AFGHANISTAN
I expect the Secretary-General to be at the Security Council stakeout at 2:30 p.m. to deliver a statement on the current situation in Afghanistan.
You will have seen already in a tweet today, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said she is deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and noted that yet again, civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence. She underscored that one thing is clear from the country’s recent history: durable peace and development will not be achieved militarily.   
As an example of what is being done to civilians on the ground, I just want to share some humanitarian numbers with you. Due to the conflict that we’re seeing across the country, many people are arriving in Kabul and other large cities trying to seek safety for themselves and for their families. The humanitarian community has verified 10,350 internally displaced people who have arrived in Kabul between 1 July and 12 August, that is yesterday.
Most of the displaced people are either renting accommodations or being hosted by friends or family, but unfortunately a growing number are staying in the open.
Twenty inter-agency assessment teams have now been deployed in Kabul. As of yesterday, we, along with our partners, have provided food, health, household items, and water and sanitation assistance to some 6,900 men, women and children who have been displaced in Kabul.   
In Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan, since 25 July, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by escalating conflict. To date, some 14,000 internally displaced people from Kunar have been identified to receive aid.   
We along with our partners have provided food to almost 4,000 people, and 3,900 people have received emergency shelter and relief items such as kitchen sets and mobile teams are providing basic health and nutrition services.   
For its part, the UN Refugee Agency said it is particularly worried about the impact of the conflict on women and girls. Women and children make up some 80 per cent of the nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since May.  

SAHEL
Heavy rains and floods in parts of the region in recent weeks have claimed dozens of lives in Chad and Niger, impacting more than 100,000 people.
We, along with our humanitarian partners, are working with the Governments of Chad and Niger to help provide health services, food, shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation assistance. In Chad, for example, the World Food Programme has distributed food to 2,600 households.
Our colleagues tell us that the rain has destroyed homes in the two countries, which are already dealing with previous flooding, as well as conflict, food insecurity, malnutrition, and health challenges, and of course including the pandemic.
The people of the Sahel region are caught in a vicious cycle of floods and droughts as a result of weather variability that is worsened by climate change. Two out of three people in the Sahel make their livings from agriculture and livestock, which are heavily impacted by natural disasters.
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN Refugee Agency today said it is gravely concerned about incidents of widespread and systematic sexual violence against Congolese women and girls, perpetrated by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Tanganyika Province. Just in the past two weeks, humanitarian partners in the Kongolo and Mbulula health zones, have recorded 243 incidents of rape, 48 of which involved minors, in 12 villages. This is an average of 17 reported attacks each day. The actual figures are thought to be even higher as reporting of gender-based violence remains taboo in many communities. 
UNHCR notes that of the $205 million required for its operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has received just 36 per cent to date.                                                                                            

FIJI/COVID-19
Our UN team in Fiji, led by the Resident Coordinator, Sanaka Samarasinha, continues to support the response by working to ensure there are enough supplies and equipment for testing, treatment, communications and vaccines.
Fiji has received more than 250,000 doses from COVAX, with more coming, as well as doses donated by other countries. 
More than half a million adults – or 90 per cent of the target population – have received their first dose, while more than 30 per cent are fully vaccinated. 
The World Health Organization and UNICEF have been providing supplies – including oxygen concentrators, water and sanitation kits and masks.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
We are up to 121 Member States who have paid up their budget dues in full. We thank the Central African Republic.