Afghanistan

Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with 6.3 million people in need of support and protection, but the $935 million Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 is only 17 per cent funded. The UN and its partners are working supporting Government efforts to meet immediate needs.

Following the completion of a technical assessment, the Secretariat of the United Nations has responded positively to a request of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela to deploy a UN Panel of Electoral Experts for the July 2024 presidential elections there.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today said it is stepping up support to assist some 8,000 Rohingya refugees who were affected on Wednesday by landslides in the Cox’s Bazar refugee settlement in Bangladesh.

With preparations under way for a United Nations-hosted meeting between the Taliban, Member State envoys and other stakeholders, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, briefing the Security Council today, called for greater flexibility while stressing that engagement is not normalization.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today released a report showing that forced displacement surged to historic new levels across the globe last year, and into 2024.

In Burkina Faso, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the emergency response there. The funds will support 150,000 people in the Sahel, Centre-Nord and Est regions with life-saving assistance.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released the third edition of its World Wildlife Crime Report, which says that wildlife trafficking has not been substantially reduced despite two decades of concerted action.

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

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine today condemned the latest wave of deadly strikes across the country, including in the northern city of Chernihiv. According to Ukrainian authorities, the attacks killed and injured civilians, including children, and damaged homes and a hospital.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Yamazaki Kazuyuki (Japan):