Ukraine

Women in Afghanistan are falling significantly behind global standards for human development, a UN-Women report released today states. The country has the second-widest gender gap in the world, with a 76 per cent disparity between women’s and men’s outcomes in health, education, financial inclusion and decision-making.

The latest “Hunger Hotspots” report, released by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), projects a serious increase in acute food insecurity in 13 countries and territories in the next five months. Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali are hotspots of the highest concern.

A new report released today by the International Labour Organization and the UN Children’s Fund shows early 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including 54 million in hazardous work likely to jeopardize their health, safety or development. This number is 20 million children less than in 2020.

A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, released today, finds that one in five people globally do not expect to have the number of children they desire. Key drivers include the prohibitive cost of parenthood, job insecurity, housing, concerns over the state of the world and the lack of a suitable partner.

In Ukraine, attacks across the country, which started last night and continued this morning, have reportedly killed over 45 civilians. The UN and humanitarian partners are providing immediate assistance in the impacted regions, including construction materials, hygiene kits, emergency shelter and psychological support.

In Sudan, five members of a UN humanitarian convoy were killed on 2 June and several more were injured during an attack in North Darfur. The joint World Food Programme-UNICEF convoy was made up of 15 trucks, and they had travelled over 1,800 kilometres from Port Sudan, and they were carrying nutrition supplies and food.

In Nigeria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and humanitarian partners continue to support the response to the devastating floods in the north-central part of the country. More than 500 households were impacted and over 3,000 people displaced.

The Security Council today met for a second consecutive day on Ukraine, as the Russian Federation accused European States of artificially keeping the issue in the spotlight and obstructing peace by arming Kyiv.

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the catastrophic situation there is the worst since the war began. Strikes have continued across Gaza, particularly in north Gaza, where the last remaining partially functioning hospital, Al Awda, was forced to evacuate last night.

Rather than progress towards peace following direct negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in Istanbul earlier in May, the Security Council heard today that the month’s closing days have instead witnessed Moscow intensify attacks on its neighbour.