(Peace and Security – Gaza) Aid deliveries into Gaza continue to face difficulties as fighting continues across the territory, with the UN warning that most hospitals are only partially functioning and more than 16,500 patients still require urgent medical evacuation. Briefing reporters in New York on Wednesday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said hostilities in parts of the Gaza Strip are still resulting in casualties and repeated disruptions to humanitarian operations. On Tuesday, the UN and its partners coordinated eight planned humanitarian movements inside Gaza with Israeli authorities. Of those, only one movement was facilitated, while the remaining seven were impeded, denied or cancelled. – Aid access and hospital operations remain constrained in Gaza | UN News
(Peace and Security) The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund on Wednesday announced a major milestone, with the approval of more than $1 billion in support to global peacebuilding and conflict-prevention initiatives since 2020. The multi-donor trust fund is the UN’s primary instrument for supporting countries worldwide who are emerging from – or at risk of – violent conflict. The fund sits alongside the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Support Office. The announcement came as the Security Council and the General Assembly passed twin resolutions in support of the UN’s peacebuilding body, providing a blueprint to make it more impactful. – Peacebuilding Fund hits $1 billion milestone amid funding gap | UN News
(Peace and Security – Ukraine) This year alone, 4.6 million children in Ukraine are struggling to access education as they endure a fourth academic year under full-scale war. Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, children have continued to bear the brunt of the crisis – unable to attend school regularly, learn safely or experience a sense of normalcy. Air raid alarms disrupt classes. Many schools, especially in frontline areas, remain closed because of hostilities or the lack of adequate shelters, forcing almost one million children to study online, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). – Ukraine’s children enter fourth school year under invasion as 4.6 million face education barriers | UN News
(Climate and Environment – Somalia) Somalia is facing a rapidly worsening drought emergency, with vast swaths of the country now parched after four failed rainy seasons, leaving millions at risk of hunger and displacement, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday. On 10 November, the Federal Government of Somalia formally declared a drought emergency and appealed for urgent international assistance as conditions continued to deteriorate across northern, central and southern regions, according to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA. Puntland is among the worst affected areas, where authorities estimate that nearly one million people need support, including 130,000 in immediate life-threatening need. – Somalia declares drought emergency as millions face hunger after failed rains | UN News
(Human Rights) More than one in four children globally – around 610 million – live with mothers who have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse by an intimate partner in the past year, making violence a part of their everyday lives, according to new data released by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday. Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence is highest in Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and Southern Asia, reflecting deep regional inequalities and widespread patterns of abuse experienced by women worldwide. “Today, millions of women and children are living in homes where violence is a part of regular life,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Women’s safety and autonomy are paramount to children’s well-being.” – Over 600 million children exposed to violence at home, UNICEF warns | UN News
(Economic Development) Young people make a vital contribution to the creation of industries that benefit people and the planet. Their role was recognised on Wednesday at Generation Future day of the Global Industry Summit in Riyadh, with commitments to ensure that their voices are heard and their ideas shared more widely. – Defying the odds: Young entrepreneurs vow to take their chances and build the industries of tomorrow | UN News
