SUDAN 
The Security Council will hold closed consultations on the situation in Sudan this afternoon. The Special Representative of the Secretary- General and head of the political mission, Volker Perthes, will brief via videoconference as well as Martin Griffiths our own Humanitarian Coordinator, this afternoon in closed consultations.
And you will have seen that in the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the Human Rights Council held a special session today to address the human rights impact of the ongoing conflict. Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the use of violence and urged all parties to protect the rights of civilians and comply with their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
 
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us there are continued shortages of food, water, fuel and cash in many parts of Sudan due to the fighting.
In the eastern parts of the country, our humanitarian partners on the ground are saying that the prices of goods have increased almost four-fold compared to those before the conflict.
According to the World Health Organization, in Khartoum, less than one fifth of health facilities remain fully functional, with 60 per cent of health facilities being completely non-operational.
Despite the security situation, health workers have been able to reactivate some health facilities in North and South Darfur to provide emergency, maternity, pediatric and other treatment for those who need it.
WHO stands ready to send more than 110 tons of emergency medical supplies from Port Sudan to more than 13 destinations across the country. 
But we cannot stress enough that we need expedited clearance and assurance of safe passage to deliver these critical supplies to health facilities that are urgently in need of life-saving operations.

BLACK SEA INITIATIVE
Turning to the Black Sea Initiative, a quadrilateral meeting was held today in Istanbul to discuss the future of the Black Sea Initiative with senior-level officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and of course the United Nations. 
Speaking at the meeting, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, congratulated the parties on facilitating the safe export of over 30 million metric tonnes of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine since the beginning of the Initiative. He reiterated the importance of the Initiative for global food security and also recognized the important contribution of food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation in this regard. 
Participants in the meeting discussed the recent proposals by the UN, namely the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, the longer extension of the deal, improvements at the Joint Coordination Centre for stable operations and exports, as well as other issues raised by the parties.
The parties presented their views and agreed to engage with those elements going forward. Mr. Griffiths stressed that the UN will continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza and Israel, you will have seen the Secretary-General’s statement that we issued last night. Of course, the Secretary-General continues to follow with grave concern the dangerous escalation in Gaza and Israel. His Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland remains on the ground and is actively engaged with all concerned in an attempt to restore calm. The Secretary-General calls on all sides to avoid further escalation and to end the hostilities.
It’s clear that the continued escalation of hostilities in Gaza only deepens civilian suffering and increases the risk the number of casualties both in Gaza and Israel. 
The ongoing hostilities are also obviously having a negative impact on an already difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Israeli crossings with Gaza are now closed for the third consecutive day. Fuel reserves are being quickly depleted, forcing the Gaza Power Plant, which relies on regular imports of fuel from Israel, to reduce its operations. Other vital items also need to enter Gaza immediately, including food and medical supplies.
For its part, UNRWA has continued with essential services relating to food distribution, health services, sanitation services, solid waste transfer to landfills and water wells. However, all UNRWA schools remain closed.
In addition, our colleagues at the World Food Programme said today that by next month 200,000 people – 60 percent of the people the agency helps in Palestine – will no longer be receiving food assistance due to a severe funding shortage. This month, the funding crunch forced WFP to reduce the value of its cash assistance by around 20 per cent in Palestine.
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where our humanitarian colleagues are continuing to respond to the deadly landslides and flooding in South Kivu’s Kalehe Territory.
We along with our partners have mobilized emergency teams to support the Government’s response efforts.
WHO has provided medical supplies and equipment. UNICEF has delivered water and sanitation kits and started water decontamination activities and the World Food Programme began distributing yesterday some 8 tonnes of food, including high energy biscuits.
Access to the area remains challenging since the main road is damaged. According to authorities, as of yesterday, at least 420 people have died and 3,000 homes have been impacted. Local authorities have also reported that as many as 5,000 people could be missing.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Turning to the Central African Republic, the peacekeeping mission there tells us it has established a temporary base in Am-Dafok – a town close to the country’s border with Sudan.  Peacekeepers there are conducting regular patrols to protect refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan. 
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Ag Ayoya, recently travelled to the area with the Minister of Interior and Public Security for the Central African Republic, Michel Nicaise Nassin, and several representatives of UN agencies to assess and respond to the humanitarian needs of the refugees. 
Humanitarian agencies have already delivered 4.7 tonnes of supplies including food, non-food items, medicine, water bladders and pumps, as well as hygiene kits. 
In the country’s East, the Mission continues to focus on protecting civilians. The security situation deteriorated following armed group attacks, particularly in parts of the Vakaga and Haut-Mbomou prefectures. The Mission reiterates its call on armed groups to lay down their weapons and engage in dialogue, in accordance with the peace agreement and the Luanda Roadmap for Peace in the Central African Republic.

CAMEROON
Moving on to Cameroon, the Government and the humanitarian community today launched an appeal for more than $407 million to meet the needs of 2.7 million of the most vulnerable people in the country this year.
In 2023 the Humanitarian Response Plan includes protection services and life-saving assistance for people suffering the impact of violence, natural disasters, climate shocks and disease outbreaks.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, Matthias Naab, called on the international community to provide early, flexible and sufficient funding.
Some 4.7 million people in Cameroon need humanitarian assistance – that’s one in six people in the country, more than three quarters of whom are women and children. Some 3 million people are facing acute food insecurity this year, and more than 2 million people are internally displaced.

SOMALIA
In Somalia, our team there and the Government have just unveiled a revamped multi-donor trust fund in support of Somalia’s development priorities. The Somalia Joint Fund, a joint venture between Somalia, the United Nations, and international partners will provide flexible funding to address key challenges facing Somalia and its people. The fund seeks to mobilize $60 million annually in the next seven years and part of the funds will be dedicated to addressing climate impacts and strengthening resilience. 

HAITI 
Lastly, moving back to this hemisphere, and another sign of the terrible conditions in Haiti. The United Nations Children’s Fund today said the violence in Haiti has led to a greater number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – otherwise known as severe wasting. 
According to a new nutrition survey, more than 115,000 children in Haiti are expected to suffer from severe wasting this year, compared to 87,000 last year. 
Violence in Haiti has restricted children’s access to basic nutrition, health services, as well as safe water, hygiene and sanitation. As a result, in several communes of the Port-au-Prince area, one in five children suffer from some form of malnutrition. 
Without an urgent scale up of nutrition and child survival interventions, UNICEF says the situation will likely further deteriorate.
UNICEF needs $17 million to scale up its operations there.
To date, only 15 per cent of UNICEF’s appeal has been funded.