Humanitarian issues

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that more than 11,600 children crossed the Central Mediterranean Sea to Italy without a parent or legal guardian. That’s between January and mid-September 2023. This is an increase of 60 per cent compared to the same period last year.

An ever-deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis in Syria is leading to widespread hopelessness and suffering, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country informed the Council today, underscoring the urgent need for a political process to resume.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that intense clashes in Khartoum over the weekend resulted in civilian casualties. Furthermore, the UN’s humanitarian partners report that renewed clashes in South Darfur have displaced many people in the city of Nyala.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released a report showing that halfway into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a lot of the progress made towards its food- and agriculture-related targets has stagnated or reversed.

Against a backdrop of soaring global humanitarian needs fuelled by conflict, climate change and the impact of COVID-19, a new model for collaboration between public and private sector actors is needed to promote international security and tackle humanitarian needs, delegates heard today during the Security Council’s open debate on advancing public-private humanitarian partnerships.

The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today that the tragedy in Libya highlights the devastating consequences of extreme weather on fragile States. A new multi-agency report, coordinated by WMO, systematically examines the impact of climate change on the Sustainable Development Goals.

A report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners is offering solutions to decarbonize the building and construction sector. The report says that the construction sector is currently responsible for 37 per cent of global emissions.

In Liberia, the United Nations team there is boosting its response to national efforts to address food insecurity. This follows a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showing that over half a million people are currently facing acute food insecurity in the country.

In Pakistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today warned that, one year after the historic floods that devastated the country, millions of children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services.