United Nations humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has allocated $1.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to the Food and Agriculture Organization for desert locust control operations in Kenya. Swarms could threaten livelihoods and food security of 3.6 million people across the region if they are not controlled.
The new Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, paid a courtesy call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.
The new Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, presented his credentials to the Secretariat today.
A series of tropical cyclones have devastated areas in the Philippines, Viet Nam, Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic since early October, United Nations humanitarian officials report, noting that the Organization and partners are seeking $95 million to help nearly 675,000 displaced people.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator reported that six humanitarian workers were lost in targeted attacks in Somalia, in two separate incidents in South Sudan, and in north-west Syria. “This cannot be tolerated,” he said, calling the attacks a violation of international law and an “obscene act against people working hard” to help the world’s vulnerable.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that following unprecedented floods in Sudan, affecting 875,000 people, a secondary health emergency has put 4.5 million at risk of vector-borne diseases. Efforts are now addressing supply needs, amid funding shortages in the Humanitarian Response Plan.
Without aid, more than 5 million people in Somalia could face acute food insecurity by the end of 2020 due to the combined effects of flooding, the desert locust infestation, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other challenges, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the high-level event “Beyond COVID-19: Public-Private Partnerships for the SDGs as a Model for Building Back Better”, held today:
A UNICEF research brief published today warns that at least 40 million children around the world have missed out on early childhood education in their critical pre-school year as COVID-19 shuttered childcare and early education facilities. Lockdowns also left parents struggling to balance childcare and paid employment.
In Kenya, the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched cash transfers and nutrition support for nearly 280,000 people struggling to survive from the impact of the virus on informal settlements in Nairobi.
The twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will now take place from 1-12 November 2021, in Glasgow. United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said that if done right, recovery from the COVID-19 crisis can foster a more inclusive climate path.
Global human development — which is the combined measure of the world’s education, health and living standards — is set to decline this year for the first time since 1990, when the concept was first developed, the United Nations Development Programme reported today, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a determining factor.
Ahead of Mother’s Day — observed in May in nearly 130 countries — the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is spotlighting ways that COVID-19 has recast motherhood and overwhelmed health facilities. It is calling on Governments to help pregnant women receive check-ups and delivery care.
In South Africa, the United Nations has launched a $136 million emergency appeal to help up to 10 million people in vulnerable communities facing COVID-19-related risks in health, water, sanitation, food security and gender-based violence.
Today marks 100 days since the World Health Organization was notified of the first COVID-19 cases, with UN agency leaders and the Secretary-General calling on Governments to pay special attention to the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, as the pandemic continues to affect populations worldwide.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said today that broad sectoral sanctions should urgently be re-evaluated in countries facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Such measures could have a potentially debilitating impact on the health sector and human rights, she added.
Peacekeepers are now patrolling the Central African Republic city of Alindao to protect civilians displaced by violence, including some 400 people who have sought shelter at the United Nations base after deadly clashes last week between the country’s armed forces and an armed group associated with the ex-Seleka coalition.
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations concluded a visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following last week’s deadly violence, where he met with the Prime Minister, authorities and other stakeholders while urging the national security forces to do more to protect civilians.
The Food and Agriculture Organization launched a $7.1 million project supported by the Global Environment Facility to make forest data more accessible, transparent and available. The project aims to help developing countries to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's enhanced transparency requirements, and will benefit 26 targeted countries.
A record 45 million people across southern Africa will be severely food insecure in the next six months, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the World Food Programme, who are calling for funding to prevent a major hunger crisis.
