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.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Peacebuilding Commission on “Our Common Agenda and the New Agenda for Peace”, in New York today:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more children and women were abducted for ransom between January and August 2021 than during the entire 2020. UNICEF estimates based on official sources say 71 women and 30 children were abducted in the first eight months of 2021, and 59 women and 37 children in 2020.
Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council’s open debate on “Peacebuilding and Sustainable Peace: Diversity, State-building and the Search for Peace”, in New York today:
United Nations officials in Mali welcomed the Government’s pledge to reintegrate 13,000 former combatants by the end of 2021 and additional 13,000 within the next three years. They also praised willingness of the Malian parties to proceed with the socioeconomic reintegration of ex-combatants that are already registered.
Warning that the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed peacebuilding gains and enabled intolerance and extremism to take hold, speakers told the Security Council in an open debate today that sustainable peace can only be ensured when the root causes of conflict, such as divides fuelled by inequity and difference, are addressed.
Heavy rains and flooding have claimed dozens of lives in Chad and Niger, impacting over 100,000 people in recent weeks. The United Nations is supporting Governments in providing health care, food, shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation, and warns that the Sahel region’s weather variability has been worsened by climate change.
The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted two resolutions and three decisions today after debating the annual report on the Peacebuilding Commission and Peacebuilding Fund. Meanwhile, consideration of a draft resolution to establish a Permanent Forum of People of African Descent was rolled back to a later date.
The World Health Organization today said that more than 1.2 million people urgently need health assistance in Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, where recent armed attacks sparked further population displacement and deepened a protracted humanitarian crisis.
Aid workers in Ethiopia report rising incidents of denial of relief cargo, and the confiscation of humanitarian vehicles and supplies, by parties to the conflict in the Tigray region. While over 5 million people are targeted for food assistance, only about 1.8 million have been reached since late March amid limited access.
The Peacebuilding Commission will seek to strengthen its advisory, bridging and convening roles, with a focus on engaging all actors to prioritize “impact” in support of national peacebuilding objectives, its new Chair said today, outlining the body’s work plan for 2021.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, to the High-Level Replenishment Conference for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, today:
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports rising hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where months of conflict have worsened a dire situation caused by COVID-19 and locusts. Nearly 80 per cent of hospitals in Tigray are not functional, according to the World Health Organization.
NEW YORK, 25 January 2021 (Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs) — At 9 a.m., on Tuesday, 26 January, Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a virtual High-Level Replenishment Conference for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that 250,000 children have been displaced by the crisis in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. UNICEF is concerned that safe water, sanitation and hygiene services are insufficient to meet the growing needs in overcrowded temporary accommodation centres and host communities.
Welcoming wide participation in the 2020 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, the Security Council today called on the Peacebuilding Commission to continue strengthening its advisory and liaison roles in support of the national priorities of countries emerging from conflict.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Virtual Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on Sierra Leone, today:
Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message for the “When #Youthlead on Women, Peace and Security” Campaign, today:
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the high-level event on youth, peace and security, marking the fifth anniversary of the landmark United Nations Security Council resolution 2250 (2015), today:
