Rabat - His Majesty King Mohammed VI has constantly stressed, in His Royal Speeches and Messages, the close link between "economic growth and social justice and cohesion", said, on Monday in Rabat, speaker of the House of Councillors, Enaam Mayara, noting that one of the most advanced forms of social protection is that which involves creating jobs and guaranteeing dignity. Speaking at the opening of the 8th International Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice, held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Mayara said that issues such as gender equality and the fight against discrimination in the workplace, the eradication of child labor, the right of people with special needs to decent employment, and the restructuring of the informal sector are at the heart of the Sovereign's concerns, and are central to the Kingdom's constitutional and conventional commitments. In this regard, Mayara noted that the preamble to the 2011 Constitution enshrined the country's irreversible choice to consolidate the foundations of a cohesive society in which everyone can enjoy security, freedom, dignity, parity, equal opportunities, social justice and a decent life, within a framework of respect for the close link between citizens' rights and obligations. In the same vein, the speaker of the House of Councillors pointed out that the Fundamental Law also stipulates that the public authorities work to create the conditions to guarantee the freedom and equality of citizens, as well as their participation in political, economic, cultural and social life. According to Mayara, it also reaffirms commitments to the protection of economic, social and cultural rights for different categories of the population, with the aim of achieving inclusive social justice. For Mayara, the 8th International Parliamentary Forum on Social Justice highlights the correlation and complementarity between decent work and sustainable development in line with international and national standards and Goal 8 of the SDGs, which aims to promote susta ined, shared and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. NEW YORK: A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster. It said that food and safe water have become incredibly scarce and diseases are rife, compromising women's and children's nutrition and immunity and resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition. The report - Nutrition Vulnerability and Situation Analysis- Gaza - finds that the situation is particularly extreme in the Northern Gaza Strip, which has been almost completely cut off from aid for weeks. Nutrition screenings conducted at shelters and health centers in the north found that 15.6 percent - or 1 in 6 children under 2 years of age - are acutely malnourished. Of these, almost 3 percent suffer from severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition, which puts young children at the highest risk of medical complications and death unless they receive urgent treatment. As the data were collected in January, the situation is likely to be even graver today. Similar screenings in the Southern Gaza Strip, in Rafah, where aid has been more available, found 5 percent of children under 2 years are acutely malnourished. This is clear evidence that access to humanitarian aid is needed and can help prevent the worst outcomes. It also reinforces agencies' calls to protect Rafah from the threat of intensified military operations. 'The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza,' said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban. 'We've been warning for weeks that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a nutrition crisis. He stressed that If the aggression doesn't end now, children's nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues that will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have p otential intergenerational consequences. There is a high risk that malnutrition will continue to rise across the Gaza Strip due to the alarming lack of food, water and health and nutrition services. 'The steep rise in malnutrition that we are seeing in Gaza is dangerous and entirely preventable', said WFP Assistant Executive Director for Program Operations, Valerie Guarnieri. 'Children and women, in particular, need continuous access to healthy foods, clean water and health and nutrition services. For that to happen, we need decisive improvements on security and humanitarian access, and additional entry points for aid to enter Gaza.' Inadequate safe drinking water, as well as insufficient water for cooking and hygiene purposes, are compounding poor nutrition. On average, households surveyed had access to less than one liter of safe water per person per day. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of safe water needed in an emergency is three liters per person per day, while the overall stan dard is 15 liters per person, which includes sufficient quantities for drinking, washing and cooking. Hungry, thirsty and weak, more Gazans are falling sick. The report finds at least 90 percent of children under 5 are affected by one or more infectious diseases. Seventy percent had diarrhea in the past two weeks, a 23-fold increase compared with the 2022 baseline. 'Hunger and disease are a deadly combination,' said Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program. 'Hungry, weakened and deeply traumatized children are more likely to get sick, and children who are sick, especially with diarrhea, cannot absorb nutrients well. It's dangerous, and tragic, and happening before our eyes.' Without more humanitarian assistance, the nutritional situation is likely to continue to deteriorate rapidly and at scale across the Gaza Strip. With the majority of health, water and sanitation services severely degraded, it is essential that those that remain functional are protected and reinforced to stem the spread of diseases and stop malnutrition from worsening. UNICEF, WFP and WHO called for safe, unimpeded and sustained access to urgently deliver multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip. This includes nutritious foods, nutrition supplies and essential services for malnourished and at-risk children and women to safely access health and nutrition care and treatment services, particularly infants and young children under 5. 'Hospitals and health workers must be protected from attack so they can safely provide critical treatment and care. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the best chance to save lives and end suffering.' Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA