Occupied Palestinian Territory

The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners reached two hospitals in the north - Al Ahli and Al Sahaba - over the weekend.

This followed an assessment mission to those two hospitals on Friday by OCHA, the UN Population Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The WHO-led mission the following day delivered orthopedic and trauma items for 150 patients, as well as 13,000 litres of fuel to Al Ahli hospital. The team also reached Al Sahaba hospital with 12,000 litres of fuel.

In a social media post, the WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros said both hospitals are functioning with limited capacity, and lack fuel, anaesthetics, antibiotics, specialized staff and critical supplies. He said we need sustained, safe access to health facilities to deliver life-saving health care on a regular basis.

Haiti

The UN and partners continue to do everything they can to deliver assistance to people in need, despite the risks to their own safety.

Since the end of February, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have delivered more than 50,000 meals to people who've fled their homes. UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration have provided nearly 70,000 gallons of water and emergency shelter material.

The UN and partners also distributed 1,500 hygiene kits to sites where people uprooted by the violence are living.

But it is not enough. We need the parties to provide unhindered, safe humanitarian access without preconditions.

The insecurity has forced WFP to suspend its maritime transport service. With roads blocked, that was the only way to transport food and medicine for aid and development organizations from Port-au-Prince to other parts of the country.

Humanitarian partners report shortage of medicine and medical equipment, along with blood, beds and staff to treat patients with gunshot wounds from areas around Port-au-Prince.

Women have been disproportionately affected by the violence - just over half of people displaced are women. Should the violence continue, we are concerned that some 3,000 pregnant women in Port-au-Prince will not receive the medical care they need.

The Humanitarian Needs Response Plan for Haiti, which calls for $674 million, is just 2.6 per cent funded, with $17.7 million received. We urgently need funding to be able to support the people of Haiti.

Myanmar

OCHA is deeply concerned about the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons in residential areas that is posing grave protection risks and is costing civilian lives in Rakhine state.

On 9 March, a stray artillery shell landed in a residential area in the state capital Sittwe, killing at least 8 Rohingya civilians and injuring 12 others, including 5 children. This is the second time in two weeks that a shell has killed civilians in Sittwe.

On 29 February, another shell landed near the town's market and is believed to have killed at least 21 civilians and injured more than 30 others.

These incidents take place amid intensifying fighting in Rakhine between the Myanmar Armed Forces and Arakan Army, involving airstrikes and artillery shelling. The situation has prompted a surge in displacement across the state with more than 300,000 people now displaced.

The tactics used by the parties to the conflict are harming civilians and undermining humanitarians' continued ability to deliver assistance to people in need.

We remind all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, including aid workers.

At least 2.7 million people are displaced across Myanmar.

Ukraine

Attacks on frontline regions over the weekend resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

In the Donetsk Region, in the east, the city of Myrnohrad was particularly impacted after two attacks on 8 and 10 March. More than a dozen civilians, including children, were reportedly injured, and the homes of more than 200 families were damaged, according to the authorities and partners on the ground.

Other towns in the region also sustained attacks, with homes, hospitals and schools being damaged. That's according to regional and local administrations.

Our partners have provided plastic film and other construction materials, helping nearly 900 civilians whose homes had been damaged.

Civilian infrastructure and vital services in the region have already been severely impacted after nearly 10 years of fighting.

Over the last three days, homes, schools and civilian infrastructure were also reportedly damaged by attacks in the Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa and Kherson Regions, according to national authorities.

Chad

The UN and our partners - together with the Government - today launched this year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks $1.1 billion to help 4.6 million people in the country.

The plan prioritizes food security and nutrition, as Chad braces for what could be its worst lean season in more than a decade. A few weeks ago, the Government declared a state of emergency due to the food security and malnutrition situation in the country.

The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which is aligned with Chad's national development plan, also focuses on providing health care and support for refugees and host communities.

Since the start of the conflict in neighbouring Sudan last year, Chad has welcomed more than half a million refugees, which has significantly strained the humanitarian situation in the east of the country. Meanwhile, attacks by non-state armed groups in the Lake Chad Basin area are driving further displacement.

Last year, the humanitarian community managed to assist 3.5 million people, despite receiving just over one-third of the $920 million needed for the response.

Launching this year's appeal, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, Violet Kakyomya, said that despite scarce resources due to the proliferation of crises in other parts of the world, humanitarians remain committed to supporting the Chadian Government in providing urgent assistance to those most in need.

Somalia

The deputy heads of OCHA and the Food and Agriculture Organization have wrapped up a three-day mission to the country.

Speaking in the capital Mogadishu over the weekend, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, said the humanitarian community will seek more international support for Somalia going forward, as climate change continues to drive up needs, with women and girls bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Ms. Msuya said the lives of millions of people hang on a very tight balance, and this year's Humanitarian Response Plan will seek to reach 5.2 million people with life-saving assistance.

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