Tom Fletcher will focus on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the world’s youngest country and escalating protection risks for both civilians and aid workers. 

On arrival, he headed directly to Malakal in Upper Nile state, meeting with local communities, their leaders, and returnees. He heard firsthand about their needs and the challenges they face amid the ongoing war in neighbouring Sudan. 

Raising awareness 

Mr. Fletcher is scheduled to travel to Jonglei, where a recent flare-up in conflict has further intensified humanitarian needs, displacing roughly 280,000 people, according to authorities. 

He will also use the five-day mission to South Sudan to draw international attention to the worsening humanitarian situation.  

“Throughout the visit, the humanitarian chief will meet with local responders on the frontline,” UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said during his regular briefing in New York.                     

 “He will advocate for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, reiterate our urgent calls for support to the humanitarian response and call for coordinated efforts to tackle the root causes of the crisis.” 

Gaza: Fire risks mount in shelters 

Humanitarians continue to highlight the need for adequate housing solutions in Gaza, where displaced Palestinian families are still living in overcrowded shelters which pose severe fire risks as well as health risks. 

“Families cook, sleep and store their belongings in small spaces where they also use open fire,” the UN aid coordination office OCHA said, noting that partners have recorded at least 12 fires in shelters since November.  

Over a 10-day period this month, humanitarians provided shelters to 85 families in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis whose shelters were damaged by a fire in Gaza City. 

Aid missions blocked 

Meanwhile, in many areas within the Gaza Strip, humanitarian movements still require coordination with Israeli authorities.  

OCHA said that out of 67 movements coordinated between 12 and 19 February, 43 were approved and nine were denied outright.  

Eight missions were approved but faced impediments although six were fully accomplished, while organizers cancelled seven others for operational or security reasons.  [Were these among the 43 above? If so, how about “Eight of the approved missions faced…”] 

Humanitarian partners coordinated the entry of fuel, medical supplies, animal fodder and hygiene kits, the agency said.  

Teams also facilitated the medical evacuation of patients through two border crossings – the Rafah corridor with Egypt and Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem with Israel.  

West Bank: Guterres calls for probe into killing of Palestinian-American man 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the killing of a Palestinian-American man in the West Bank this week. 

Nasrallah Abu Siam, 19, was shot and beaten in an attack by Israeli settlers in the village of Mukhmas on Wednesday and succumbed to his wounds later that day.  

Three other Palestinians were shot and injured in the same attack.  

“The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim,” UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York. 

He noted that the family includes journalist Abdelhamid Siam, a member of the press corps at UN Headquarters, and extended condolences to him and the entire family. 

The Secretary-General called for a prompt, thorough, and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the incident and for those responsible to be held accountable. 

He also urged the Government of Israel to take concrete steps to halt and prevent all acts of violence by Israeli settlers against the Palestinian population, in line with its obligations as the occupying power. 

Violence and attacks continue  

Humanitarians warned of the continued violence and other coercive practices by Israeli forces and settler communities in the West Bank, which have resulted in casualties, destruction of property, and forced displacement.   

Between 3 and 16 February, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, the UN aid coordination office OCHA reported. This brings the total number this year to nine, including two children.  

Palestinian forces also killed a Palestinian boy in Tammoun while attempting to arrest his father. 

“During the same period, at least 86 Israeli settler attacks were recorded, during which over 60 Palestinians were injured, and some 146 people were displaced,” OCHA said. People in 60 communities also were impacted by the attacks.   

Since January 2023, some 880 Palestinian families – over 4,700 people – have been displaced across the West Bank due to settler attacks and access restrictions.   

Freshly back from a visit to the country UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action Sofia Calltorp told reporters in Geneva of the suffering inflicted upon families left without heating, electricity and reliable shelter amid brutal winter conditions. Sixty-five per cent of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity has been destroyed by deliberate attacks.

“Those energy blackouts, they are not just technical disruptions,” she said. “They directly undermine women’s safety, protection and economic security.” 

Ms. Calltorp explained that extended darkness, lack of street lighting and disrupted transport “severely restrict women’s mobility and increase exposure to harassment and accidents.”

Many Ukrainian women work in sectors that are the hardest hit by extended power cuts, such as education, health, social services and retail, and are now losing their jobs, the UN Women official said.

No electricity, no school, no salary

“In Kyiv, in a heated tent that had been set up to support citizens, I met with Irina… She told me: ‘No electricity means no school for my children and no electricity means no job for me. It means no salary.’”

UN Women reported that 2025 was the deadliest year of the conflict for women so far and that since 24 February 2022, more than 5,000 women and girls have been confirmed killed and 14,000 injured, with the real toll likely far higher.

Despite the challenges, Ukraine’s women are “carrying the country forward” and women-led organizations are at the heart of humanitarian response, Ms. Calltorp said. They provide vital protection, psychosocial support, emergency assistance and livelihood opportunities to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians – yet they are now under serious threat because of funding cuts.

One in three women-led organizations warned that they may not survive beyond six months, according to a recent survey focused on the impact of cuts in foreign assistance

“Due to the funding reductions in 2025 and 2026, these organizations in Ukraine are projected to lose at least $53.9 million by the end of the year,” said UN Women’s representative in Ukraine Sabine Freizer Gunes. “If this continues, an estimated 63,000 women in 2026 will lose access to services” such as support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.

“There will be more women in need of psychosocial and legal support. There’ll be less political participation for women, less economic opportunity and less economic growth in Ukraine. Weakening women’s organizations at this moment risks weakening the entire humanitarian and recovery architecture of Ukraine,” Ms. Freizer Gunes said. 

Photo courtesy of Ukrainian Women’s Fund

Women fleeing the combat zones of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts stand in line to receive humanitarian aid.

Vulnerable groups hit hard by attacks on energy infrastructure

Turning to the broader humanitarian impact of the energy crisis, Jaime Wah, Deputy Head of Delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Ukraine, said that when the power goes out “it is often the most vulnerable who carry the consequences.” 

“For older people, people with disabilities and those with chronic illnesses, this is life-threatening,” she insisted.

Speaking from Kyiv, Ms. Wah said that while “cold homes increase illness,” the psychosocial toll of the power outages is “equally serious.” 

“Prolonged darkness, isolation and constant uncertainty are exhausting communities,” she stressed. “Many people have experienced traumatic events, yet access to specialized mental health and psychosocial support remains limited.”

The conflict’s devastating toll on health is further deepened by attacks on healthcare which are “severe and widespread” in Ukraine, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said.

In the past four years WHO has verified more than 2,870 confirmed attacks, resulting in 233 deaths and 937 injuries among healthcare workers and patients. 

“Facilities operate beyond surge capacity, with the workforce depleted and infrastructure damaged,” Mr. Lindmeier warned.

The WHO spokesperson also said that the reported number of people with disabilities has increased by nearly 390,000, or more than 10 per cent, since February 2022. 

Beyond this figure, “it’s the support [for people with disabilities] that is missing, the freedom of movement for people, the lack of supplies.” 

“The numbers are one thing. The story behind [them is] a much bigger one,” he insisted.