our most basic installations of power, water, sanitation, health care, emergency telecommunications and other critical installations,” she said.

The announcement of daytime military breaks by Israel last weekend seems to have slightly reduced the duration of aid to wait for permission to continue, noted the OCHA worker.

There has also been a “slight reduction” of security incidents involving gasans that take food from the United Nations trucks, she said.

In its last update on the emergency, OCHA said that four days since the start of the tactical breaks declared by Israel: “We always see losses among those looking for help and more deaths due to hunger and malnutrition … Unilateral tactical breaks do not allow the continuous flow of supplies necessary to meet the levels of immense needs in Gaza. »»

The United Nations Security Council meets Thursday morning to discuss threats to international peace and security, emphasizing the situation in Ukraine. The meeting was requested by Russia. Follow our updates live as UN Newsin coordination with Cover of United Nations Meetingsbrings you high moments and take -out dishes of today’s session. UN applications users can Follow the cover here.