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Recent data from the European Climate Agency shows that the world saw record-high temperatures last year, with an overall rise of 1.48°C compared to pre-industrial levels. This is just below than the 1.5-degree threshold set by the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.
Adherence to the limit would assist humanity in avoiding the most severe consequences of increasing temperatures, as per the agreement reached by 193 nations in the French capital in 2015.
The European climate office Copernicus predicts that this month will be very hot, and that a 12-month cycle may surpass the 1.5°C mark for the first time ever.
United Nations Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated during the news briefing in New York that Secretary-General António Guterres “believes that humanity’s actions are scorching the Earth” and that the past year “was a mere preview of the catastrophic future that awaits if we don’t act now.”
“Game-changing move” required
The head of the United Nations has called for “path-breaking action” as a reaction to the unprecedented heat.
“Leaders must commit to serious new national climate action plans” quickly and equitably “and invest in helping vulnerable countries to combat climate chaos,” Mr. Dujarric stated, echoing Guterres’s belief.
According to him, the only way to prevent the worst of the climate disaster is to take immediate, ambitious action to keep global warming below 1.5°C and achieve climate justice.
Conflict in Ukraine claims the lives of dozens
According to UN humanitarians, daily civilian casualties and injuries persist in the almost two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, assaults in the districts of Donetsk, Dnipro, and Kherson killed scores of civilians, including children, according to the aid coordination body OCHA.
The southern and eastern zones also experienced damage to houses, schools, and important infrastructure.
In a recent report, OCHA said that over 14.6 million individuals, or 40% of the population, would need humanitarian help this year.
Some 6.3 million Ukrainians have fled abroad due to the conflict, according to the UNHCR.
Ukraine is now experiencing a severe winter on top of all the bloodshed. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke emphasized how critical it is to maintain a large-scale humanitarian operation.
He made the announcement that two important organizations would publish plans for humanitarian needs and responses in Ukraine and a regional refugee response for 2024 at a special event in Geneva on January 15th.
According to UN humanitarians, pressing needs in Ukraine and neighboring countries can only be met with increased and ongoing help from Member States, the business sector, and partners.
United Nations rights head demands free and fair elections in 2024
More than 60 nations are holding elections this year, putting the emphasis on democracy. The top human rights official from the United Nations emphasized Tuesday that governments must guarantee free and fair elections.
Voters have the chance “to rise above divisive politics and demand respect of human rights” in upcoming elections around the globe, from Azerbaijan to the US, according to a statement published on X by Volker Türk.
In his message urging the promotion of “inclusion and civic freedoms, climate action and peace,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights projected that 2024 would be a “critical year” for voters worldwide.
Lebanon remains the site of the top peacekeeper’s journey to the Middle East.
The chief of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, came in the nation on Tuesday to address the vital role of UNIFIL, the mission stationed in the southern region.
In order to clear the way for a formal border deal in the future, the mission monitors the so-called Blue Line along Lebanon’s southern borders. This line was established by the UN in 2000 as a disengagement zone for Israeli soldiers.
With the goal of preventing a further escalation of hostilities, the United Nations and humanitarian partners are scaling up their response as Israeli and Hezbollah terrorists keep exchanging fire across the Blue Line in the ongoing Gaza war.
Displaced: thousands of innocent people
The latest estimates put the number of displaced persons in the south at around 76,000, while tens of thousands more Israelis have fled the border area out of fear for their lives.
“Our efforts to deliver essential supplies are being hindered by humanitarian access continuing to be constrained, mainly along the Blue Line,” said Stéphane Dujarric on Tuesday.
According to Mr. Dujarric, Mr. Lacroix had a meeting set with the Speaker of the Parliament, the temporary Prime Minister of Lebanon, and other authorities. Following this, he will go to Naqoura in southern Lebanon to have meetings with UNIFIL commanders, peacekeepers, and members of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
During his recent visit to Syria, the chief of peace operations met with top Syrian government officials, UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) leadership and troops, and members of the UN’s three peacekeeping deployments in the Middle East.
Following his stop in Lebanon, Mr. Lacroix is expected to meet with Israeli government and military leaders during his visit to the UNTSO headquarters in Jerusalem.
