More than 138,000 people have been displaced in Yemen due to escalating conflict, including more than 70,000 children, said a UN spokesman on Friday.
At a press briefing at UN headquarters, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, highlighted that the ongoing conflict is exacerbating child malnutrition, depleting medical resources, and disrupting education in the country.
Dujarric noted that prior to the current escalation, more than 2.2 million children under the age of five were already suffering from malnutrition.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with rising needs, dwindling relief supplies, and critical funding gaps. Dujarric emphasized the urgent need to address these humanitarian access issues.
The UN official called on all parties involved in the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including ambulances and hospitals, and to ensure safe passage for those seeking refuge.
Yemen conflict displaces over 138,000 people
The ongoing 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai has introduced a drone event combining engineering, programming and piloting, underscoring demand for multidisciplinary technicians as unmanned aircraft find wider commercial use.
The four-day Unmanned Aerial Systems contest began Wednesday at Shanghai's National Exhibition and Convention Center, with results due at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
All 11 competitors spent the opening day assembling and calibrating their drones. China's entrant Zeng Chen, an instructor at the Hangzhou Technician Institute in east China's Zhejiang Province, was the first to complete the assembly and begin a test flight, according to the event's competition manager.
Across six modules, competitors must shift among three roles: engineer, programmer and pilot. They assemble and repair drones, debug software and write flight plans, perform complex maneuvers and respond to emergencies.
That mix mirrors the real-world job of an unmanned aerial systems technician, a role that spans aerodynamics, flight-control systems, communications, robotics and software.
"The obstacle-avoidance module requires competitors to process point-cloud data, which is then used to generate a three-dimensional indoor map. The task is a bit like navigating a maze. The drones may also have to carry sandbags or other payloads for remote delivery, making that part extremely challenging," said Gu Junjie, a coach for the Unmanned Aerial Systems competition.
Judges assess competitors on their adherence to operating procedures, work quality, completion time and ability to diagnose and resolve faults.
Zeng's performance over the first three days drew praise from Alan Ball, unmanned aerial systems skill competition manager.
"Chinese competitor -- he has done very well in the competition so far. Yes, in the overseas market, the drones are used in multiple different industries, from security to agriculture to safety to surveys, mapping. As a career as a drone technician, I think, globally, the future of drones is very bright," Ball said.
Drone event at WorldSkills spotlights demand for multidisciplinary talent
