United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Ingeborg Ulrika Ulfsdotter Richardson of Sweden as his new Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and Resident Coordinator in Haiti.
Protais Mpiranya, the last of the major fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), is confirmed to have died. Alleged to have been a senior leader of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Mr. Mpiranya was charged with eight counts of genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as the murders of 10 Belgian United Nations peacekeepers.
In Haiti, clashes resumed between gangs in Port-au-Prince, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, violence has displaced more than 1,200 people. Dozens of houses were burned and a hospital in Marin was looted.
In Haiti, violent clashes between gangs in the capital have displaced several hundred people and preliminary data indicates at least 20 civilian deaths, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports. United Nations agencies are helping the Government to assess emergency needs in impacted areas.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says its operational costs for West Africa are expected to expand by $136 million as a result of rising fuel and food prices. Some 43 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity by June. Before the Ukraine conflict WFP had already forced to cut rations in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger.
Progress along a sustainable democratic path in Haiti hinges on rebuilding crumbling institutions and forging an inclusive dialogue to foster stability and peace alongside a time-bound electoral calendar, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the country told the Security Council today.
The last United Nations staff member detained by the Ethiopian authorities has been released. However, humanitarian challenges in the country remain, with thousands of Eritrean refugees in need of emergency aid after they fled fighting in the Afar region. UNHCR remains extremely worried about their safety and well-being.
Wildfires are burning more severely and more often, and urban noise pollution is growing into a global public health menace, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report identifies and offers solutions to those and other environmental issues.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Haiti Technical Conference on Cholera Elimination in Port-au-Prince today:
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks at the international event for the financing of the reconstruction of the Southern Peninsula of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince today:
Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, strongly condemned today the continuing violence in the country that is impacting the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers and disrupts the delivery of aid and services to vulnerable people. These appalling acts of violence must stop, she stressed.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s closing remarks at the international event for the financing of the reconstruction of the Southern Peninsula of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince today:
Today is the one-month anniversary of the volcano and tsunami in Tonga. Sanaka Samarasinha, United Nations Resident Coordinator, reiterated the Organization’s solidarity with the people of Tonga, where approximately 85 per cent of the population was impacted and more than 2,500 people have been internally displaced.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned today that the deteriorating drought conditions in Somalia could displace more than 1 million people by April if urgent action is not taken now. IOM noted that water scarcity in some parts of the country is the worst in 40 years.
Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the Ministerial Meeting on Haiti, today:
In the Central African Republic, the number of improvised explosive devices has increased significantly, especially in the north-west, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there said today. It believes the armed group 3R has been intentionally targeting peacekeepers and the national armed forces.
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.
Amid the continued humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it provided food to nearly 150,000 people and cash assistance to 6,000 on 14 December. Some 100 food shops and other businesses have closed in Jalalabad city due to currency devaluation and high food and commodity prices.
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.
UNICEF released a report today showing there are nearly 240 million children with disabilities around the world, a new global approximation higher than previous estimates which considers symptoms of anxiety and depression, among other difficulties across several domains of functioning.
