The Security Council today heard calls for and against greater engagement with the Taliban to address critical challenges in Afghanistan, as speakers highlighted a dire humanitarian situation and severely restricted rights for women, girls and minorities.
In Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it is temporarily suspending food assistance in some parts of Al Jazirah state, as fighting has spread south and east of the capital, Khartoum
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today that 65 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in 2023, compared with 88 in 2022. The Head of UNESCO said that this drop conceals an alarming phenomenon: an increase in the number killed in conflict zones and more is online.
The Security Council today extended for a further year the mandate of the team monitoring sanctions against the Taliban and associated individuals and entities, which threaten Afghanistan’s peace, security and stability.
In Algeria, the United Nations launched the Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan, covering the next two years — 2024-2025. The plan calls for $214 million to ensure food stability, a reliable water supply as well as to address the nutritional requirements of people living in camps in Tindouf.
The UN is now seeking $173 million to support communities through March 2024 affected by the impact of three earthquakes that struck Herat province in west Afghanistan last month. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports 275,00 people have been affected, up from an initial estimate of 114,000 people.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today launched its Production Gap Report, which reveals that Governments are on track to produce more than twice the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
In Sudan, the UN refugee agency reports that 4.5 million people have been internally displaced, while 1.2 million others have fled to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, as well as Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. That is almost 6 million people who have been forced to move since the start of fighting in April.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Indrika Ratwatte of Sri Lanka as his new Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan. Mr. Ratwatte will also serve as the Humanitarian Coordinator.
The UN and partners are providing humanitarian aid to Nepal, including 6 metric tons of food from the World Food Programme (WFP), medicines and supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2,000 emergency shelter sets from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and relief packages from UN-Women, which is also working with women’s groups on community kitchens.
