The United Nations on Monday warned of the "appalling and apocalyptic" situation that people in Gaza are grappling with, calling for unimpeded international aid to stop the unfolding "nightmare."
Representatives from over 100 countries, international organizations, and institutions gathered in Cairo on Monday for a ministerial meeting convened by Egypt to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed outlined the harrowing impact of the conflict: over 44,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, the majority of whom are women and children.
Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced at least once, with rampant and acute malnutrition, said the UN chief.
Amid a collapsing health-care system, many losing limbs are undergoing surgeries without even anesthesia, with children accounting for the highest proportion of amputees globally, Guterres said.
The secretary-general also criticized Israel's restrictions on the delivery of aid supplies. According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), only 65 aid trucks had been allowed into Gaza daily over the past month, in contrast to a pre-war average of 500.
Guterres called on all parties to comply with their obligations under international law to ensure predictable and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
UN chief urges end to Gaza's humanitarian nightmare
UN chief urges end to Gaza's humanitarian nightmare
A China Pavilion officially opened on Monday at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, highlighting China's decades-long efforts and achievements in combating desertification.
Covering more than 600 square meters, the China Pavilion is the second-largest national pavilion at the event. Its exhibition, themed "Cross-Century Green Great Wall, China's Restoration in Action," showcases the nation's battle against desertification, particularly through the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, a major national initiative aimed at reversing land desertification in its north, northwest and northeast regions by surrounding desert lands with trees and vegetation.
Addressing the opening ceremony, UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza Murillo praised China's significant contributions to curbing its desertification, including controlling the expansion of the Taklimakan Desert in west China, the world's second-largest shifting sand desert.
She emphasized that effective policies, community and local government involvement, as well as innovation and technology, are key components of China's success.
"The example of what the government of China is doing in restoring land, in combating desertification, means a lot to humanity. It is inspiring and remarkable to see that China has already achieved land degradation neutrality ahead of time by restoring 50 percent of curable degraded sandy land. This is amazing. It's clear that we need good leadership, good policies, engagement of the society, engagement of national governments. It's really good to see this engagement, and of course, innovation is technology, it's traditional knowledge, and this is what we are seeing in the China experience," said Murillo.
COP16, held from Dec. 2 to 13 under the theme "Our Land. Our Future," is the largest UN land-focused conference to date and the first UNCCD COP in the Middle East and North Africa.
China Pavilion opens at UN conference on desertification held in Riyadh
