The humanitarian fallout continues to deepen and is exacerbated by the number of deaths, injuries and damage to civilian infrastructure, and the severe impacts on the global economy are increasing.

While UN efforts to support affected civilians and de-escalate the conflict are ongoing, the Secretary-General has stressed the need to take immediate action to mitigate the consequences. 

Wide-ranging impacts

The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime trade “is choking the movement of oil, gas, and fertiliser at a critical moment in the global planting season,” he said.

Tanker traffic has dropped by more than 90 per cent, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is threatening agricultural production and global food security.

“The crisis is causing the most significant global humanitarian supply chain disruptions since COVID-19 and the onset of the war in Ukraine,” the UN aid coordination office OCHA added.

“Humanitarian supply lines across the Middle East are being severely disrupted, threatening the timely delivery of lifesaving food, medical items and emergency relief to millions.”

With the conflict showing no signs of stopping, the Secretary-General this week announced two important initiatives: the appointment of an envoy to spearhead UN peace efforts and the establishment of a dedicated Task Force on the Strait of Hormuz.

Facilitating transit, averting crisis

The Task Force will work to ensure safe, orderly and reliable transit for humanitarian purposes through the critical maritime corridor.

It will be headed by Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which provides infrastructure, procurement and project management services around the world. 

Representatives from UN trade body UNCTAD, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Chamber of Commerce will also be on board.

“Our focus is to facilitate the trade of commercial fertilisers and the movement of related raw materials. We are standing by to support this lifesaving operation,” Mr. Moreira da Silva said in a statement posted on X.

“It is urgent to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and beyond including in Africa and Asia import-dependent on fertilizers.”

Inspired by previous initiatives

The Task Force draws inspiration from other UN initiatives, including the Verification and Inspection Mechanism in Yemen, the former Black Sea Grain Initiative on exports from Ukraine, and the UN Special Mechanism for Gaza aid delivery outlined in Security Council resolution 2720 (2023). 

“The mechanism’s operationalization will be done in close consultation with relevant Member States with full respect for national sovereignty and established international legal frameworks,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric

“If successful, it would also create confidence among Member States on the diplomatic approach to the conflict and constitute a valuable step towards a wider political settlement,” he added.

UN envoy appointed

The Secretary-General named veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault as his Personal Envoy to lead UN efforts on the Middle East conflict and its consequences.

He warned that the conflict was “out of control”, reiterating his call on the United States and Israel to stop the war, and for Iran to stop attacking its neighbours.

“It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder – and start climbing the diplomatic ladder, and return to full respect of international law,” he said.

Mr. Arnault “will be doing everything possible” to support all efforts for mediation and peace, and will be in contact with all parties.  He will examine how the conflict is impacting the region and civilians, both there and around the world, as well as consequences for the global economy.

The envoy has nearly 40 years of experience in international diplomacy, especially in the field of peaceful settlements and mediation, and has led UN missions in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Most recently he served as the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Afghanistan and Regional Issues.

The war in the Middle East continues, with attacks causing further terror and suffering, deepening the humanitarian crisis across the region. The UN announced the launch of a task force to meet the immense needs.  In Geneva, diplomats at the Human Rights Council have been discussing the school strike in Iran’s Minab that killed more than 100 children. Stay with us for live updates on this and from UN agencies providing relief. App users can follow coverage here.

In a rare piece of good news, though, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that aid shipments are getting “back on track” from Dubai, one of its key relief hubs, after major disruption to flights and other shipments caused by Iranian attacks throughout the Gulf.

“I would say the first two weeks of the crisis really set us back. But we’re now receiving bookings for commercially scheduled cargo, and we’re able to begin moving supplies out as we were in the past,” said Robert Blanchard, WHO Emergency Operations Team Lead at the Dubai Logistics Hub.

After a “significant reduction” in air freight across the region after war erupted on 28 February, most airlines in the Gulf “are now back to around 50 or 60 per cent of their capacity”, he explained, noting that more charter flights will accelerate the delivery of supplies, in addition to an Egypt-bound convoy carrying lifesaving medicines for Gaza.

Buried under rubble in Iran

From Iran, meanwhile, UN partner the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies highlighted the “rapidly deteriorating” impact of strikes in the capital, Tehran, “a city of roughly nine million people [that] feels completely empty”. 

“While Tehran still maintains some basic services, some cities in the south are facing water and electricity cuts. Not to mention the fact that we have a nationwide internet blackout since 28 February,” said Maria Martinez, IFRC Head of Delegation in Iran.

The humanitarian official described how one IFRC search and rescue responder “discovered the bodies of his own family beneath the rubble”.

Moreover, “In Qom, another first responder recovered his aunt and her husband alongside a young child. This is the reality humanitarian workers are facing saving lives while carrying unimaginable personal loss.”

According to WHO’s healthcare attacks monitor, there have been 21 attacks on health workers and facilities in Iran since the war began. Ms. Martinez noted that 17 Red Crescent centres have been struck and nearly 100 ambulances damaged or destroyed. “These are not just vehicles. They are often the only hope people have when the bombs fall.”

Lebanon evacuation terror

From Lebanon, UN teams highlighted how civilians endure “intensified Israeli strikes” on targets linked to Hezbollah militants, who have continued to fire rockets at Israel since the war began.

Frequently, there is little warning about impending attacks.

“The attack in Bashura in central Beirut last week, there was a warning issued, but maybe less than an hour before the strike hit and it was very early in the morning,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon.

She added that a second strike “close to several collective shelters hosting displaced (people), gave “no warning, it was a direct target…as far as I’m aware, there have been no sites designated as safe where civilians have been advised to go to.”

Echoing those concerns, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s Marcoluigi Corsi, Country Representative in Lebanon insisted that “there is no safe space” for people to go – including the capital, Beirut. “Although the evaluation order has been issued for the southern part of Beirut…the strikes actually happen also in other parts of Beirut” too, he said.

More than one million people have now fled their homes in Lebanon in just a few weeks, UN aid teams say, highlighting the trauma of the upheaval.

“I have met women and girls forced to make devastating choices, fleeing their homes at night without clear destination, losing their families’ entire livelihoods and leaving behind their sense of safety and everything that is familiar,” said Gielan El Messiri, UN Women Representative in Lebanon.

Bridges blown

The destruction of bridges in southern Lebanon by the Israeli military has created serious safety and humanitarian concerns.

“Access…is also becoming increasingly difficult because the destruction of key bridges in the south has cut off entire districts and isolating over 150,000 people and severely limiting humanitarian access with essential items to reach them,” UNHCR’s Ms. Billing added.

She said that from 2-23 March, well over 15 humanitarian operations have brought essential relief items to people still in the south. “But there have also been some of these convoys where the notification was not approved. So, we were not able then to proceed with it because of the security risks. One, for example, last week was not approved and then it could proceed a couple of days later.”