State of Palestine

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will struggle to feed themselves during the next lean season — which is from June to August. This is an increase of 4 million in the number of food-insecure people as compared to the previous forecast published in late 2023.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Vanessa Frazier (Malta):

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN peacekeepers there responded to an alert this morning about shots fired by CODECO combatants near the area of Tata Hill, in Ituri province. The peacekeepers established a presence in the area, including between a hospital, the local church and market, to deter further threats.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today sounded the alarm on viral hepatitis infections that claim over 3,000 lives each day — with 1.3 million deaths per year — while the health agency fears that the number of lives lost due to hepatitis is increasing.

In Zimbabwe, humanitarian officials say they are concerned over the impact of the drought brought about by El Niño, which last week prompted the country to declare a state of emergency. Authorities in Zimbabwe say that more than 2.7 million people there are facing food insecurity as a result.

The Security Council today decided to refer a renewed consideration of the State of Palestine’s 2011 application for United Nations membership to its Committee on the Admission of New Members, which would then meet at 3 p.m.

Following Israeli airstrikes on 1 April that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, a senior United Nations official briefing the Security Council urged immediate concerted action to investigate, prosecute and stop such violations of international humanitarian law and to give humanitarian staff unimpeded access to those in need, as delegates raised concern about the imminent famine in the occupied territory.

In Madagascar, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government’s response to Tropical Cyclone Gamane. According to the Government, the tropical cyclone — which hit the country on 3 April — killed 19 people, injured 3 others and left some 22,000 people displaced.

Israel’s “live-streamed” genocide — supported by many Western States — must not go unpunished, participants heard in Geneva today during the second day of the two-day Conference of Civil Society Organizations working on the Question of Palestine — convened by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People — with speakers discussing best practices to ensure accountability and Israel’s compliance with the rulings of the International Court of Justice.

The response to the war in Gaza is the litmus test for the international justice system, participants heard in Geneva today, during the first day of the two-day Conference of Civil Society Organizations working on the Question of Palestine — convened by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People — with many highlighting the role of civil society in preserving international law and ensuring accountability.