Today's top news: 87 million lives campaign, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine

#Humanitarian funding: 87 million lives campaign 

Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, spoke to reporters from Geneva today about his efforts to reach 87 million people with life-saving aid, for which US$23 billion is needed.

Fletcher said that the developments of the past two weeks further confirm that we are living in a time of brutality, impunity and indifference.

He noted that humanitarians are overstretched, under sustained attack and under-resources – but they refuse to give up on the people who rely on them to survive.

Fletcher launched a new campaign today to rediscover solidarity and humanity, amidst these toughest of times.

He said that, so far, we have received $5 billion for the plan, with additional pledges and announcements bringing the total to $8.7 billion – but that we still face a massive gap.

Governments alone can’t carry the full burden, Fletcher stressed, calling on civil society, the private sector and the public for their support.

“We’re not asking you to choose between a hospital in Brooklyn, London, Mexico City, Rio, Manila, or a hospital in Kandahar, Akobo, Aleppo, Port-au-Prince,” he said. “We’re asking you just to recognize that maybe the world can spend a little bit less on weapons this year and a little bit more on doing something extraordinary and world-changing.”

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach 87 million lives with urgent support. 

#Lebanon

UN Humanitarian Chief sounds alarm as fighting intensifies

Briefing the Security Council today, Tom Fletcher, the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, sounded the alarm on Lebanon’s intensifying humanitarian crisis, which he called “just one more consequence of a regional war that is spiraling out of control.”

He noted that “Lebanon’s particular place on the map and in history means that tremors in geopolitics ricochet through it like earthquakes.”

Fletcher voiced concern at how the most vulnerable people in Lebanon and across the region are hit first and hardest when war tears through markets, supply chains and food prices. When maritime corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, food, health, energy become more expensive and harder to access.

He said that the UN and its partners are pre-positioning stocks and activating alternative supply routes to keep life-saving aid moving to Lebanon and across the region.

Fletcher also announced that, in close coordination with the Government, a three-month, hyper-prioritized Flash Appeal will be launched later this week in close. He also said there will be a rapid response allocation of US$15 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

Fletcher called for the protection of civilians and their access to aid; increased funding; and for cooler heads to prevail.

OCHA reports that hostilities across multiple areas of Lebanon further intensified on 10 March, with continued strikes reported in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa, and southern suburbs of Beirut, exposing large civilian populations.

The death toll continues to rise. According to the Ministry of Public Health, at least 570 people have reportedly been killed and over 1,400 injured since 2 March, including 84 killed and 131 injured in the last 24 hours.

Hostilities have forced the closure of 49 primary health care centres and five hospitals in the South and in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Since 2 March, the World Health Organization has recorded 25 attacks on healthcare, resulting in 16 deaths and 29 injuries among health workers and patients.

The UN reiterates the urgent need for immediate de-escalation. All parties must respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and health workers. Humanitarian access must be safe and sustained so assistance can reach people in need.

#Occupied Palestinian Territory

Health system failing, increasing infectious disease risk

In Gaza, OCHA says restrictions on aid operations are worsening an already critical humanitarian situation, even as the UN and its partners continue to deliver assistance. 

One clear example is the growing number of generator failures in hospitals due to the lack of spare parts and lubricating oil. These generators are running nearly 24/7. Humanitarians are coordinating fuel support and continue to engage with authorities and others for the entry of generators, supplies to maintain them and energy solutions to prevent further disruptions in health services. 

Meanwhile, humanitarians in the health sector and the Ministry of Health in Gaza report high levels of infections spread by insects in displacement sites. Nearly 23,000 suspected cases were recorded in February. Supplies of hygiene kits, insecticides, and scabies treatment remain critically low, limiting the response. The UN and its partners are coordinating efforts to pinpoint hotspots and rapidly deploy teams to strengthen the response. 

On emergency shelter assistance, since Sunday, partners have provided tents, bedding and kitchen essentials to nearly 7,000 families. This is on top of assistance that has been provided by local authorities or directly by Member States. 

The UN stresses that these materials provide limited protection and that longer-term solutions are critically needed before the summer and reiterate the need for humanitarian work to be facilitated and with fewer restrictions.

In the West Bank, OCHA warns that people’s access to their places of work and where they receive services continues to be impeded by tightened movement restrictions imposed by Israeli forces. These largely impede movement between cities and keep iron gates at the entrance of many villages closed.  

At the same time, high levels of violence persist. New figures indicate that more than 180 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler attacks and access restrictions across the West Bank since the onset of the regional escalation.  

This brings the total number of Palestinians displaced within this context so far this year to more than 1,500 people – 90 per cent of the number for all of last year. OCHA says more than 40 per cent of those displaced are children, and that displacement deepens people’s reliance on humanitarian support and is often associated with loss of livelihoods. OCHA calls again for the protection of Palestinians in the West Bank and for perpetrators of violence to be held accountable.  

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

UN mourns aid workers killed by explosion in Goma

The humanitarian community is today saddened and outraged by reports that an explosion early this morning in Goma, in North Kivu Province of The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including one UNICEF staff member.

According to initial information from local sources, the explosion struck a residential building in the centre of Goma.

This is the second humanitarian worker killed in the DRC this year, and comes amid growing security concerns for civilians, including aid personnel. Since January, at least 92 incidents affecting humanitarian workers have been reported across the country.

Last year, more than 650 such incidents were recorded, with 13 humanitarian workers killed and 41 others injured across the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika and Maniema.

The UN and the humanitarian community reiterate that humanitarian personnel must never ever be a target. All parties must respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and those providing life-saving assistance.