News in Brief 2 May 2024 |

This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Palestine’s economy in ruins, as Gaza war sets development back 20 years

The relentless Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has set back Palestine’s overall socio-economic development by more than 20 years, according to a new UN report released on Thursday.

The joint study by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), revealed that the poverty rate has surged to 58.4 per cent since the 7 October Hamas-led terror attacks began the escalation in violence, pushing nearly 1.74 million additional people into poverty.

At the same time, Palestine’s gross domestic product (GDP) plummeted by 26.9 per cent, resulting in a loss of $7.1 billion compared to a 2023 baseline before the war.

“Every additional day that this war continues is exacting huge and compounding costs to Gazans and all Palestinians, now and in the medium and long term,” said Achim Steiner, head of UNDP.

He added that unprecedented levels of human loss, capital destruction, and the steep rise in poverty over such a short period “will precipitate a serious development crisis that jeopardizes the future of generations to come.”

Detention of child migrants in EU must end, say top rights experts

Migration news now, and a call from top independent rights experts on Thursday to end the practice of detaining the children of migrants and asylum-seekers entering the European Union.

In their appeal to the EU bloc, experts including Gehad Madi, Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, insisted that detention of children because of their parents’ migration status was “always a violation” of their rights.

The development comes as the European Union’s 27 Members prepare to implement a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, pending its approval by the EU Council in Brussels. 

The measures which are expected to come into effect in 2026 include the creation of national mechanisms to monitor respect for human rights during the screening of migrants and asylum seekers at country borders.

“Asylum-seekers should not be penalised for exercising the right to seek asylum, and migration should not be criminalised,” the independent experts said in a statement.

WHO launches urgent vaccination in Niger to contain meningitis epidemic

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) started a mass vaccination campaign in Niger’s Niamey region on Thursday in response to an ongoing and deadly meningitis outbreak. 

More than 2,000 cases were recorded in just one week last month and 123 people have died, the WHO said. 

Niger is one of 26 African countries where the disease is endemic and persistently poses a high-risk in the so-called African meningitis belt. 

The recent surge in cases represents a 50 per cent increase from last year, with a mortality rate exceeding six per cent. 

The focus of the epicentre is Niamey region, with an infection rate of more than 52 cases per 100,000 people. Other regions such as Agadez, Zinder and Dosso also require urgent intervention to confront high infection rates, the UN health agency said.

To help protect at-risk communities, WHO is joining forces with several technical and financial partners to respond to the epidemic with a new vaccine.

Unlike previous jabs, the new meningitis vaccine is single-dose – and it protects against five strains of the infection. 

Matt Wells, UN News.