In Ethiopia, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have been forced to reduce aid distribution in Tigray as fuel supplies are blocked from entering the area. Last week, food aid reached only 10,500 of the 800,000 people in need. The humanitarian response is being scaled up in accessible areas in Amhara and Afar.
The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:
In Tonga, following the volcanic eruption, humanitarian colleagues report that over 80 per cent of the population have been impacted by the disaster, with three confirmed fatalities to date. Relief efforts are scaling up, including by the United Nations Children’s Fund, but it is difficult to reach remote areas.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it is deeply concerned by recent incidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia that saw individuals glorify atrocity crimes and convicted war criminals target certain communities with hate speech, warning of a potential uptick in such acts in 2022, an election year.
In Yemen, the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) has expressed its concern at the allegations of the militarization of the Hudaydah ports. The Mission has made a request to undertake an inspection and reminds all parties that the ports are a crucial lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
Mahamet Saleh Annadif, Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told the Security Council this morning that concern that the terrorist threat from Sahel countries could expand to the Gulf of Guinea is now a reality and that insecurity is compromising progress in the entire region.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
In the Philippines, the World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that nutrition and food security are at risk in communities hit by Super Typhoon Odette three weeks ago. Odette has made landfall nine times over an area the size of Austria over two days, affecting 7 million people. WFP requires $25.8 million to provide food to 250,000 survivors.
The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:
Fifty-five journalists and media workers were killed around the world in 2021, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – the lowest annual death toll in over a decade. However, two thirds of those killings took place in countries not experiencing armed conflict and impunity for those crimes remains widespread.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The World Food Programme warned that it is running out of funds to continue its provision of food assistance to 13 million people in Yemen. From January, 8 million people will receive a reduced food ration, while 5 million who are at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions, will remain on a full ration.
In Myanmar, the United Nations country team there remains deeply concerned over increasing internal displacement and more people needing humanitarian assistance as a result of conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military takeover on 1 February.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, has appealed for $510 million to support 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people in Gaza and the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem in 2022. Forty per cent of Palestinians will require humanitarian assistance next year.
Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy for Yemen, told the Security Council this morning his is deeply alarmed by the ongoing military escalating, intensified fighting and shifting frontlines in Yemen, which are endangering civilians. Aid operations in the country are helping almost 11 million people each month.
The United Nations Population Fund launched a $835 million appeal to reach 54 million women, girls and young people in 61 countries in 2022 — the agency’s largest ever humanitarian appeal — seeking integrated sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services, as well as comprehensive support for survivors of violence.
The International Organization for Migration and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the today launched a $1.79 billion plan to help Venezuelan refugees and migrants and their host communities in 17 Latin American and Caribbean nations. The number of Venezuelan refugees has surpassed 6 million.
In Afghanistan, United Nations humanitarian colleagues report that aid and support continues to be distributed across several provinces, with more than 33,600 people receiving cash as winterization support and more than 27,000 people receiving food assistance under the World Food Programme.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict urged Ethiopia to promptly sign an agreement with the United Nations to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence. She noted that extreme brutality is a hallmark of the ongoing conflict in the country’s Tigray region.
International Labour Organization (ILO) officials in Myanmar called on employers to help prevent workplace violence and harassment. The organization has received increased reports of such incidents, particularly among women and vulnerable groups, since the military takeover in February and amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
