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.
More than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said today. The latest ILO analysis of coronavirus’s impact on the labour market notes that those youth who remain employed have seen their working hours cut by 23 per cent.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Vaccine Alliance, warned today that COVID-19 is disrupting routine vaccination efforts around the world, putting about 80 million children under the age of one at risk of diseases including diphtheria, measles and polio.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been suspended and it has closed several repatriation centres until further notice due to the Government’s precautionary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres paid his first official visit as Secretary-General to Pakistan from 16 to 19 February, arriving from New York on Sunday, 16 February, for official meetings in advance of his participation in the International Conference on 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees today said it is deeply saddened by reports of the deaths of at least 20 people during a stampede for food and cash in Niger’s Diffa region on Sunday. The number of victims could rise as more information is received.
The United Nations is alarmed by reports of an artillery shell explosion that injured up to 17 children at a school in Myanmar’s Rakhine State last Thursday. The incident is part of an escalation of hostilities between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military across much of Rakhine.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the high-level segment of the International Conference on 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: A New Partnership for Solidarity, in Islamabad today:
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on “Future Challenges to Global Peace: The Role of the United Nations vis-à-vis Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)”, in Islamabad today:
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on sustainable development and climate change, in Islamabad today:
The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a global research and innovation forum in Geneva tomorrow to mobilize international action on coronavirus, the agency announced today. WHO has sent diagnostic kits to 14 countries and identified more than 160 laboratories with the technology to diagnose coronavirus.
Today, the World Food Programme unveiled the “HungerMap LIVE”, a new tool that monitors food security in more than 90 countries and issues predictions for areas from which data is limited. The HungerMap presents data collected on a continuous basis, as well as metrics on conflict, climate shocks, population and weather.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Iraq expressed her strong concern today over the suspension in granting access letters to humanitarian actors carrying out critical missions in support of the country’s vulnerable people.
Munir Akram, the new Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, presented his credentials to UN Secretary‑General António Guterres today.
In Somalia, Beletweyne district and other areas have been severely affected by unusually heavy rains and flooding. Humanitarian needs are dire. The World Food Programme is working with the Federal Government and with sister United Nations agencies to coordinate the response and reach the hardest-hit people.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, signed an agreement in New York with the Government of Sudan to open several offices in that country. Ms. Bachelet said that with this milestone pact her office is poised to offer its support to make the transition a success for the human rights of all Sudanese.
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the international conference on “Forty Years of Afghan Refugees Presence in Pakistan: A New Partnership for Solidarity”, taking place in Islamabad from 26 to 27 August:
The cholera outbreak in Yemen has reached more than 460,000 suspected cases in 2019, exceeding the 380,000 total suspected cases in all of 2018. While the United Nations and partners operate 1,200 treatment facilities, funding remains an urgent issue, with only 32 per cent of the $4.2 billion response plan met.
