Exceptional and prolonged heat in Siberia has fuelled devastating Arctic fires, the World Meteorological Organization said today, noting that temperatures in Siberia again topped 30°C this week. The heat will influence weather and climate in lower latitudes, where hundreds of millions of people live, it warned.
The World Health Organization warned today of the threat that COVID-19 poses to health workers across Africa, with more than 10,000 in 40 countries having been infected with the virus so far. The warning comes as COVID-19 cases in Africa appear to be gathering pace, with more than 750,000 cases and over 15,000 deaths.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The United Nations is mobilizing to help fight COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic, where about 37,000 cases and 800 deaths are confirmed. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is supplying ventilators while Rome-based food agencies led a virtual farm training to help people generate additional income.
In Nigeria, where the number of COVID-19-related deaths has doubled in the past month, with total virus cases reaching 20,000, the United Nations is providing vital medical kits and equipment to further support Government efforts in addressing the pandemic.
More than 55 million domestic workers — 37 million of whom are women — are at risk of losing their jobs and income amid COVID-19 lockdowns, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is warning. Only about 10 per cent of domestic workers globally have access to social security safety nets.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nicolas de Rivière (France):
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched the ZODIAC project to strengthen global preparedness for future pandemics by establishing a network to help with monitoring, surveillance, early detection and control of animal and zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, avian influenza and Zika.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The United Nations is scaling up life-saving aid for north-west Syria, including health items to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. In May alone, it sent 1,781 trucks from Turkey, the highest number since cross-border operations began in 2014, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports.
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.
In Bangladesh, the United Nations and partners have bolstered the response to COVID-19 in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar following the first confirmed case there, amid serious concerns that the virus could severely impact the densely populated settlements, which shelter some 860,000 refugees.
United Nations humanitarian agencies and their partners are asking donors for an initial $350 million to rapidly scale up logistics services, aimed at supporting countries disproportionately affected by cancelled flights and disrupted supply routes to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) shows that as of 6 April, 96 per cent of all worldwide destinations have introduced travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of jobs could be lost in the sector.
Three new Ebola cases were confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 10 April, with more expected to be identified, as the World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee concluded that the outbreak still constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
A new International Labour Organization report finds that COVID-19 is expected to wipe out 6.7 per cent of working hours globally in the second quarter of 2020, equivalent to 195 million full-time workers. The report highlights the worst affected sectors and regions, and outlines policies to mitigate the crisis.
The Secretary-General condemned the double suicide bombing by suspected Boko Haram fighters on 5 April in Amichidé, in the Far North region of Cameroon, reiterating the United Nations continued support to countries in the Lake Chad Basin as they address the security, economic and humanitarian challenges posed by that group.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is sending equipment to more than 40 countries to help them use nuclear-derived technology to rapidly detect COVID‑19. Dozens of labs will receive diagnostic machines to speed up national testing, biosafety supplies and personal protection equipment.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President José Singer Weisinger (Dominican Republic):
In north-east Nigeria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 7.9 million people — more than 1 out of every 2 people in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States — need aid in 2020. With an upsurge in attacks in the area over the past year, aid agencies have been forced to scale down their work.
