This is the News in Brief from the United Nations. 

Israel-Palestine crisis: ‘Enough is enough’ say UN humanitarians

With the deepening Israel-Palestine crisis about to enter its second month, a dozen UN agencies have reiterated urgent appeals for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to bring in more aid and save lives.

Among those uniting behind the message that “enough is enough”, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths renewed earlier pleas for the immediate and unconditional release of the more than 240 hostages captured by Hamas and held in Gaza since 7 October.

All parties should respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, the UN agency leaders insisted, amid media reports of huge explosions from airstrikes across northern Gaza overnight.

In their joint statement, the humanitarian leaders called the killings of large numbers of civilians in Gaza an “outrage”. So too was the fact that the Strip’s 2.2 million residents continue to be cut off from food, water, medicine, electricity and fuel, they noted. 

The humanitarian officials stressed that “an entire population is besieged and under attack, denied access to the essentials for survival, bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals and places of worship”. 

‘True cost of food’ at least $10 trillion higher than price tags show

Food prices have gone up sharply for consumers in the past few years – but did you know that there is also a “hidden” cost of food to our health and the environment which is not factored in?

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released new data on Monday showing that “hidden” total adds up to at least $10 trillion a year.

A full 70 per cent of it is associated with unhealthy diets, “high in ultra-processed foods, fats and sugars, leading to obesity and non-communicable diseases, and causing labour productivity losses”, says the agency.

One fifth of the total costs are related to environmental harms from greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions as well as unsustainable water use. 

FAO said that low-income countries are disproportionately hit by these hidden costs, which represent more than a quarter of their Gross Domestic Product, compared to less than eight percent in high-income countries.

The UN agency called on all food producers to acknowledge and calculate the real totals, “understand how we all contribute to them and what actions we need to take” in order to better address global health issues, the climate crisis, poverty, inequality and food security. 

South Sudan malnutrition alert: WFP

In South Sudan, children in flood-affected areas are at risk of extreme malnutrition in the first half of 2024, with food running low and water-borne diseases spreading fast amid crowded living conditions. 

That’s the message from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which said on Monday that 1.6 million children under five are expected to suffer from malnutrition in 2024.

Rubkona, a county where floodwaters have permanently submerged entire communities or trapped them on small islands since 2021, will be particularly affected.

“This is the reality of living on the frontline of the climate crisis,” warned Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Representative to South Sudan.

She stressed that the spread of waterborne diseases “unravels any work humanitarian agencies do in preventing and treating malnutrition and it is young children who are suffering the impact most severely”. 

Rubkona county is predicted to be on the brink of famine for the first time ever. WFP said that this is a result of the floods along with “severe economic shocks” which have sent the prices of staple foods soaring by more than 120 per cent since last April. 

The UN agency also highlighted an expected rise in the number of people facing catastrophic hunger across the country to 79,000 by April, “largely due to South Sudanese returnees fleeing fighting in Sudan”. 

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) nearly 300,000 returnees have crossed the border from Sudan since the conflict there erupted almost seven months ago.

Ukraine: UNESCO condemns new attack on Odesa World Heritage site

In Ukraine, a cultural site under international protection has been damaged in a Russian attack once again, prompting condemnation from the UN educational, social and cultural agency UNESCO on Monday.

The Museum of Fine Arts within Odesa’s historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged by a Russian airstrike on Sunday night, the agency said. The historic centre has been hit several times previously, notably over the summer.

UNESCO reiterated that cultural sites must be protected in accordance with international law.

Prior to the latest attack, as of 2 November, UNESCO had verified damage to 327 cultural sites since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including 124 religious sites and 28 museums. In the Odesa region alone, 49 sites have been damaged.

Ukraine is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage sites. The UN agency has been supporting repairs to buildings within Odesa’s historic centre, including the fine arts museum, and has provided equipment for the digitization of some 1,000 works of art and of documents in the Odesa State Archives.

Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer, UN News.