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.
Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message to launch the 2022 Global Humanitarian Overview, in New York today:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that food commodity prices in the international market rose for the fourth consecutive month in November. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 134.4 points in the month, the highest level since June 2011 and 1.2 per cent higher than during October.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Satellite Centre, today:
Responding to urgent and growing humanitarian needs in northern Ethiopia, almost 40 trucks with food and other relief supplies from the United Nations and aid partners departed Monday for Tigray, the first convoy since mid-October, and the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service resumed flights to Mekelle.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations peacekeeping mission reports that some 16,000 people fled to a camp located near its Temporary Operational Base, following deadly attack deadly attacks by the CODECO armed group in Drodro, Ituri province. The mission has reinforced security in the area.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), non-performing loans in Afghanistan’s credit market have increased from around 30 per cent at the end of 2020 to 57 per cent in September 2021. As the massive withdrawal of savings continues, UNDP projects that the deposits’ base could shrink by as much as 40 per cent by year-end.
United Nations officials in Myanmar report worsening humanitarian conditions due to conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military seized control of the Government in February. More than 230,000 people have been displaced since then, with food running desperately short in some host communities.
In Belarus, an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) team has been granted limited access to the Polish border, where it delivered aid with help from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The agencies are advocating to move people to safer locations away from the border.
A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that Governments and detaining authorities in at least 84 countries have released more than 45,000 children since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 261,000 children in conflict with the law are still being held in detention worldwide.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore voiced deep concern over reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise, with families offering daughters as young as 20 days old for future marriage in return for a dowry. Some 28 per cent of Afghan women aged 15–49 were married before 18.
Mahamat Annadif, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for West Africa, and Foreign Minister of Guinea, Morissanda Kouyaté, launched a new initiative to facilitate an inclusive transition in Guinea by fostering reconciliation at national and community levels and increasing participation of women and all communities.
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.
Since Sunday night, at least 11,000 people fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have sought refuge in Uganda, the largest single-day influx in over one year, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports. It is requesting urgent resources to address the new arrivals’ needs.
The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that the number of people teetering on the edge of famine in 43 countries has risen from 42 to 45 million people, as acute hunger spikes around the world. The agency said needs are vastly surpassing available resources at a time when traditional funding streams are overstretched.
In Yemen, the United Nations and partners continue to provide life-saving aid to thousands of civilians on both sides of the front lines in Ma’rib, Al Bayda and Shabwah since fighting escalated in these governorates in September, amid calls by the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, for de-escalation.
The Secretary-General — in observance of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on 2 November — stated that 62 journalists were killed for doing their jobs in 2020. Noting that the number of media workers killed outside conflict zones has risen in recent years, he urged leaders to demonstrate the political will needed to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
A United Nations Children’s Fund report released today shows that at least 200 million schoolchildren are living in 31 low- and middle-income countries that remain unprepared to deploy remote learning in future emergency school closures. It warns that the situation could be far worse than the available data shows.
The latest Secretary-General’s report on safety and United Nations personnel describes an environment of heightened volatility, with no sign of improvement likely. It notes that 28 civilian personnel of the Organization lost their lives to acts of violence and related incidents during 2020 and the first half of 2021.
In Sudan, the United Nations is working with partners to provide life‑saving aid to 9 million vulnerable people. Operations must continue unimpeded to prevent the humanitarian situation there from deteriorating further. However, the 2021 response plan, which seeks $1.9 billion, remains only 30 per cent funded.
