This programme examines the importance of flood mitigation planning and some of the general prohibitions outlined in Sections 19 to 22 of the the new Storm Water Management Act 2025. The Act aims to reduce flooding through proactive and modern approaches. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Santia Bradshaw, highlights how improper disposal of waste can severely impact storm water drainage systems.

MANAGING THE FLOW PART 2 - A LOOK AT THE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT ACT

Ndeye Khady Lo, Spokesperson for the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MONUSCO, speaks about the deadly attacks in Komanda, Ituri, by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group during the night of 26 and 27 July 2025.  She also highlights the Mission’s response.



CLIP - MONUSCO Spokesperson Ndeye Khady Lo on the Komanda attacks and the Mission’s response

• Gaza: as starvation worsens, UN aid teams push to flood enclave with food
• Iran: UN rights chief Volker Türk condemns proposed extension of espionage law
• Tedros pays tribute to David Nabarro, a ‘great champion’ of global health

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 28 July 2025 - Gaza, Iran, David Nabarro

Most of Gaza is still out of reach as desperation grows, says UN aid worker 
Desperation remains widespread across Gaza because Palestinians cannot find food and are struggling to survive, a veteran UN aid worker said on Tuesday.
In an update from northern Gaza, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that hours-long delays to humanitarian missions have continued while waiting for Israeli permission to proceed. 
On Sunday, UN agencies welcomed Israel’s pledge to implement daily humanitarian pauses in its military operations in Gaza, aimed at easing the flow of desperately needed aid into and across the devastated enclave.
Today, only about 12 per cent of the occupied territory is not subject to Israeli mass displacement orders or located in militarized areas. 
Here’s Ms. Cherevko now, speaking from Gaza City. The sound in the background is low-flying surveillance drones.



20250729-Gaza-OCHA-OlgaCherevko

UN agencies continue to draw attention to the dire conditions in Gaza, where food security experts warned this week of mounting evidence of famine and widespread starvation due to conflict, displacement and the near-total collapse of essential services.

Ricardo Pires, Communication Manager with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is fresh from a mission to the enclave, where a man-made drought is also looming.

He told UN News’ Daniel Johnson that lack of drinking water means children are dehydrated and at risk of disease as families resort to using contaminated water sources.

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News


Gaza is ‘a complete perfect storm of suffering for children’: UNICEF

• In Gaza, a ‘man-made drought’ is causing more misery: UNICEF
• Tsunami early warning system kicks in across Pacific after Russia quake: UNDRR
• Cholera alert could impact 80,000 children across Central and Western Africa

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News


UN News Today 30 July 2025 - Gaza, tsunami alerts, cholera

Human trafficking is a global threat driven by organised crime and each year, more and more women, children and men are being exploited, including for forced labour and sex. 

That’s according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which works to provide humanitarian, legal and economic assistance to survivors.  

Through the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), the UN prioritises working with grassroot organisations carrying out survivor-led initiatives, facilitating on-the-ground assistance and protection to victims of trafficking.  

On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, UN News’s Emma Trager-Lewis met with Mira Sorvino, Oscar-winning actress and UNODC’s Goodwill Ambassador for the global fight against human trafficking. 

Audio Credit: Emma Trager-Lewis, UN News

‘Nothing about them, without them’: human trafficking survivors need to have a seat at every table

The continuing lack of aid reaching Gaza has left people there on the brink of famine and reduced to scouring the dirt for food, the UN aid office, OCHA, said in its latest update. 
Here's what UN aid worker Olga Cherevko's saw during her aid mission to retrieve fuel from Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Thursday morning: 
“While we were driving, I saw an elderly man on the side of the road completely alone, kneeling down, and he was picking up handfuls of lentils that had spilled on the ground from one of the previous convoys that had been passing.” she said. 
“He was picking them up with his hands and just putting them into his t-shirt as this is obviously the only option he has right now to find food, because this is how desperate the situation has become.”


Gaza aid mission - Olga Cherevko, UN OCHA

• Starving Gazans reduced to picking up spilled lentils from aid convoys
• IOM sounds Somalia alert amid deepening climate and displacement crisis 
• Haitians in ‘despair’ following abrupt suspension of US aid support - OCHA

Audio Credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 31 July 2025 - Gaza, Somalia, Haiti

Catch up on information you might have missed during the week.

This week's programme features:
•	Hand Hygiene Matters: A reminder to wash your hands properly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to help stop the spread of illness.

•	Transport Overhaul Ahead: Government to roll out a new mass transit framework with more electric buses and better PSV oversight.

This week In Case You Missed It Opportunities – (July 30 – August 5):

VACANCIES: 
•	Barbados Living Laboratory is seeking to fill the following roles: CEO, Senior Scientific Officer, and Administrative Assistant. Apply by August 15. 

•	Public teaching vacancies available in Music, Electronics and more! Details available 

TENDER OPPORTUNITIES: 
•	The Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy, is inviting tenders for the construction of a Boat Park at Consett Bay, St. John.  Visit https://gov-bb.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities for complete details.

GENERAL NOTICE: 
•	The Barbados National Standards Institute invites you to have a say on Engineering Standards! Review and comment on the draft CARICOM standard for engineering services by September 12.   

For more information, email: jonathan.platt@barbados.gov.bb, or call 426-3870.

To download a copy of these opportunities, go to https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/download/in-case-you-missed-it-july-30-august-5-2025/


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT JULY 30 – AUGUST 5 (2025)

- Gaza: People continue to be killed seeking food as starvation deepens 
- First UN aid mission arrives in Sweida, Syria 
- Support mums and babies during World Breastfeeding Week 

Audio credit: Dianne Penn, UN News
Audio duration: 4'18"


UN News Today 01 August 2025 - Gaza update, Sweida mission, World Breastfeeding Week

The Barbados Government Information Service has been established since 1958 as the Barbados Government's public relations and information arm.   This dynamic channel profiles Barbadian people, places and programmes which make up this Caribbean island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.  We want to hear from you.