SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held an open debate to mark the 25th anniversary of the comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the Head of the Department of Disarmament Affairs, said we are rightly celebrating the anniversary of a hard-won victory, but she added, this should also be a time to rethink what we can do to overcome the challenges that still lie ahead.
Since its adoption by the General Assembly and opening for signature in September 1996, the Treaty has achieved a near universal adherence, of 185 signatories and 170 ratifying States.
However, Ms. Nakamistsu added, in recent years, we have seen a worrisome trend towards the modernization and expansion of nuclear arsenals. 
As relations continue to decline amongst States that possess nuclear weapons, we cannot take for granted that the norm against nuclear testing will hold, she said.
She concluded that the best way to uphold the norm against testing is to reaffirm and enhance support for the Treaty – to reinforce its existing strengths and to strive to bring about the entry into force. And the head of the CBTO also briefed the Security Council.

ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS 
Yesterday was the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. In his message, António Guterres said that we are seeing worrying signs of a new arms race and face the highest level of nuclear risk in almost four decades. 
And tomorrow in the General Assembly, the Secretary-General will speak at the high-level event to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

AFGHANISTAN
Our colleagues on the ground tell us that the humanitarian response continues across the country. The World Food Programme has provided food assistance to 6.9 million people this year, reaching 1 million people with more than 13,000 metric tons of food in September alone.
The International Organization for Migration has constructed a community centre in Baghlan, in northern Afghanistan, to be used by an estimated 700 households. The organization has assessed the needs of more than 2,500 displaced people in Kabul, Sar-e Pol, Balkh, Kunduz and Takhar. Their Rapid Response Teams also screened nearly 60,000 people for COVID-19 at border points. 
Our humanitarian colleagues warn that thousands of health facilities have been left without funding for medical supplies and salaries for health staff.
Urgent action is required to scale up the health response and to prevent a total breakdown of the health-care services across the country.
As you know, last week, Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths released $45 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to prevent Afghanistan’s health-care system from complete collapse. However, more funding is needed to scale up the response.
And also just to give you an update on the numbers from the Afghan pledging conference which took place on 13 September. You’ll recall $1.2 billion for humanitarian and development aid was pledged. To date, more than $131 million has actually been received, that’s 21.7 per cent of the $606 million required through the end of this year. Again, we are very pleased with pledges, we are even more pleased when we get cash.

MYANMAR
Our colleagues tell us that the country is facing a humanitarian crisis, worsened by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and events following the February 1st takeover of the government. 
Some 3 million people need humanitarian assistance, including an additional 2 million people since February 1st of this year.
The most vulnerable are families living in urban areas, mainly in Yangon and Mandalay, as well as people affected by conflict in south-eastern and western Myanmar. 
More than 220,000 people have been internally displaced due to armed clashes since February 1st.
The situation in Rakhine State remains calm, although the situation remains dire, with food insecurity on the rise.
Our colleagues on the ground remain concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been more than 450,000 cases and 17,000 deaths reported in Myanmar, but it is likely that the numbers are much higher than that.
We along with our partners have been working to help people affected by displacement, growing food insecurity and the COVID-19 virus. For example, the World Food Programme has helped more than 800,000 people in Yangon alone since May.
But we are facing challenges, including insecurity, bureaucratic impediments and disruptions to the banking systems.
The Humanitarian Response Plan for 2021 requires $276.5 million to help more than 3 million people, but it is only 47 per cent funded. Andrew Kirkwood, the acting Resident Coordinator in Yangon will be here to brief you virtually from Myanmar on Thursday.

SOMALIA
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack that took place on 25 September in Mogadishu, in which at least eight people were killed, including Ms. Hibaaq Abukar, the Advisor for Women Affairs and Human Rights in the Office of the Prime Minister, and she was a tireless advocate for women’s rights in Somalia.
The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the bereaved families as well as the people and Government of Somalia and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured and he hopes that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice and reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to support the Government and people of Somalia in their efforts to achieve peace and stability.

YEMEN CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT
The office for Children and Armed Conflict have released a new report on Yemen.
The country report, which covers 2019 and 2020, documents grave violations committed against 3,500 children in Yemen.
The denial of humanitarian access, killing and maiming, and the recruitment and use of children were the most prevalent of the grave violations documented against children.
The denial of humanitarian access, with nearly 5,000 cases documented, was the violation with the biggest increase.
The Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, is calling on all parties to the conflict to take measures to better protect children.

COVAX 
Yesterday, Bolivia received more than 18,000 doses through COVAX, donated by the United States. This brings the total number of doses that Bolivia received through COVAX to nearly 2.5 million. The UN team in Bolivia helped with the logistics.
Also, over the weekend, more than 300,000 AstraZeneca doses arrived in Paraguay. These came through COVAX and were donated by Spain. Thank you.
Meanwhile, Viet Nam has now received 12.6 million doses from COVAX, in addition to other doses the Government has procured bilaterally. As of earlier this month, 40 per cent of the population in Viet Nam over the age of 18 has received their first dose.

EXPO 2020
Very happy to report that the UN will be present at Expo 2020 in Dubai, which opens its doors to in-person visitors this coming Friday. It had been delayed because of the virus but it is happening.
The UN presence at Expo 2020 is an opportunity to showcase how the UN System works to deal with global challenges; in this instance a large part of the focus is primarily on the Sustainable Development Goals and we have invited participating countries to highlight their own work to achieve the SDGs.

WORLD TOURISM DAY
Today is World Tourism Day. The Secretary-General notes that tourism continues to suffer enormously under the COVID-19 pandemic. He points out that in the first five months of this year, international tourist arrivals decreased by a staggering 95 per cent in parts of the world. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Côte d’Ivoire has paid its budget dues in full, bringing us up to 129 Member States.