The earthquake of March 28 measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck the central regions with a deadly forceKilling some 3,800 people and injuring more than 5,000, according to UN estimates.

The disaster has devastated the infrastructure and houses of Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway, moving tens of thousands of others in a country already struggling with more than 3.2 million people displaced internally (PDI) since the military coup of 2021.

“” Communities are still in shock from earthquakes – the strongest in the country has known in a century,“Said Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), addressing journalists from the United Nations headquarters in New York by video of Beijing after a three -day visit to Myanmar.

“” The devastation caused by earthquakes has aggravated the existing challenges of the conflict, displacement and serious humanitarian needs.“”

Need exceeding resources

UNOPS, which maintains the largest United Nations presence in Myanmar with nearly 500 employees, mobilized $ 25 million in the weeks following the disaster and reached half a million people with rescue support.

“My colleagues worked quickly with partners to deliver emergency shelters, clean water and deploy infrastructure specialists for quick assessments,” Da Silva said.

However, he warned that much greater international support is necessary to meet the extent of needs.

The World Bank estimates the total damages at almost $ 11 billion, the complete reconstruction should cost two to three times more. Over 2.5 million tonnes of debris must also be authorized to allow recovery.

Mr. Da Silva stressed that reconstruction must be centered on people, inclusive and linked to peacebuilding efforts.

“We echo the calls of the whole UN for an end of violence”, he said. “” Recovery and reconstruction should support the trip from Myanmar to peace and reconciliation. Civilians must be a priority.“”

Women and girls face disproportionate risks

Humanitarian repercussions have struck women and girls particularly hard – many of whom were one of people killed or injured – and are now facing increasing risk of protection.

According to the United Nations Reproductive Health Agency, Unfpamore than 4.6 million women of reproductive age – including More than 220,000 currently pregnant – are at increased risks.

Damage to health establishments, aggravated by the floods and insecurity of the monsoon, disrupted access to emergency obstetric care and menstrual hygiene. Gender -based violence increases sharply in overcrowded and poorly enlightened shelters.

Pressure health system

THE Risk of water diseases Like cholera and vector diseases such as dengue and malaria also increase.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) while No major outbreaks had been reported on May 31, cases of acute aqueous diarrhea and skin infections turn.

The monsoon rains have aggravated the conditions in temporary shelters, where overcrowding and poor sanitation raise serious health problems. Mental health remains fragile, 67% of respondents in a recent survey reporting emotional distress linked to the earthquake and the current conflict.

WHO and its partners have delivered more than 300,000 doses of vaccines-including tetanus and rage-but access remains limited and underfunced health services.

Prolonged crisis

More than 3.25 million people stay inappropriate In Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021, with at least 176,000 others looking for refuge in neighboring countries, according to the refugee, the agency, Hcr.

This excludes hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas refugees from previous waves of violence.

Myanmar also remains One of the deadliest countries in the world for land mines and the explosive remains of war.

In the first nine months of 2024 only, 889 victims were reported – Reasons Fear that the toll could exceed the record of 1,052 deaths and injuries documented in 2023.

Before the two parties confirmed that a ceasefire was in place Thursday evening Thursday evening, the two parties exchanged fire, the residents of Tehran saying that they had experienced a heavy attack dam.

Before leaving Washington for a NATO summit in Europe, President Trump expressed his frustration in the face of violations of the Fragile Cee-Feu agreement, urging Iran and Israel to observe the truce.

In a social media position, UN chief António Guterres urged the two countries to fully respect the ceasefire.

“The fights must stop. The inhabitants of the two countries have already suffered too much, “he said, adding that it was his” sincere hope “that the cease-fire can extend to other parts of the region.

It is my sincere hope that this cease-fire can be reproduced in other conflicts in the region.

The IAEA chief underlines the need for a new solid nuclear agreement

Earlier, the chief of the nuclear guard dog supported by the UN urged Tehran to consider “resuming cooperation” with the international community to suppress any persistent hostility around his nuclear program. [the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] is the key to a successful agreement, “said Managing Director Rafael Grossi.

In a short online article on X, Mr. Grossi added that he had proposed to meet the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi to work together, ” Underline this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to longtime controversy»On the Iranian nuclear program.

Concern of Tehran prison

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Office, Ohchrinsisted that a notorious teheran prison known to have dissidents should not be a target, one day after an Israeli strike reported on the complex.

Ohchr spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, the Evin prison was not a military objective, said to the media in Geneva.

“The target is a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” he said.

Ohchr has no specific details on what the alleged attack said Al-Kheetan, but there would have been fires inside the prison and a number of injuries.

Number of victims

On Tuesday, a victim chief updated from the Iranian authorities said that 610 people have been killed, including 49 women and 13 children since June 13. This number includes two pregnant women and an infant as well as 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 65 minors.

Seven hospitals, four health units and six emergency bases and nine ambulances were damaged, Iranian health authorities said.

Some 28 Israeli citizens have been killed by Iranian missile strikes to date.

Civilians must be protected

Political prisoners, including journalists, are detained in Evin prison, but whether they are detained “arbitrarily” or in relation to “crimes they have really committed”, the detainees must be protected, insisted Mr. Al-Kheetan.

According to the media on Tuesday, Iran said that he had transferred all prison prisoners after being struck by an Israeli strike, moving them to other prisons around the capital in order to repair damage.

A fragile ceasefire proposed by the United States seemed to settle briefly on Tuesday morning, before reports of new Iranian missile strikes in Israel, disputed by Tehran.

The conflict began with Israeli air attacks on June 13 and intensified during the weekend with American forces striking Iranian nuclear installations. Hundreds of civilians were said to have been killed during Israeli air strikes, while Iran’s reprisals have killed nearly 30 people in Israel.

Asked about the signs of a repression against the dissent of the Iranian authorities in the context of the Israeli and American military campaign against the country, the spokesperson for the OHCH stressed that it was “difficult to verify the information” from Iran, given the lack of access.

He confirmed that reports on Iranians “arrested for cyber and publishing content related to Israeli attacks against Iran, according to NGOs”.

Mr. Al-Kheetan also spoke of reports that nine men were executed in Iran since Israel attacked the country on June 13.

He called on the Iranian authorities to “completely respect the rights to freedom of expression and information, at any time”, insisting that journalists “must be able to do their work without any obstacle”.

Iranian citizens have arrested and accused of spying or collaboration with Israel “should have their full rights in terms of legal proceedings and a fair trial,” he said.

“If these arrests are arbitrary, these people must be released immediately and unconditionally,” he concluded.

Concerns of the Human Rights Council

On Monday, independent human rights experts reiterated their concerns concerning “the use by Iran of national security offenses, some of which are liable to Iran, some of which are liable to death”, in the context of recent executions reported on charges of espionage.

Last week, the deputy chief of the UN, Nada al-Nashif, told the Human Rights Council that at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year – the largest number of executions reported since 2015.

She also informed the Council on the use of torture in Iranian prisons and the continuous targeting of minorities, journalists and human rights defenders.

The alert has occurred almost a month since the Israeli “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” and supported by the United States “began to operate on May 27 in Gaza.

Its food distribution points have been frequently associated with confusion and shooting while the desperate and hungry gasans rush to recover the supplies, said spokesperson for the Human Rights Office Thameen Al-Keetan.

“The militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism of Israel is in contradiction with international standards on the distribution of aid,” he insisted. “” The armament of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to survival services, constitutes a war crime and, in certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law. »»

In its last urgency update, The United Nations Coordination Office, OCHAreported that “dozens of people of all ages are killed and injured every day” in the broken enclave.

“The humanitarian operations of a sufficient scale are not facilitated, not leaving the critical needs of those who have so far survived,” he said.

Peeled or shot

In Geneva, in the meantime, OhchrAl-Keetan explained that the victims of the private aid hub were either “dissected or slaughtered” by the Israeli defense forces. They endangered civilians and contributed to the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza,” he said.

At least 93 people were also said to have been killed by the Israeli army while he was trying to approach the few remaining convoys of the UN and other aid partners still operating in Gaza.

In a previous alert, the United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the possible summary execution of Palestinian staff associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation by armed men who have been affiliated in Hamas.

“These murders must end immediately, and officials were to report,” The United Nations office said in a statement.

Weakest

The OCHCL spokesman noted that women and children, as well as the elderly and disabled people continue to face “multiple challenges” accessing food in Gaza today.

The looting of help convoys is now commonplace in Gaza after more than 20 months of daily Israeli bombing due to an almost total blockade on humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel and drugs.

The result is that the most vulnerable individuals in Gaza are unable to access any of this diverted aid, said the United Nations Human Rights Office UN News.

To date, at least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in incidents associated with aid centers and looting.

“The desperate and hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhuman choice of starving or risking being killed while trying to get food,” said the United Nations Human Rights Office.

Current help obstacles

Although the UN and the other aid providers still work in Gaza, they depend on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. Saturday and Sunday, only eight requests out of 16 of humanitarian operations were approvedreported the aid teams.

“Half of [the missions] Were refused squarely, hampering water and fuel monitoring, the provision of nutrition services and the recovery of organizations, “said Alessandra Vellucci, director of the Information Service at the UN Geneva.

His comments followed a warning from the highest official of the UN help in Gaza on Sunday which described disastrous scenes and “carnage”.

“It’s armed hunger. It is a forced trip. It is a death sentence for people who try to survive. All combined, it seems that it is the erasure of the Palestinian life of Gaza, ” said the OCHA head of the OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jonathan Whittall.

Telecommunications have now been restored through Gaza after repairing damaged fiber cables this weekend.

“For the first time in days, humanitarian teams have had more than 24 hours of relatively stable connectivity – something that is essential to coordinate emergency relief and save lives”, ” Ochha said in the update on Monday evening.

But without urgent fuel deliveries, telecommunications “will leave very soon,” warned the United Nations wing.

“Fuel is also necessary to maintain the emergency rooms in progress, electrical ambulances and exploit the water and pumping desalination stations,” he explained.

“Currently, the teams on the ground are rationing the little fuel and the work to recover stocks stored inside Gaza, in areas that are difficult to reach. »»

You can surely think that we can simply agree that a time zone can be used for “moon time”? Coordinated universal time (UTC), for example. How difficult can it be? Unfortunately, this does not work, for several reasons.

Here on earth, the chronometer is easy to take for granted: we divide our world into 24 time zones, based on the longitude and rotation of the planet, and can say the time based on the position of the sun in the sky.

But on the moon, the rules are different: a lunar “day” lasts about 29.5 days of the earth, and the equatorial regions of the moon can feel up to 14 days of continuous sun. On some of the highest mountains on the moon, nicknamed “Peaks of Eternal Light”, the sun never sets.

In addition to that, physicists and fans of science fiction will know that time is not the same on the moon as on earth. Place two perfectly synchronized clocks – one on earth and one on the moon – and, after a single day of the earth, the lunar clock would be ahead of around 56 microseconds. It may not seem much, but for navigation on spaceships, this small difference could be critical.

Unite efforts to standardize lunar time

For a moon time zone to work, budding lunar actors will have to agree on a current standard of time which is reliable, traceable in time based on earth and usable by everyone. Unoosa helps direct the charge to make it a reality.

In 2024, the United Nations International Committee for World Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) has established a dedicated working group to focus on the positioning, navigation and the lunar calendar, standardize the lunar time and trace it to the UTC that we use on earth, for the benefit of all future lunar missions.

Peace on earth, peace on the moon

The coordination of transparent timing on the Moon is part of a wider UN mission to ensure that lunar activities, whether public, private, scientific or commercial, are safe, peaceful and lasting. To this end, Unoosa summoned the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities In June 2024, bringing together space agency heads, legal experts, astronauts, businesses and academics around the world to discuss common ground, share concerns and reaffirm the need for transparent and inclusive lunar governance mechanisms.

One of these mechanisms to continue international cooperation is the new Action team on the consultation of lunar activities (ATLAC), which is designed to help promote dialogue and formulate recommendations on how exploration and lunar activities can be coordinated internationally. Atlac will work to finalize his work plan for significant years to come and identify priority subjects – such as the coordinated lunar stopwatch – to ensure that lunar activities take place in a cooperative and orderly manner.

Humanity is entering a new era of lunar exploration with a record number of nations and space organizations which could reshape our relationship with our nearest celestial neighbors for future generations.

Member States will be able to work with UNOOSA to preserve the Moon as an area of ​​global cooperation, guided by the main principle of the Treaty of the space that “the exploration and use of space, including the Moon, will be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries”.