Another ship with around 230 people on board is reportedly still at sea, raising fears of a new tragedy.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees continue to attempt dangerous journeys across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in search of safety, as conditions worsen in camps in Bangladesh and conflict-hit Myanmar.
Death toll increases
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep concern over the growing loss of life, noting that more than 600 people have already died or gone missing at sea this year.
Women and children represent more than two-thirds of those making these dangerous crossings.
The agencies praised the rescue efforts of Malaysian authorities and local communities and urged stronger regional cooperation to boost search and rescue capacity, ensure safe disembarkation and address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar.
Gaza: Vaccination campaign begins as immunization rate falls below critical threshold
In Gaza, a catch-up immunization, nutrition and health campaign is underway to reach more than 40,000 children under the age of three who have not received routine vaccinations due to two years of conflict.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, warned Tuesday that vaccination rates in the enclave have fallen below 70 percent, a key threshold for keeping preventable diseases at bay.
The campaign has already reached thousands of children after starting this weekend. It will be done in three rounds: this month, December and January.
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires noted that before the war, Gaza had 98 percent vaccination coverage and 55 immunization centers: “Now coverage has fallen below 70 percent with 31 vaccination centers destroyed or damaged.”
While a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, Mr. Pires explained that the biggest problem is the delivery of essential medical equipment to the Strip, which is essential to the success of the campaign.
This includes 1.6 million syringes, but the vast majority are still outside the enclave, said UNICEF’s Pires.
Fuel supplies
Between Friday and Monday, the UN Office for Project Services distributed more than 619,000 liters of diesel to humanitarian partners to support critical operations, including water, sanitation, hygiene, health, logistics, debris removal, education, nutrition and protection services.
Between November 1 and Sunday, UN partners in Gaza provided general food assistance to some 255,000 people, distributing two food parcels per household.
“A month after the ceasefire, our partners working on food security are distributing around 160,000 packages of bread each day, which are produced by 19 UN-supported bakeries, nine of which are in northern Gaza,” said deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Loan initiative boosts access for vulnerable food producers
A UN-backed lending initiative is underway, aimed at helping smallholder farmers and producers in the Sahara and beyond, who are held back by the difficulties they often face in obtaining business loans.
Announcing the news on Tuesday, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) explained that producers face barriers to accessing funds because the sector is perceived to be riskier than others, due to its exposure to climate shocks and price volatility.
Credit where due
But thanks to the European Union, which offers guarantees worth 109.5 million euros, the Italian public development bank CDP will now grant loans to authorized lenders operating in Africa and Turkey.
FAO’s role is to provide technical expertise in food, agriculture and finance to the program’s local lenders.
“Knowledge is the best instrument to reduce risks,” said the head of the UN agency, Qu Dongyu.