Afghanistan

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Sven Jürgenson (Estonia):

The onset of winter — compounded by the devastating effects of the coronavirus — poses a direct threat to the health and livelihoods of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, nearly 2 million of whom have settled in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.

UNICEF announced today it has signed a long-term agreement with Moderna to supply vaccine for the COVAX facility.  Through the agreement, the agency and its partners will have access to up to 34 million doses for some 92 countries and territories in 2021.  This is the fifth vaccine-supply agreement it has signed.

The United Nations and the Government of Timor-Leste have launched a $32 million joint appeal to provide food, shelter, water and sanitation to some 65,000 people impacted by flooding in April.  Nearly 34,000 homes were destroyed amid a strict COVID-19 lockdown in the capital, Dili, which has seen a surge in cases.   

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is calling for more international support for the people of Afghanistan amid continued violence that has internally displaced over 100,000 people so far this year.  UNHCR’s $123.5 million humanitarian appeal for 2021 is only 24 per cent funded. 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near Gomas has caused 13 deaths and destroyed the homes of 5,000 people, humanitarian colleagues report.  The United Nations is assisting with water, shelter, health and family reunification, and peacekeepers are set to clear the main roads into Goma.

United Nations officials in the Central African Republic report that 300 peacekeepers have been deployed to Bakouma, one of several places where security concerns prevented the holding of elections in 2020.  They will protect the civilian population and help organize legislative elections later in May.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Zhang Jun (China):

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

The United Nations country team in Myanmar calls for the immediate release of dozens of journalists who are detained more than three months after the military seized control of the Government.  To date, military authorities have revoked the operating licenses of six Myanmar media outlets; 82 journalists have been arrested, more than half of them are still detained.