SYRIA
The UN remains deeply concerned for the safety and protection of over three million civilians in Idleb. Over half of the people have been internally displaced, following ongoing reports of airstrikes in the area.
On Saturday, the UN negotiated a six-hour humanitarian pause that enabled safe passage for more than 2,500 people to flee. The UN continues to pursue efforts with all parties to advocate for the protection and safe passage of all those wishing to depart from affected areas.
Over the past three days, some 39 communities were reportedly impacted by shelling in northern Hama, southern Idleb and western Aleppo governorates, while 47 communities were reportedly struck by airstrikes.
The newly displaced adds to the over 400,000 women, children and men that have been displaced as a result of hostilities since the end of April, many of them have been displaced multiple times.
The United Nations urges all parties to ensure the protection of civilians, and to allow sustained and unhindered access by all humanitarian parties to provide life-saving assistance to all in need.
 
YEMEN
Today, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, condemned the attacks against the premises of three international humanitarian organizations in Al Dhale’e that took place over the weekend. The attacks wounded one person and damaged property.
Mr. Lowcock said these events represent an alarming escalation in the risks faced by humanitarian workers in Yemen. He urged a thorough investigation and said he remained gravely concerned by the continuation of media campaigns in parts of Yemen that spread rumours and incitement against aid operations.
Twelve organizations have now been forced to suspend aid programmes in the area which impact 217,000 local residents. Humanitarian agencies reach more than 12 million people every month in Yemen and rely on the authorities to ensure a safe, enabling environment for humanitarian operations across Yemen.
 
AFGHANISTAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today said that in the first 10 months of the year, over 400,000 people have fled their homes due to conflict while nearly 300,000 people were impacted by natural disasters resulting in at least 149 killed; and over 39,000 houses destroyed or damaged.
Next year, humanitarian needs are expected to increase with almost a quarter of the population or 9.4 million people estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. Some 56 per cent of them are children. This is an increase from 6.3 million people in need in 2019.
The UN is working with its partners and it will need $733 million to reach 7.1 million people in need in 2020.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan welcomed the announcement of the preliminary results for Afghanistan’s presidential election and commends the country’s electoral commission for its work leading up to the announcement.
In a statement released over the weekend, the Mission underscored the importance of an orderly process, conducted with particular care and sensitivity, leading up to the announcement of the final results.
 
POLIO
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that Kenya, Mozambique and Niger have curbed polio outbreaks that erupted in different episodes over the last 24 months, allowing them to regain their polio-free status.
Transmission of vaccine-derived poliovirus was detected in the three countries in 2018 and early 2019, impacting a total of 14 children.
Vaccine-derived polioviruses are rare, but they affect unimmunized and under-immunized populations living in areas with inadequate sanitation and low levels of polio immunization.
 
MINURSO
In response to a question in relation to the situation in Western Sahara, the Spokesman said that the 15th Frente POLISARIO Congress has been underway in Tifariti, in Western Sahara, since 19 December. 
On 19 December, as part of their routine monitoring of developments in the Territory in support of MINURSO’s mandate, two UN Military Observers based at the Tifariti team site decided to visit the site of the Congress. They left shortly after the ceremony began and returned to their team site.
Their brief presence at this event does not imply any political position on the part of the observers or MINURSO, which remains strictly impartial in the fulfilment of its mandate.