This is the News in Brief from the United Nations. 

$5 million allocated to Haiti amidst surging gang violence

To meet the humanitarian needs triggered by gang violence in Haiti, the UN humanitarian agency chief, Martin Griffiths, allocated on Friday, $5 million dollars of emergency funding.

The financing comes amidst the killing of hundreds of people since July, in clashes between gangs in Haiti's Cité Soleil, according to the UN humanitarian agency’s (OCHA) spokesperson, Jens Laerke. 

Many others have been trapped in the fighting, which has cut off their access to drinking water, food and health care.

Mr. Laerke pointed out that nearly 280,000 people are estimated to be affected by the situation and that the money is “critical...right now”.

“The high level of insecurity in Haiti is compromising humanitarians access to affected people, for example, for food and cash distributions, but also to basic services such as health and education for between one and one and a half million people trapped in gang-controlled neighbourhoods”.

World Humanitarian Day commemorated

Meanwhile, Martin Griffiths warned that in his forty years of aid work, he has not seen such an overwhelming number of crises as is happening now.

On World Humanitarian Day, he pointed out that despite this, it is important not to lose sight of hope. 

Mr. Griffiths gave the example of the resumption of Ukrainian crop exports from the Black Sea Port of Odesa as a result of months of negotiations between Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN.

Notwithstanding “conflicts, hunger, the climate crisis…and a pandemic” that have left “a record 303 million people” in need humanitarian of aid, he said that crises “also inspire the very best in humanity”.

In marking the day, he recognized the hope inspired by the courage and conviction of aid workers and paid tribute to the 141 humanitarians who were killed last year.

WHO pushes Ebola treatments to boost survival

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) has advised the use of two existing treatments, which dramatically reduce Ebola deaths, to be given to people of all ages.

Publishing its first-ever guidelines on the therapeutics to combat the often-fatal haemorrhagic disease, the UN health agency strongly recommended that two monoclonal antibodies, known as Ansuvimab or Ebanga, and Inmazeb be taken.

Janet Diaz of WHO’s Health Emergencies programme said, the two treatments significantly "reduced mortality" – with the potential to save between 230 and 400 lives for every 1,000 people infected.

The UN health agency said that both had "demonstrated clear benefits" and could be used for everyone infected by Ebola, including older people, pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and newborns.

However, WHO cautioned that accessing the treatments remained "challenging, especially in resource-poor areas".

Katy Dartford, UN News