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THW Kiel – BSV Bern 37:27: BSV kann gegen übermächtige Kieler nur zu Beginn mithalten

Blick.ch - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 23:17
In Zusammenarbeit mit RED+ präsentiert Blick die Highlights der Partie THW Kiel – BSV Bern (37:27).
Categories: Africa, Swiss News

Paris and Berlin unite behind sovereign European cloud push

Euractiv.com - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 20:03
Merz and Macron back plans for a shared cloud sovereignty definition and a ‘Buy European’ approach
Categories: Africa, European Union

Why Climate Finance Is Vital for the Implementation of NDCs in Africa

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 19:50

We did not start this fire, but we are being handed the bill. The wealthy country’s bill. It’s time to pay it.The USD 1.3 trillion roadmap is only a starting point; delivery and accountability are the real tests of success. —Evans Njewa, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change
Categories: Africa, Défense

Neues KI-Modell ist da: Google lanciert Gemini 3 – mit radikaler Neuerung

Blick.ch - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 17:05
Googles KI liefert nicht mehr nur Antworten – sie gestaltet die passende Oberfläche gleich mit. Mit interaktiven Karten, Rechnern, Animationen. Die KI programmiert für deine Fragen neu eine eigene Mini-App.
Categories: Africa, Swiss News

Two schoolgirls escape Nigeria kidnap ordeal, official says

BBC Africa - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 16:44
Fight "day and night" to rescue the rest of the missing children, a top general tells soldiers.
Categories: Africa, Afrique

Poll unrest has 'stained' Tanzania's global image, president says

BBC Africa - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 16:31
Tanzania relies on foreign loans, but "what happened eroded our global credibility", President Samia says.
Categories: Africa, Afrique

Ces compagnonnages brisés par le pouvoir en Afrique

BBC Afrique - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 15:18
De nombreux duos ou alliances arrivés au pouvoir en Afrique ont fini par sombrer dans les conflits et les ruptures.
Categories: Africa, Afrique

Eswatini confirms receiving $5.1m from the US for accepting deportees

BBC Africa - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 15:09
The kingdom acknowledges for the first time it received cash as part of a deal with Trump's administration.
Categories: Africa, Afrique

Faith Leaders Endorse Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty at COP30

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 14:07

Kumi Naidoo with Brazilian First Lady Janja Lula da Silva and Brazilian Cultural Minister Margareth Menezes and others at a panel called “Narratives and Storytelling to Face the Climate Crisis” during the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). Credit: Aline Massuda/COP30

By Joyce Chimbi
BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 18 2025 (IPS)

Decades ago, a little girl was born in a place called Cleveland, Ohio, in the heart of the United States of America. Born to a woman from the deep South, the place of Martin Luther King, her mother left her ancestral lands for the economic opportunities in the north.

“Off she went, making it all the way to the east side of Cleveland,” says Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith. “To the place where most people who look like me lived, and still live, and are subjected to policies of injustice, race and gender.”

Here, she found a more pressing issue.

“I couldn’t breathe, my mother couldn’t breathe, and we all couldn’t breathe,” she narrates.

This urbanization, driven by fossil fuels, occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, where her mother relocated and where her relatives still live today. During the Great Migration, over six million people of African descent traveled from the South, believing that economic opportunities would be better in the North.

Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith, regional president of the World Council of Churches, speaks at an event titled ‘Faith for Fossil Free Future.’ Credit: IPS

“Upon our arrival, we discovered that we just couldn’t breathe.”

As one of eight regional presidents representing the World Council of Churches, Walker-Smith says for the World Council of Churches in over 105 countries, over 350 million adherents, and over 350 national churches all over the world, supporting the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty “is all about the issue of injustice, life and life more abundantly.”

“We are saying yes to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable life-giving energy.”

Kumi Naidoo, a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist and the President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, says if the goal is renewable life-giving energy, the world has been going the wrong way for the past 30 years.

“If you come home from work and see water coming from the bathroom, you pick up the mop. But then you realized you left the tap running and the sink stopper on. What will you do first? Of course! You’ll turn off the water and pull the stopper. You will not start mopping the floor first.”

“For 30 years since the time science told us we need to change our energy system and many of our other systems, what we’ve been doing is mopping up the floor. If fossil fuels—oil, coal, and gas—account for 86 percent of what drives climate change, then we must turn off the tap.”

Masahiro Yokoyama was speaking at an event titled Faith for a Fossil-Free Future co-sponsored by Soka Gakkai International. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

Naidoo was speaking at an event titled ‘Faith for Fossil Free Future’ co-sponsored by several organizations, including Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Laudato Si’ Movement, GreenFaith—a global interfaith environmental coalition and EcoJudaism, a Jewish charity leading the UK Jewish Community’s response to the climate and nature crisis.

He spoke about the contradiction of the climate talks at the doorsteps of the Amazon, while licensing for drilling is still ongoing in the Amazon even as the people in the Amazon protest, calling for a fossil-free Amazon.

Continuing with the thread of contradictions, Naidoo said, “Some of you might be shocked that even though fossil fuels are 86 percent of the cause of climate change, it took 28 years before the words ‘fossil fuels’ could even be mentioned in the COP document. It is as absurd as Alcoholics Anonymous holding 28 years of conferences before they get the backbone to mention alcohol in an outcome document. If we continue on this path, we'll warm up the planet to the point where we destroy our soil and water, and it becomes so hot we can't plant food. The end result is that we'll be gone. The planet will still be here. And the good news is, once we become extinct as a species, the forests will grow back, and the oceans will recover.

“And actually, staying with that analogy, can you imagine how absurd it is that the largest delegation to this COP this year, last year, and every year is not even the host country?

“It’s not even Brazil—for every 25 delegates that are attending the COP, one of them is from the fossil fuel industry. That’s the equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous having the largest delegation to its conference annually from the alcohol industry.”

People, groups and movements of different faiths and consciousness are increasingly raising their voices in robust support of a rapid fossil fuel phase-out, a massive and equitable upsurge in renewable energy, and the resources to make it happen—in the form of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Naidoo says the treaty is “a critical success ingredient for us not (only) to save the planet, but to secure our children and their children’s future, reminding ourselves that the planet does not need any saving.

“If we continue on this path, we warm up the planet to the point where we destroy our soil and water, and it becomes so hot we can’t plant food. The end result is that we’ll be gone. The planet will still be here. And the good news is, once we become extinct as a species, the forests will grow back, and the oceans will recover.”

This treaty is a proposed global agreement to halt the expansion of new fossil fuel exploration and production and to phase out existing sources like coal, oil, and gas in a just and equitable manner.

The initiative seeks to provide a legal framework to complement the Paris Agreement by directly addressing the supply side of fossil fuels.

Its ultimate goal is to support a global transition to renewable energy and is supported by a growing coalition of countries, cities, organizations, scientists, and activists. More importantly, it has multi-faith support.

Masahiro Yokoyama of the SGI, which is a diverse global community of individuals in 192 countries and territories who practice Nichiren Buddhism, spoke about the intersection between faith and energy transition and why the fossil fuel phase-out cannot wait.

“The just transition is also about how young people in faith can be the driving force to transformations.”

“So, a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, in my view, is not only about phasing out other fossil fuels but it also represents an ethical framework.”

“It’s a way to move forward while protecting people’s livelihoods and dignity within the context of the environment and also the local business and economies. So, a just transition is not merely a technical issue but a question of ethics, inclusion and solidarity,” Masahiro Yokoyama said.

The most pressing issue at hand is how to implement the treaty in the current environmental context.

“The pathway that we are following is a pathway that has been followed before. We are not going to negotiate this treaty within the COP or within the United Nations system. We’re going to do what the Landmine Treaty did.

“The landmine treaty was negotiated by 44 countries outside of the UN system and then brought to the UN General Assembly for ratification. The second question that people ask, justifiably, is, what about the powerful exporting countries, for example?” Naidoo asked.

“They’re not going to sign it. And to that we find answers in the landmine treaty. Up to today, the United States, Russia and China have not signed the Landmine treaty. But once the treaty was signed, the social license to continue as business as usual was taken away. And you saw a drastic change.”

Note: This article is brought to you by IPS Noram in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


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Excerpt:


Some of you might be shocked that even though fossil fuels are 86 percent of the cause of climate change, it took 28 years before the words 'fossil fuels' could even be mentioned in the COP document. It is as absurd as Alcoholics Anonymous holding 28 years of conferences before they get the backbone to mention alcohol in an outcome document. —Kumi Naidoo, President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
Categories: Africa, Défense

Auktion in Zürich: Diese seltenen Goldvreneli wurden für Rekordpreise gekauft

Blick.ch - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 14:01
Bei einer Auktion in Zürich wechselten vier Goldvreneli den Besitzer – zu Preisen weit über dem Schätzwert. Und eine Goldmünze aus einem Naziversteck erzielte 1,9 Millionen Franken.
Categories: Africa, Swiss News

Des drones mystérieux ont été aperçus dans plusieurs aéroports européens. Faut-il s'inquiéter ?

BBC Afrique - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 13:13
Des drones ont été découverts dans toute l'Europe occidentale, à proximité d'aéroports, de bases militaires et de centrales électriques, dans le cadre d'un programme présumé de « guerre hybride ».
Categories: Africa, Afrique

Pope Leo XIV Greetings to the Churches of the Global South Gathered at the Amazonian Museum of Belém

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 13:06

By External Source
Nov 18 2025 (IPS-Partners)

 
I greet the particular Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazonian Museum of Belém, joining the prophetic voice of my brother Cardinals who have taken part in COP 30, telling the world with words and gestures that the Amazon region remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.

You chose hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together. This has delivered progress, but not enough. Hope and determination must be renewed, not only in words and aspirations, but also in concrete actions.

The creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat. One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity. There is still time to keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5°C, but the window is closing. As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us.

The Paris Agreement has driven real progress and remains our strongest tool for protecting people and the planet. But we must be honest: it is not the Agreement that is failing, we are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service, and support at a scale that will truly make a difference. Stronger climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems. Strong climate actions and policies, both are an investment in a more just and stable world.

We walk alongside scientists, leaders and pastors of every nation and creed. We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its spoils. Let us send a clear global signal together: nations standing in unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation.

Let this Amazonic Museum be remembered as the space where humanity chose cooperation over division and denial.

And may God bless all of you in your efforts to continue caring for God’s creation. In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen.

 


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Categories: Africa, Défense

'Not fair' how South Africa are treated, says coach

BBC Africa - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 12:49
South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick claims the Springboks have been treated unfairly following red-card incidents in their wins over France and Italy.
Categories: Africa, Europäische Union

Zolldeal spaltet die Schweiz: «Endlich wagt es jemand, die Trump-Unterwürfigkeit anzuprangern!»

Blick.ch - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 12:22
Der neue Zoll-Deal mit den USA sorgt in der Schweiz für unterschiedliche Reaktionen. Viele Leser sehen darin eine wirtschaftliche Chance, während andere vor Abhängigkeit und fragwürdigen Zugeständnissen warnen.
Categories: Africa, Swiss News

Dunkelheit in Pristina: Xhaka nimmt Stromausfall im Abschlusstraining mit Humor

Blick.ch - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 12:20
Die Nati absolviert ihr letztes Training im Fadil-Vokrri-Stadion in Pristina. Dann wird es aber plötzlich dunkel – Stromausfall! Die Spieler nehmen es mit Humor und das Licht geht kurze Zeit später auch wieder an.
Categories: Africa, Swiss News

Why Food and Agriculture Should Be at the Centre of COP30 Agenda

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 12:13

Agroecology strengthens food sovereignty by encouraging local production and consumption. —Elizabeth Mpofu, Zimbabwean farmer
Categories: Africa, Défense

Pan-African Activist Advocates for Climate-Resilient Food, Education Systems at Belém Talks

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 11:08

Adenike Titilope Oladosu, a prominent Nigerian ecofeminist, climate justice leader, and researcher. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 18 2025 (IPS)

“I am the founder of the ‘I Lead Climate Action Initiative,’ which is a Pan-African movement that carries out grassroots-based climate action to address the climate crisis in Africa. We advocate for the restoration of Lake Chad, the world’s largest environmental crisis through research and engagement,” says Adenike Titilope Oladosu.

Lake Chad is located in west-central Africa, at the intersection of the borders of four countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. It is situated in the Sahel region, a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the savannas to the south. The dwindling waters of Lake Chad have aggravated the environmental degradation in the region.

The leading Nigerian ecofeminist, climate justice leader and researcher spoke to IPS about the start of her activism in 2018, born out of her experiences growing up and going to school in a food basket area of Nigeria, and “seeing firsthand how a climate crisis affects both food production and education.”

During floods, she says, classrooms were out of bounds as the routes to school and learning became inaccessible. But floods were not all she saw; there were heatwaves and low yields on the farms due to erratic and extreme weather patterns. Students either avoided school or decreased their attendance due to hunger.

“Families that relied on agriculture prioritized work over school, leading to a cycle of disrupted learning with lifelong negative consequences for affected children. And, when climate collided with food systems, it led to clashes between farmers and pastoralist communities,” Oladosu explains.

“I wanted to contribute to my community by advocating for climate action and justice,” she continues. “In 2018, I read an IPCC report (the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is a comprehensive assessment of the scientific, technical, and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its impacts, and future risks). It said the climate crisis was getting out of hand, that it was time to act as we were running out of time.”

“Today, the climate crisis is no longer a threat but a reality.”

Since then, the young Nigerian activist has mobilized thousands of people globally, including many in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, who are now leading the change for climate justice. The goal is to bring up more climate-focused youth, students, and communities that could champion climate action.”

Currently, Oladosu is a fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability in Potsdam, Germany, an institution that conducts research with the aim of investigating, identifying, and advancing development pathways for transformation processes towards sustainable societies.

At the same time, she serves as an Education Cannot Wait Climate Champion, the first global fund dedicated to education in emergencies, and she understands all too well that when a climate crisis snowballs, it produces multiple and complex challenges, significantly limiting a child’s lifelong learning and earning opportunities.

She says the interconnected challenges of armed conflict, forced displacement, environmental degradation, energy crises and climate change are putting an entire generation at risk and calls on world leaders and governments to address the education/climate crises. Research shows that when children go hungry, they are 50 percent more likely to drop out of school to contribute to family income.

Extreme weather events disrupted the education of 242 million students worldwide in 2024, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Floods, droughts, or heavy smoke affected 1.17 million students in Brazil alone.

In 2024, 85 countries or territories saw their schools affected by climate-related hazards, with 23 countries experiencing multiple rounds of school disruptions. Against this backdrop, she says the climate discourse and negotiations at COP30 are, in many ways, moving in the right direction.

During a High-Level discussion, representatives of participating nations, the COP30 Presidency, and the United Nations system made it a priority to invest in preparing young people to cope with and mitigate the impacts of climate change. They also emphasized the importance of adapting schools to this new reality.

Alice Vogas, Program Director at the COP30 Presidency, stated that making education a pillar of climate action requires coordinated efforts and investment. “We hope to see in Belém a platform where countries can take a step forward and strengthen the exchange of knowledge on how education can contribute,” she said.

Vogas emphasized that the priority is climate literacy for teachers and the development of skills and technical training for young people. Oladosu agrees: “We need to protect the future of the millions of boys and girls on the frontlines of the climate crises around the world. I want world leaders to understand that this future starts now and, with urgency, position education at the core of climate resilience.”

Oladosu stresses that it is also about “educating young people on the many faces of climate change. Let’s not lose track of what climate justice means for young people. The impact of young girls walking long kilometers to fetch water on their school attendance, performance, and completion is a significant concern. In school, young people must be taught about climate change and inspired to innovate solutions to counter the climate crises.”

“Meanwhile, there is a need to fund interventions that, despite these challenges, help keep young people in school and in a conducive environment, and this includes school feeding programs.” Recognizing the intersection between education and climate change, actions to prepare young people for the effects of climate change and to help mitigate its causes were at the center of the High-Level Ministerial Roundtable on Green Education at COP30.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has already presented the first draft of the PISA 2029 Climate Literacy Framework, an international metric designed to assess students’ climate knowledge. PISA, or the Programme for International Student Assessment, is a large-scale international study by the OECD that assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science.

The tool has already been applied to students in the state of Pará, a northern Brazilian state that is the site of Amazonia National Park. The results show that while students demonstrate relatively solid understanding of local environmental issues such as the Amazon Forest, broader climate literacy remains limited.

PISA 2029: Climate Literacy is an upcoming assessment that will measure 15-year-old students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes about climate change as a new competency to be included in the PISA program starting in 2029. Data will be collected from students, teachers, and principals.

The initiative will assess students’ capacity to understand and respond to climate challenges, providing international data to help education systems prepare students for sustainable futures. The goal is to provide international data on how well students are prepared to face climate challenges. The results will help inform policy decisions and reforms aimed at improving climate education and resilience.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


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Excerpt:


We need to protect the future of the millions of boys and girls on the frontlines of the climate crises around the world. I want world leaders to understand that this future starts now and, with urgency, position education at the core of climate resilience. —Adenike Titilope Oladosu, ecofeminist and Pan-African climate activist
Categories: Africa, Europäische Union

Total faces war crimes allegations over Mozambique massacre

BBC Africa - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 11:02
TotalEnergies denies responsibility for the actions of local security forces involved in dozens of killings.
Categories: Africa, Afrique

LIVE NOW! Green Lead Markets – Driving Europe’s industrial decarbonisation

Euractiv.com - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 09:30
The European Union aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050, with a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Meeting these goals will not only require decarbonising our energy system but also fundamentally transforming industrial production. As part of its efforts to decarbonise energy-intensive industries, the European Commission is designing the legislative proposal […]
Categories: Africa, European Union

UNRWA Continues Operations in Gaza Amid Ongoing Insecurity and Shortages of Essential Services

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Tue, 11/18/2025 - 08:41

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), briefs reporters on UNRWA's services across the occupied Palestinian territories and UNRWA' s ongoing operations. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 18 2025 (IPS)

After nearly two years of conflict between Hamas and Israel, displaced Palestinians in Gaza have begun returning home as humanitarian organizations work to restore essential, life-saving services. Despite recent progress, the United Nations (UN) and its partners continue to face major obstacles in reaching the most vulnerable populations due to ongoing insecurity and heightened restrictions. With winter fast approaching—and expected to further worsen living conditions—sustained aid operations remain critical.

Roughly one month into the ceasefire, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported ongoing daily bombardments of residential areas in zones where Israeli forces remain deployed, particularly in eastern Khan Younis and eastern Gaza City. The agency has also documented multiple ceasefire violations along the “Yellow Line,” leading to numerous civilian casualties.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, between October 29 and November 5, bombardments resulted in 15 Palestinian deaths and 24 injuries. An additional 31 bodies were recovered from the rubble of collapsed buildings. The Ministry further reports that since the start of the ceasefire, 241 Palestinians have been killed and 609 injured.

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), observed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza firmly hinges on the stability of the ceasefire. “A ceasefire that merely prolongs the absence of war without charting a viable path to peace would only repeat the disastrous mistakes of the past,” Lazzarini wrote in a Guardian op-ed on November 10. “A truly peaceful future requires a genuine investment in a definitive political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.”

Additionally, Lazzarini underscored the urgent need for an international stabilization force to protect key civilian infrastructures and facilitate a smooth flow of humanitarian operations, as well as increased accountability measures to acquire justice for victims of violations of international humanitarian law. On November 12, Lazzarini informed reporters at the UN headquarters that accountability is crucial in establishing a sustainable end to violence and a path to recovery for Palestine as a whole.

“The starting point could at least be a board of inquiry,” said Lazzarini, “More broadly, if we want to promote any lasting peace, I don’t think we would succeed if we aren’t going for the delivery of justice and healing, and recognizing the scope of atrocities that have been committed.”

Despite the UN recording considerable improvement in the humanitarian situation of Gaza, conditions remain dire, with famine and disease remaining imminent threats for most Gazans. The UN and its partners continue to face significant access constraints imposed by Israeli authorities. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed reporters that the UN is far from having “what is necessary to eliminate famine quickly and create conditions for the people in Gaza to have the very, very minimum that is necessary for dignity in life”.

Philippe Lazzarini (right), the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) briefing on UNRWA’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territory. Credit: Oritro Karim/IPS

OCHA further notes that access to humanitarian aid and agricultural fields beyond the Yellow Line remains prohibited, with yellow-painted concrete blocks being set up to demarcate prohibited areas, as ordered by the Israeli Minister of Defence. Access to the sea also remains barred, with Israeli forces detaining at least five fishers since November 4.

According to OCHA, several essential aid items remain barred from entering Gaza—including humanitarian vehicles, solar panels, mobile latrines, x-ray machines, food and educational supplies, and generators—many of which Israeli authorities classify as outside the scope of humanitarian assistance. OCHA also reports continued restrictions on maintenance tools needed for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems. Dozens of UNRWA vehicles and equipment, including water tankers and jetting trucks, have yet to be cleared for entry.

UNRWA and its partners have expressed alarm over the continued imposition of such restrictions during the ceasefire, particularly with the approaching winter season projected to exacerbate living conditions for Palestinians in displacement shelters. The Shelter Cluster estimates that at least 259,000 Palestinian families, or more than 1.45 million Gazans, will be adversely affected by the winter if adequate protection services are not put in place soon.

In a November 5 joint statement from several UN agencies, including UNRWA, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and its partners have been collaborating with Gaza’s Ministry of Health to prepare an “integrated catch-up campaign” for immunization and nutritional support, aiming to reach approximately 44,000 children who have been cut off from lifesaving services since the beginning of this conflict.

An estimated one in five children under age three are zero-dose or under-vaccinated due to the conflict, leaving them highly vulnerable to preventable disease outbreaks. The campaign will be carried out in three rounds to provide children with missed routine vaccinations, including Pentavalent, Polio, Rota, Pneumococcal, and two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Vaccination services will be available at 149 health facilities and 10 mobile vehicles across the enclave, with the first round scheduled for November 9-18. The second and third rounds of the vaccine campaign are planned for December 2025 and January 2026, respectively.

Alongside vaccinations, UNICEF and partners will screen children for malnutrition, provide treatment and follow-up for those affected, and refer severe cases to WHO-supported stabilization centers. UNICEF is also rehabilitating 15 health centers, while WHO is restoring an additional 20 facilities that were partially or fully destroyed.

On 14 October 2025 in Gaza’s Middle Area, State of Palestine, 4-year-old Abd Al Kareem eats from a sachet of Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (LNS) during a malnutrition screening. Credit: Rawan Eleyan/UNICEF

“This immunization campaign is a lifeline, protecting children’s health and restoring hope for the future,” said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. “It’s a crucial step in strengthening essential health services and protecting vulnerable children in Gaza who have been cut off for far too long. Yet this is only one piece of the puzzle. Much more is needed, and WHO is working to rebuild Gaza’s fragile health system so every child, every community, can access the care they deserve.”

Additionally, Lazzarini informed reporters on November 12 that UNRWA has been a lifeline for Gaza since the beginning of this crisis. Over the past two years, UNRWA has supported over 15 million primary health consultations, providing over 14,000 consultations on average on a daily basis.

UNRWA has also been instrumental in keeping the water system in the enclave from collapsing, with Lazzarini stating that roughly “40 percent of clean water is thanks to the work of (UNRWA’s) engineer(s) on the ground.” Furthermore, UNRWA has supported more than 48,000 children across 96 UNRWA schools five days a week, alongside bringing online education back to about 300,000 children.

“I do believe that we are and remain an extraordinary asset at the disposal of the international community, especially for securing critical services for the population of Gaza and any effort in stabilization and success,” said Lazzarini. “The main challenge is that we need to safeguard the operational space of the agency in Gaza. That’s challenge number one, to acknowledge that the agency is a vital key partner and an invaluable asset to the international community to help consolidate the ceasefire and ensure a successful recovery.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


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Categories: Africa, Europäische Union

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