United Nations, December 10 (APP): Highlighting the existential threats posed by global humanitarian crises, Pakistan has called for addressing the root causes of emergencies, from foreign domination to environmental challenges, and for taking action to help and protect millions of affected people worldwide. “Conflicts have reached their highest level since 1945, and 308.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection,” said Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, while addressing the General Assembly on Monday. In the discussion on “Humanitarian Assistance,” the Pakistani envoy praised the work of UN humanitarian agencies and their staff in responding to human emergencies, especially mentioning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which continues its life-saving operations in Gaza despite the challenges. Since October 7, 2023, 228 of the agency’s staff members have been martyred. Pakistan condemned Israeli efforts to undermine UNRWA’s operations, calling them a violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, the interim measures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the advisory opinion of July 19, 2024. Pakistan expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people. “UNRWA is crucial for safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and providing essential services to refugees in the region,” Ambassador Jadoon said. He added, “While the death toll is rising due to Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people, hospitals, mosques, churches, schools, and other purely civilian infrastructure have not been spared.” The Pakistani representative appealed to all countries to take immediate steps to end Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people and to end Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. Regarding the extraordinary challenges posed by climate change, Ambassador Jadoon highlighted the devastating impacts of recent droughts, floods, storms, extreme heat, rising temperatures, and other severe weather events, which include economic conditions, food insecurity, health outcomes, disease outbreaks, and displacement. He noted that disasters disproportionately affect women and children, the elderly, people with disabilities, displaced persons, the poor, and other marginalized groups, as well as least-developed countries and those facing ongoing conflicts, further eroding their resilience to future shocks. Ambassador Jadoon emphasized the need to ensure the enforcement of international humanitarian law in conflict situations, including under foreign domination in Palestine and Kashmir. He urged mobilizing resources for humanitarian assistance, including the use of new and innovative financial systems involving international financial institutions. Finally, he said that member states, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations must increase their efforts to prevent disasters, reduce their impact, and respond to them, including addressing the human impacts of climate change, and accelerating mitigation and adaptation efforts through human preparedness and accountability. “Without addressing these crises, we cannot protect our current generations or ensure the well-being of future generations,” the Pakistani representative said.