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Gaza: UN urges Israel to allow fuel into Strip

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Helpless in the face of hunger: Gaza families pray for deliverance – or death

“Amid ongoing Israeli military operations, scores of people have reportedly been killed and injured, including while waiting for food,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

“Over the weekend, there were numerous reports of attacks hitting homes, as well as schools hosting displaced people,” it added.

Catastrophic hunger

OCHA noted that amid the “heavy constraints” on bringing in supplies and carrying out humanitarian operations across Gaza, people are going hungry.

“The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that one in five people faces catastrophic hunger, and more than 90,000 women and children urgently require treatment for malnutrition,” it said.

WFP has about 130,000 metric tons of food positioned in the region, ready to serve people in Gaza if improved access is granted.

Call for access

OCHA reiterated calls on Israel to facilitate the access and entry of essential supplies into Gaza, through the available crossing points and corridors, to address people’s desperate needs. Fuel, in particular, is urgently needed.

The UN and its partners call on the Israeli authorities, with utmost urgency, to allow the entry of fuel into Gaza. This is critically needed for life-saving operations – including hospitals, water and sanitation equipment, telecommunications, moving cargo from crossings, and operating community kitchens,” it said.

Displacement continues

Mass displacement continues in the war-torn enclave.

On Sunday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for parts of Jabalya and Gaza City, impacting around 150,000 people. Those forced to flee join thousands already crowded into shelters lacking water, sanitation, and medical care. Shelter materials such as tents and timber have not entered Gaza in 17 weeks.

Most of the territory remains under displacement orders, OCHA said, and Israel, as the occupying power, has a legal obligation to protect civilians.

Search for the missing

Meanwhile, in war-torn Gaza, thousands of families remain trapped in a spiral of anxiety and despair as they search for their missing loved ones.

Among them is Anwar Hawas, a young woman in her twenties, searching desperately for Hadi, her 17-year-old autistic brother who has been missing for weeks.

“Every day I go out in the morning and return in the evening, hoping to find him,” she told UN News.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that more than 11,000 individuals are missing in Gaza since the war started on 7 October 2023, the majority among them women and children. 

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The report reveals a significant increase in civil losses and violations of rights in Ukraine

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It covers the period From December 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025, during which 986 civilians were killed and 4,807 injured – an increase of 37% compared to the same period the previous year.

“” The war in Ukraine – now in its fourth year – becomes more and more deadly for civilians »» said Danielle Bell, Head of the United Nations Human Rights Surveillance Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU).

“We continue to document the models of violence which are incompatible with the obligations under international humanitarian law.”

Concern about the use of short -range drones

Most of the victims have occurred in areas under the control of the Ukrainian government, mainly due to Russian attacks using long -range explosive weapons in populated areas and short -range drones near first -line locations.

Almost half of all the victims were caused by missiles, strolling ammunition and air bombs in densely populated areas. At least three attacks involved the use of missiles with fragmentation warheads that have exploded over the ground and dispersed fragments in large open areas, killing and injuring many civilians at the same time.

The use of short -term drones leads to the increase in civilian victims, according to the report. Ohchr Check that 207 civilians were killed and 1,365 injured during these attacks.

Among the deadliest incidents, there was a Russian drone strike on a civil bus carrying employees of a mining company to work in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Eight women and two men were killed and 57 people were injured.

“The high number of civilian victims of the use of short -range drones, which allow operators to see their targets in real time, raises serious concerns,” said Bell said.

“” Our results strongly suggest the failure of the distinction between civil and military targets, and to take all the precautions achievable to verify the military nature of these targets – or worse, an intentional decision not to not.“”

During the same period, the Russian forces struck directly at least five hospitals. Some of the attacks have used several munitions of vagueness, suggesting a deliberate potential targeting of hospitals in violation of international humanitarian law.

Prisoners of war

Serious violations against prisoners of war (prisoners of war) also remain a major concern, according to the report. Ohchr has documented credible allegations according to which at least 35 prisoners of Ukrainian war and a Russian war prisoner was executed during the reference period.

The staff interviewed 117 recently released Ukrainian prisoners of war and two members of medical staff detained, almost all described as tortured and abused in captivity. This included severe blows, electric shocks, sexual violence, dog attacks and deliberate humiliation, often carried out by staff bearing hoods to hide their identity.

Ms. Bell said that the continuous brutalization of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not only inhuman, but a serious violation of international law.

“” These are not isolated incidents – they indicate well -documented models of generalized and systematic torture that require urgent and unambiguous responsibility, and measures to prevention“She said.

Meanwhile, more than half of the Russian prisoners of war and nationals of the third country held by Ukraine also reported abuse – in particular torture, ill -treatment, threats and internment in unofficial facilities – which have mainly occurred in places of public transport before arrival in official places of internment.

Concerning rights in areas occupied by Russia

The report highlights ongoing concerns on human rights with Ukrainian civilians illegally held by the Russian authorities, mainly in occupied territory. Liberated people have described torture, ill -treatment and disastrous conditions of detention.

The Ukrainians, in the occupied territory, were faced with increased coercion to adopt Russian citizenship. Ohchr has documented more than 16,000 houses listed by the Russian occupation authorities as potentially “abandoned” and therefore at risk of being confiscated.

Displaced residents were faced with serious legal and logistical obstacles, as well as security risks, to recover their goods.

Ukrainian children recruited

Another problem covered in the report is the recruitment and use of Ukrainian children “to sabotage the activities of growing gravity against Ukrainian military objectives”.

Children were recruited by unidentified actors, probably affiliated with Russia, according to Ukrainian authorities in the application of laws. Some of these young people have been killed or injured, while others face prosecution after being attracted by social media to commit a criminal fire or explosives.

“The use of children to commit acts of sabotage or violence exploits their vulnerability and endangers their lives,” said Bell. “” He aggravates their sufferings by exposing them to violence, coercion and severe legal consequences.“”

Ohchr has also expressed his concerns about the situation of the elderly, mainly women, as well as disabled people, who remain disproportionate risks, especially in front line areas.

Many are unable to evacuate due to poverty and limited housing options, while those who can often face long stays in shelters that lack appropriate installations, or they are placed in institutional environment due to the absence of appropriate alternatives.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Human rights can be a ‘strong lever for progress’ in climate change, says UN rights chief

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Human rights can be a ‘strong lever for progress’ in climate change, says UN rights chief

Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, High Commissioner Volker Türk asked Member States whether enough was being done to protect people from the escalating impacts of climate change.

Are we taking the steps needed to protect people from climate chaos, safeguard their futures and manage natural resources in ways that respect human rights and the environment?” asked delegates at the ongoing session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

His answer was simple – we are not doing nearly enough.  

Mr. Türk emphasised that while climate change presents dire risks human rights – especially for the most vulnerable – it also can be a strong lever for progress.  

Central to this is a “just transition” away from environmentally destructive activities.  

What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable,” he said.

The right to decent work 

One of the main avenues through which the Council – UN’s highest intergovernmental body on human rights – examined the connection between human rights and climate change was the right to decent work.

Because of climate change, the very human right of decent work is fundamentally challenged today,” said Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a senior official at the International Labor Organization (ILO).

He warned that 80 million full-time jobs will no longer exist in 2030 if the world continues its current climate trajectory. More than 70 per cent of the global workforce – 2.4 billion workers – will be exposed to excessive heat at some point on the job.  

These alarming statistics underscored the urgent need for robust social protection systems, including social security, for workers as the climate crisis continues to intensify, Mr. Gueye said. Less than 9 per cent of workers in the 20 most climate-impacted countries have any form of social protection.  

From a climate resilience perspective, nations are far from achieving the human right to social protection,” Mr. Gueye said. “Investments in social protection need to be scaled up, and this must move from shock-responses to institutionalised and rights-based approaches.

On a more hopeful note, he added, a shift towards low-carbon economies can potentially generate over 100 million new jobs by 2030. However, he cautioned that, that these jobs may not emerge where others are lost, reinforcing the need for strong safety nets and planning.  

‘Defossilize’ the economy and knowledge

Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and climate change, also presented her latest report, which calls for “defossilization” of economies. Phasing out fossil fuels, she said, is the most effective way to reduce climate impacts while protecting human rights.

Of course, this is not a simple task, as Ms. Morgera noted that fossil fuels have invaded all parts of our lives and economies.  

Fossil fuels are everywhere: in our food systems, in our ocean and in our bodies, including in our brains – in many cases without us knowing or choosing for them to be in our lives,” Ms. Morgera said.  

Ms. Morgera – who is mandated and appointed by the Human Rights Council, and is not a UN staff member – also stressed the need to “defossilize knowledge,” noting how fossil fuel interests have distorted public understanding and attacked climate defenders.

While geopolitical divisions may slow progress, she insisted that action can begin now at every level. “We can nourish hope and share concrete learning that can inspire a course correction, within the current decade, toward a safe climate for all.” 

A people-centred approach

Mr. Türk concluded his remarks reinforcing that a just transition must ensure no one is left behind.

If we don’t safeguard people’s lives, their health, their jobs and their future opportunities, the transition will replicate and exacerbate the injustices and inequalities in our world,” he said.  

Mr. Gueye echoed that message: “The global climate agenda is a human story and it is about human rights. The ambition that nations and the global community seek cannot be confined to numerical targets and indicators – it must fundamentally be about people.” 

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EU’s first net-positive emissions building to open in Spain

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EU’s first net-positive emissions building to open in Spain

Construction of the EU’s first net-positive emissions building has begun in Seville, Spain. It will go beyond carbon neutrality by offsetting CO₂ from the atmosphere, mainly through generating solar energy that far exceeds its own operational needs. It will take around 2 years to complete. Source link

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EU’s first net-positive emissions building to open in Spain

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EU’s first net-positive emissions building to open in Spain

Construction of the EU’s first net-positive emissions building has begun in Seville, Spain. It will go beyond carbon neutrality by offsetting CO₂ from the atmosphere, mainly through generating solar energy that far exceeds its own operational needs. It will take around 2 years to complete.

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Europeans consider climate change a priority and support renewable energy

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Europeans consider climate change a priority and support renewable energy

Most Europeans believe climate change is a serious problem (85%), according to a new survey. Some 81% support the EU-wide goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Close to nine in ten Europeans think it is important that the EU acts to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency.

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After the major development promises in Seville, the UN says that the action is starting now

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This is where the Sevilla platform for action (SPA) Between – a major step to start implementing the Seville agreement without delay.

It is More than 130 concrete actions To support the renewed global funding framework that world leaders have just adopted The International Conference.

They will help countries mobilize resources for an ODD investment thrust, to strengthen the development capacity of developing countries, to help combat the sustainable development debt crisis and take measures to improve the system by which the developing world can borrow money for national investment without the paralyzing debt charges.

The launch of the platform, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, underlined the urgency of collective action saying that the platform represents “A critical opportunity to restore confidence in multilateralism and deliver tangible funding. “”

UN Secretary General António Guterres underlined the importance of the spa as a catalyst for joint action and delivery.

In a divided world, it is “a Springboard to a fairer, inclusive and lasting world for all countries“He said.

Countries can compensate for the absence of us

Speaking earlier at the press conference for the hundreds of journalists here in Seville, he said that the absence of the United States that left negotiations earlier this month was a challenge, but there are still means of collecting the necessary funds: “It is a question of political will.”

This can be done if managers are willing to take the necessary measures such as work through multilateral development banks and carbon taxes, for example.

Power Shifts

“” Having the United States on board would be excellent, but it can be done anyway by those who are ready to do so.

“I have a clear message to the powerful,” continued the UN chief. “” It is better to direct the reform of the system now than to wait and ultimately undergo resistance later when power relations change.

“And I believe that the reforms proposed in Sevilla in accordance with the work that has been done in the Future summit are reforms that are absolutely necessary for both developing countries and in developed countries. »»

Following the opening remarks, the interventions have shown a strong political commitment to start implementing the historic financing agreement.

Notable initiatives include a global center for debts for development at the World Bank and an alliance of the debt clause on break – defended by Spain and a coalition of partners.

Sevilla platform for action at a glance:

  • It aims to bring together countries, organizations, businesses and others to achieve real and measurable progress to meet financial and global development challenges.
  • Any group – governments to charitable organizations, from companies to universities – can offer a new or considerably widened plan that supports the UN sustainable development objectives.
  • The proposals must define clear and achievable actions with specific results, a calendar and show how they will be funded.
  • Submissions were opened from May 1 to June 6, 2025, using an online form.
  • Each plan was to appoint the main group behind, list all support partners, explain what makes it new or ambitious and include a communication plan.
  • The initiatives selected will be presented to the public and the media during the FFD4 in Seville.
  • All approved commitments will be listed online, with progress followed and reported through future reviews and meetings of the United Nations.

“Everyone’s business”

Another essential part of the transformation of words in Seville into action on the field is to mobilize the business world.

Business managers launched an urgent call on Monday to unlock more private capital when opening International Commercial Forum Monday.

António Guterres said to the delegates: “Development is everyone’s business”, emphasizing the essential role of the private sector alongside public institutions in the realization of SDGs.

Seville in southern Spain is the place of FFD4.

Five priorities for delivery

A new press release from the Conference Business Management Committee – co -chaired by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and global investors for sustainable development (GISD) – describes five priority areas for action:

  • Create more ways to invest in development: Configure tools and platforms that facilitate and safer so that private money does not go into projects that help people, especially in poor countries.
  • Work more closely with governments: Play forces to plan and support projects at an early stage, preparing them for investment.
  • Make the rules of sustainability clearer and more coherent: Align standards between countries so that companies can invest more with confidence and support national development objectives.
  • Correct the financial rules that bother: Update the regulations that make long -term investing in developing countries.
  • Help small businesses get funding: Improve access to entrepreneurs’ finance by reducing risks and associating with development banks and governments.

The press release completes the newly approved agreement by Seville and business leaders described the moment as a pivot. “Private finances are essential to fill the world gap,” said José Viñals, co -president of Gisd.

At the Forum, developing countries highlight more than a billion dollars in projects invested in sectors, including energy, agriculture and digital infrastructure.

“The emphasis must now be put on action,” said Li Junhua, economic chief and secretary of the UN conference.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Press briefing – EU-Moldova summit of 4 July 2025

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EU’s first net-positive emissions building to open in Spain

The press briefing will take place on Wednesday 2 July 2025 at 16.15. Source link

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It is time to finance our future and our “change course”, Guterres tells the world leaders in Seville

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António Guterres has appealed to Clarion, noting that sustainable development powered by international cooperation, is now confronted with “massive opposite winds”.

Approach the opening session of 4th Development financing conference (FFD4) In hot cooking Seville, Spain – lounging with record temperatures of June – the Secretary general Multilateralism itself also feels heat, while confidence between nations and institutions collapse.

The world is on fire, shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts: “Funding is the engine of development and at the moment, this motor spans“He said at the conference, which have attended more than 50 world leaders, more than 150 nations and around 15,000 delegates.

“While we meet, the 2030 agenda For sustainable development – Our global promise to transform our world for a better and fairer future – is in danger. “”

Some two -thirds of the ambitious Sustainable development objectives (ODD) The objectives agreed in 2015 are considerably off track – hence the amazing investments of 4 billions of dollars necessary to overthrow it.

“We are here in Seville to change CAP. To repair and revise the development engine to accelerate investments at scale and at the speed required, ”said Mr. Guterres.

He described the result known as Seville engagement Adopted on Monday-without the United States which has withdrawn from the process earlier this month-as a “global promise” to low-income nations to raise them on a development scale.

The UN chief described three key areas of action:

  • First of all, Resources that flow quickly At home to stimulate sustainable growth and for richer countries, to honor their commitment under the agreement to double poor countries to stimulate development. This includes the tripling of the loan capacity of multilateral development banks and Innovative solutions To unlock private money.
  • Second, repair the Global debt system “unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable”. Currently, the poorer countries spend about 1.4 billion of dollars which is useless of their vast debts in the form of payments of interest. Among the innovations, a new Borrower forum will ensure the resolution and action of the fairer debt.
  • Third, Reform global financial architectureWith the main shareholders playing their role, so that it strengthens all countries. “We need a global tax system more right shaped by all, not just a few.”

The current affordability and development crisis is “a crisis of people,” he continued, which leaves hungry families, non-vaccinated children and girls left out of education.

“This conference does not concern charity. It is a question of restoring justice and facilitating the ability of all people to live in dignity, “said Mr. Guterres.

“” This conference is not a matter of money – these are investments in the future that we want to build together. “”

A tangible and usable roadmap

King Felipe of Spain spoke just before the official opening, telling the delegates that the Multicultural City of Seville welcomes the world “with open arms”.

He said that a new roadmap would emerge which is based on what is “concrete and tangible and usable”.

The conference must be a success, because Cooperation is one of our fundamental pillars of the multilateral world and “the ultimate achievement mode of values ​​that support it – Especially at this particular moment in history when many certainties are based and many fears and uncertainties take shape. “”

“Our time is now”

The Spanish president Pedro Sánchez told the delegates “Our time is now and our place is there. Millions of lives will depend on the choices made in Seville and in the future.

We must choose “ambition rather than paralysis, solidarity on indifference and courage rather than convenience”, ” He continued, adding that the eyes of the world are in this room, to see what we are ready to do together and facing this historical challenge, we must prove our value. »»

Seville was “the New York of 16th Century ”In diplomatic terms, he told delegates – and a cradle of globalism – we must all make this justice inherited today.

“Seville is not a final point”

Secretary General of the Conference, Li Junhua – which is in charge of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Desa) – said the week in Seville is a key moment to mobilize the resources necessary to build a fair, inclusive and sustainable future.

The United Nations effort to finance development has been anchored in multilateralism and solidarity – but today, the whole framework is under “deep stress”.

He said that sustainable development has never been so tested, but the pact made in Seville puts people at the center.

“” Seville is not a final point, it is a launch ramp for a new era of implementation, responsibility and solidarity. Undesa is ready to support all nations to translate commitment into international action, he said.

The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Philémon Yang, mainly told the delegates: “We need leadership to guide the world forward in the brighter future more prosperous for everyone, everywhere. “”

He said the SEVILLA’s executive will renew the global partnership for the decade in advance and will focus on a debt burden that paralyzes the developing world.

President of the UN Economic and social council Bob Rae said that confidence between countries should be reinforced because his absence “creates chaos”.

“Above all, I want to congratulate the States for having advanced the ambition, deepening the commitment between financial institutions.”

The week represents a real commitment to action, he said.

Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank group, said that the delegates ending poverty remain its key mission and that the sharp increase in the current population in developing countries requires resources “on an unprecedented scale and rhythm. “”

He said everyone knew that governments, philanthropies and institutions are unable to respond to each projection or promise – which is why the private sector is essential to the Seville agreement so that capital can circulate.

Banga added that in recent years bank reforms are to be a better partner in the private sector and government customers.

Improving response time, capital increase and growth systems is essential – but it takes much more to deliver for the next generation.

Exempt the least developed from punishing prices: WTO

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization, said the conference met at a time of unprecedented difficulty.

After decades of positive contributions, the global trade system has now been “seriously disrupted”, leaving exports so hampered by unilateral tariff measures and political uncertainty that the WTO has greatly degraded growth forecasts.

Other tariff obstacles on July 9 – the deadline established by the US administration – will only increase the contraction of world trade.

She recalled that the WTO pleaded for the least developed nations and in Africa in all the prices, ” We can therefore better integrate them into the global trading system, and not exclude them more. “”

She said that the Seville agreement rightly recognizes International trade as a development engine.

“We must therefore strengthen stability and predictability in world trade”, through several levels which can develop national resources through exports, she told delegates.

The IMF provides a wider tax plate

Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called to expand the tax base, to create solid financial management systems, to coordinate support and to resolve debt more sustainably.

“Many countries continue to combat high interest costs,” he said, calling on the international community to improve debt restructuring processes.

Thanks to its development of capacity, the fund is equivalent to members to trace their own path and also provides financial support when they need it, he added.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com

Financing shortages threaten relief for millions of Sudanese refugees: WFP

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In an alert, the United Nations agency warned that it faces “drastic cuts” with vital food aid, which could “stop” in the Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya in the coming months, the resources that exhaust.

Wfp noted that the situation of many Sudanese refugees is already disastrous, more than two years since the war broke out between the National Army of Sudan and the paramilitary rebels.

“In Uganda, many vulnerable refugees survive with less than 500 calories per day” – less than a quarter of daily nutritional needs – such as new arrivals for pressure refugees, said WFP. In Chad, which welcomes almost a quarter of the four million refugees who fled Sudan, food rations will be reduced in the coming months without new contributions.

Vulnerable young people

Children are particularly vulnerable to sustained periods of hunger and Malnutrition rate in young refugees in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have already violated the emergency thresholds. According to WFP, Refugees are already seriously ill -fed before arriving in neighboring countries to receive emergency assistance.

“This is a full -fledged regional crisis which takes place in countries which already have extreme levels of food insecurity and high levels of conflict”, ” said Shaun Hughes, Emergency Coordinator of PAM for the Sudan Regional Crisis.

“Millions of people who fled Sudan depend entirely on the support of WFP, but without additional funding, we will be forced to make new food aid reductions.

Originally published at Almouwatin.com