UNITED NATIONS - UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said on Tuesday that 125 million people are in grave need of humanitarian assistance as the number of civil wars has tripled in the past 10 years.

Addressing a high-level thematic debate on peace and security, Eliasson said 80 percent of all current humanitarian needs are driven by violent conflict, and also growingly by climate change, drought and natural phenomena.

In this regard, he said the United Nations should put prevention of security threats as its central mission and also should place higher priority on the search for inclusive, long-term political solutions to conflicts.

On UN peacekeeping system reform agenda, Eliasson said that the UN is putting in place strong measures to root out sexual exploitation and abuse to restore trust in peacekeeping.