Today at the G20 environment and energy ministers meeting in Naples, Italy, Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, called upon countries to provide the leadership needed to hold the global average temperature rise as close to 1.5°C as possible.
Hundreds of thousands of people in southern Madagascar continue to suffer one of the worst droughts the region has faced in more than 40 years. Severe lack of rain and sandstorms have made it nearly impossible to grow food, and at least 1.31 million people in the Grand Sud are severely food insecure.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports significant job losses and deteriorated labour market conditions in Myanmar since the military takeover. ILO says employment contracted by an estimated 6 per cent in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, reflecting 1.2 million job losses.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new project to improve emergency response to health crises. The project, called INITIATE², will develop solutions such as disease-specific field facilities and kits and train logistics and health responders on their use.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon expressed deep regret over the inability of Lebanon’s leaders to reach agreement on the formation of a new Government that is urgently needed to address the country’s numerous challenges.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) cited a tight window for farmers in hunger-stricken northern Ethiopia to get crops in the ground ahead of upcoming seasonal rains. It appealed for $30 million in urgent support, noting that farmers have seen seeds and animals looted and credit lines disappear.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as escalating conflict has displaced 270,000 Afghans inside the country since January, bringing the total uprooted population to more than 3.5 million. UNHCR said the needs of those who have fled are “suddenly acute”.
The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Humanitarian officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said the entry of goods into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing remains limited, and some 250,000 people are still without regular access to piped water. They called for a return to the predictable entry of goods and the easing of movement restrictions.
The Security Council — acting in a rare moment of unanimity on the complex, decade-long Syrian conflict — today adopted a compromise resolution extending the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for the delivery of humanitarian aid for six months, with the expectation of a subsequent renewal for another six months, until 10 July 2022.
The World Meteorological Organization and its partners today released the first Hydromet Gap report, which states that an estimated 23,000 lives could be saved annually and at least $162 billion per year in potential benefits could be realized by improving weather forecasts, early warning systems, and climate information.
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message on the launch of the annual reports of the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Country-Based Pooled Funds for 2020, today:
The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning today that, without urgent funding, the displacement crisis in the north of Mozambique could become a hunger emergency. Displacement has left at least 730,000 people in Cabo Delgado without access to their land and no means of earning a living.
In Niger, 2.1 million children need humanitarian assistance, a third more than just a year ago, as the country continues to face conflict, displacement, food insecurity, floods and drought, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports. The Agency is appealing for safe, sustained access to deliver aid.
In Syria, United Nations agencies and aid partners are trucking in emergency water supplies and installing reverse osmosis pumps in Al-Hasakeh city amid reports of another disruption at Alouk water station, which shut down on 23 June. Up to 1 million people in the region are affected when the station ceases to operate.
A new report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that the crash in international tourism due to COVID-19 could cause a $4 trillion loss to global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic’s direct impact on the sector and ripple effects on others.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) recorded 617 human rights abuses, including 165 killings by armed groups in the country, which is 37 per cent higher than the previous six months. The deteriorating human rights situation is also marked by a steep rise in abductions.
Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, announced that, under the United Nations framework, the Qatari-funded fuel deliveries for the Gaza Power Plant are resuming today. He welcomed all steps taken to de-escalate the situation and solidify a ceasefire.
The following statement by Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:
