Category: Russia

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October 29, 2025 Humanitarian aid

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is deeply concerned about the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record. On Tuesday, the hurricane hit Jamaica, bringing with it torrential rain and strong winds.

According to the UN chief's press service, the storm is heading toward Cuba and the Bahamas. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are already experiencing widespread flooding.

The UN chief expresses solidarity with the governments and peoples of countries affected by the hurricane, conveys his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured.

UN assistance

The United Nations is providing comprehensive support to countries in the hurricane's path. Under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators on the ground and in close collaboration with authorities and humanitarian partners, UN agencies are assessing needs, providing direct assistance to victims, and preparing for the hurricane's potential impacts in other parts of the region. UN teams are already working in the affected areas and are preparing to scale up their assistance.

The UN has allocated $4 million each to Haiti and Cuba from the Central Emergency Response Fund. The funds are intended to support hurricane preparedness and mitigation efforts under the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' (OCHA) prevention program.

Specifically, the World Food Programme (WFP) has deployed over 800 metric tons of food, enough to feed 86,000 people in Haiti for two weeks. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has pre-positioned hygiene kits for 14,500 people and special food for over 4,000 children. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has stockpiled reproductive health supplies for 5,000 people and hygiene kits for 4,000 people. Additionally, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a World Health Organization (WHO) organization, has provided health kits for 11,000 people.

The UN will also consider raising additional funds to finance the response to the natural disaster.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

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October 29, 2025 Climate and environment

As global temperatures rise and the impacts of climate change intensify, the vast gap in adaptation funding for developing countries is putting lives, livelihoods, and entire economies at risk, according to the 2025 Climate Change Adaptation Report, titled "Running Out Fuel," prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

IN reportA report published ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place in November in Belém, Brazil, notes that despite improved adaptation planning and implementation, adaptation financing needs in developing countries will exceed $310 billion per year by 2035. This is 12 times higher than current levels of international public adaptation financing.

"The impacts of climate change are accelerating. However, adaptation funding has not kept pace, leaving the world's most vulnerable people suffering from rising sea levels, deadly storms, and scorching heat," the UN Secretary-General noted. Antonio Guterres in his message on the occasion of the report's release. "Adaptation is not an expense, it's a lifeline. Closing the adaptation gap is how we protect lives, ensure climate justice, and build a safer and more resilient world. There's no time to waste."

Adaptation is not an expense, it is a means of salvation

“Every person on this planet faces the impacts of climate change: wildfires, extreme heat, desertification, floods, rising prices, and much more,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “As action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continues to lag, these impacts will only worsen, harming more people and causing significant economic losses. We need a global effort to increase adaptation funding—from both public and private sources—without increasing the debt burden of vulnerable countries. Even with limited budgets and competing priorities, the reality is simple: if we don’t start investing in adaptation now, we will face rising costs every year.”

Missing funds

The $310 billion estimate is based on modeled costs. If the estimates are based on extrapolated needs reflected in Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans, this figure rises to $365 billion. These figures are based on 2023 data and are not adjusted for inflation.

If we don't start investing in adaptation now, we will face increasing costs every year.

International public adaptation finance flows to developing countries will total $26 billion in 2023, down from $28 billion in the previous year. This leaves an adaptation finance gap of $284-339 billion per year, 12-14 times higher than current flows. UNEP's previous estimate amounted to 194-366 billion dollars.

If current funding trends do not change in the near future, the target of doubling international public funding for adaptation measures from 2019 levels to approximately $40 billion by 2025, as set out in Glasgow Climate Pact, will not be executed.

Planning and implementation of measures

Approximately 172 countries have at least one national adaptation policy or plan in place; only four countries have not yet begun developing a plan. However, in 36 of these 172 countries, the instruments are outdated or have not been updated for at least ten years. This must be taken into account to minimize the risk of maladaptation.

In the Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), which countries submit under the Paris Agreement to describe their progress in meeting their climate commitments, countries have reported on over 1,600 implemented adaptation measures, primarily in the areas of biodiversity, agriculture, water resources, and infrastructure. However, only a few countries report on the actual results and impacts needed to assess their effectiveness.

Meanwhile, support for new projects under the Adaptation Fund, Global Environment Facility, and Green Climate Fund has grown to nearly $920 million in 2024. This is 86 percent higher than the five-year average of $494 million from 2019 to 2023. However, this may prove to be only a temporary blip, as emerging financial constraints make the future uncertain.

Increasing public and private funding

The new collective climate finance target agreed at COP29 calls for developed countries to provide at least $300 billion per year to combat climate change in developing countries by 2035. This is insufficient to close the financing gap for two reasons.

First, if the inflation rate of the last decade persists until 2035, developing countries' adaptation financing needs will increase from $310-365 billion per year in 2023 prices to $440-520 billion per year. Second, the $300 billion target is intended for both mitigation and adaptation. This means that only a fraction of this amount will be allocated to adaptation.

The Baku-Belen roadmap for raising $1.3 trillion by 2035 could be of great importance, but care must be taken to avoid increasing the vulnerability of developing countries. Grants, concessional, and debt-free instruments are crucial to prevent debt buildup, which would hinder vulnerable countries' investment in adaptation.

For the roadmap to work, the international community must close the adaptation funding gap. This requires mitigating climate change, preventing maladaptation, and increasing funding through new donors, investors, and instruments. It is also necessary to engage more financial actors in integrating resilience issues into decision-making processes.

While the private sector must do more, the report estimates a realistic potential for private investment in public adaptation priorities at $50 billion per year. This compares to current private investment of approximately $5 billion per year. Reaching $50 billion will require targeted policy measures and a combination of financial solutions, with concessional public financing used to mitigate risks and increase private investment.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: United Nations – United Nations –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

October 29, 2025 Climate and environment

The climate crisis is no longer a future threat – it's already claiming lives. A new global report from the Lancet Countdown research project, prepared in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), warns that millions of people die each year due to the consequences of climate inaction.

A document published ahead of the opening of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil shows that 12 of 20 key indicators tracking health threats from global warming have reached record levels.

"The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives," said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, a WHO spokesperson.

Mortality rates are rising

According to the report, heat-related deaths have increased by 23 percent since the 1990s, averaging 546,000 fatal incidents per year. In 2024, every person on Earth was exposed to dangerous heat for an average of 16 days, with infants and the elderly experiencing heat stress for more than 20 days.

Droughts and fires have led to increased food insecurity, with 124 million people facing food shortages in 2023. Economic losses from heat in 2024 were estimated at $1.09 trillion.

Last year, governments spent $956 billion on fossil fuel subsidies—three times more than they spent on aid to climate-vulnerable countries. In 15 countries, such subsidies exceeded the entire healthcare budget.

There is hope

The report not only warns of disaster but also cites positive examples. Reducing air pollution from coal-fired power generation between 2010 and 2022 prevented 160,000 premature deaths annually. Renewable energy reached 12 percent of the total energy sector, creating 16 million jobs. Two-thirds of medical students in 2024 received training in climate and health.

"The solutions already exist. Cities, communities, and local governments are demonstrating that progress is possible," says Dr. Marina Romanello, executive director of the Lancet Countdown. She claims that phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to clean energy and healthy diets will help save more than 10 million lives annually.

The healthcare sector is at the forefront

The health sector is demonstrating leadership: healthcare-related greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 16 percent in 2021–2022. Sixty percent of countries have completed national health system adaptation plans, and 58 percent have completed vulnerability assessments.

In the lead-up to the climate conference in Brazil, the Lancet Countdown report has become a key argument for urgent action. The WHO is preparing a special report that will form part of the Belém Action Plan, the summit's expected outcome.

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.