Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN headquarters in New York that, according to the UN migration agency, IOM, more than 4,300 people have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince and neighboring cities.
“Despite insecurity and access restrictions, we, together with our partners, are responding to the growing needs resulting from continued and increasing violence,” Dujarric continued.
cash injection
In the past two days, children's agency UNICEF has provided cash to nearly 1,500 people sheltering in displacement sites in the gang-ravaged capital. The United Nations reproductive health agency, UNFPA and IOM have deployed mobile health clinics and are also providing clean water supplies to those in need.
As of Thursday, the World Food Program (WFP) is providing assistance to more than 50,000 internally displaced men, women and children in the capital, with the goal of reaching more than 135,000 displaced people with hot meals by the end of November.
Across Haiti, WFP has also provided cash to nearly 100,000 people and is delivering daily meals to 430,000 children in 2,000 schools across the country.
The UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti requires $674 million and is 45 percent funded with $289 million in cash received.
Global measles crisis: Cases will increase by 20 percent in 2023
An increase in measles cases reached 10.3 million worldwide in 2023, a 20 percent increase from the previous year, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States government.
The rise in cases has triggered outbreaks in 57 countries, with almost half of them occurring in Africa. Although it can be prevented by vaccination, more than 22 million children did not receive the first measles vaccine last year, leading to 107,500 deaths, mainly among children under five years of age.
“The measles vaccine has saved more lives than any other vaccine in the last 50 years,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To save even more lives, we must invest in immunizing all people, no matter where they live.”
Worrying drop in the vaccination rate
Global vaccination rates remain below the critical 95 percent threshold needed to prevent outbreaks, with only 83 percent of children receiving their first dose and 74 percent receiving the crucial second dose.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen highlighted that “measles infections are increasing around the world, endangering lives and health.”
While the Americas region maintained its measles-free status (Brazil was re-verified as having eliminated the disease), other areas, including the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, have seen substantial increases in cases.
The WHO notes that survivors often face serious complications, including blindness, pneumonia and possible brain damage.
Torture is never justified, insists UN human rights chief, as key agreement turns 40
It has been 40 years since countries adopted the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, but the fundamental principle that nothing ever justifies torture is under threat.
That's the message from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who expressed alarm Thursday that the world has become “more violent and more polarized.”
Conflict 'chaos machine'
“More than 120 conflicts rage around the world and each one of them is a machine of chaos,” Türk told the Committee meeting in Geneva.
“Hate speech and discrimination are becoming more prevalent, and entire communities are being denounced and scapegoated,” he said, before highlighting a “pushback” against time-honored values and human rights protections.
“Torture, the deliberate infliction of physical agony and terror and psychological trauma on defenseless adults and children, is a vile and heinous act that has absolutely no place in our world,” he said.
“It is never justified; It is always hateful; and we have a clear legal and moral duty to prevent it.”
Four decades after the adoption of the Convention against Torture, it has been ratified by 174 of the 193 Member States of the United Nations.
Despite this high level of support for the international treaty, Türk called on all countries to “recommit to their obligations” to prevent torture.
