The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has reported a significant increase in military activities in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, leading to heightened casualties and displacement. Ahmed Talal, a resident of the El-Zeitoun area, described the fear stemming from intense shelling near his home, which is only 100 meters from an Israeli-controlled zone. His family has been displaced 12 times previously, enduring over six months of homelessness.
Human Rights Experts Warn of Escalating ‘Settler Terror’
Independent UN human rights experts issued a warning on Monday regarding a surge in violence by Israeli settlers across the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. A group of 13 Special Rapporteurs, appointed by the Human Rights Council, highlighted that these attacks are increasingly causing the displacement of Palestinian communities. The experts reported that at least 13 Palestinians have been killed and around 500 injured in the first five months of the year. Communities in Area C of the West Bank, particularly in the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills, face a heightened risk of displacement due to settlement expansion.
Communities Under Increasing Pressure
Experts noted that communities like Umm el-Kheir in the South Hebron Hills are subjected to repeated raids, demolitions, and infrastructure damage. Restrictions on access to land and essential services further exacerbate the pressure on these communities. The rapporteurs urged Israel to cease its support for settlements and settler violence, and to ensure accountability for the attacks. They also called for enhanced protection for Palestinian communities and the safe return of displaced residents.
UN Secretary-General Calls for Renewed Support for Development Reforms
The UN Secretary-General announced on Monday that reforms within the UN development system have made it more coherent, accountable, and aligned with national priorities, but warned that declining funding could jeopardize progress. Speaking at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Secretary-General highlighted that 94 percent of governments find UN development support effective, and the recognition of Resident Coordinators as key guardians in countries has risen from 62 percent in 2019 to a projected 90 percent in 2025. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric also noted that by 2025, the UN aims to deliver food assistance to 121 million people, vaccinate 191 million children, provide social protection to 80 million individuals, and offer essential healthcare services to over half a billion people.
Urgent Call for Funding
Despite progress, the Secretary-General cautioned that dwindling development financing is pushing the UN system into increasing resource shortfalls. With less than 1700 days remaining until the 2030 deadline, many countries face mounting pressures including slowing growth, increased vulnerabilities and debt, greater exposure to shocks, and reduced fiscal space. The Secretary-General appealed to Member States to provide more stable and flexible financing, including the 30 percent core funding target outlined in the Financing for Development Compact.
McCain Leaves WFP Leaner and Stronger; Skau Takes Helm at Critical Juncture
UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised Cindy McCain on Monday for her role in transforming the World Food Programme (WFP) into a more agile and effective force in combating global hunger as she steps down from its leadership. Guterres stated that under McCain’s stewardship, the WFP has become leaner, faster, and more agile in responding to global crises. During her tenure, the WFP sustained life-saving operations for approximately 100 million people annually. It also strengthened accountability, advanced humanitarian diplomacy, secured new funding sources, and expanded critical partnerships while placing staff safety and beneficiary well-being at the core of its work.
‘Unwavering Commitment’ to Aiding the Hungry
Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric conveyed Guterres’s gratitude for McCain’s unwavering commitment to fighting global hunger and malnutrition. Carl Skau, who has served as Deputy Executive Director of the WFP since May 2023, has been appointed by the Secretary-General to lead the organization. With extensive operational expertise and institutional knowledge, Skau is well-positioned to guide the WFP through significant challenges, including severe food insecurity affecting over 360 million people worldwide.
Independent Experts Condemn Legalization of Child Marriage in Afghanistan
A panel of independent UN child rights experts has condemned the de facto Taliban administration in Afghanistan following the adoption of a new decree that legalizes child marriage and interprets a girl’s silence as consent. The experts characterized this decree as a grave and systematic violation of international human rights law. The new policy, approved by the highest Taliban religious clerics, permits girls to marry upon reaching puberty and states that a girl’s silence can be interpreted as consent to marriage.
Loss of Autonomy and Opportunity
The experts asserted that any legal framework that normalizes or facilitates child marriage violates children’s rights, undermines their inherent dignity, and deprives them of their autonomy and future opportunities. They emphasized that this provision is entirely incompatible with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The latest decree is part of a broader pattern of discriminatory measures by the Taliban administration, including the ban on girls’ secondary and higher education and the erosion of women’s and girls’ rights in all spheres of public life.
