Afghanistan

In Geneva, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is having its annual conference to strengthen global wildlife trade rules.  The Conference received 56 proposals to change the levels of protection for wildlife species.

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

United Nations humanitarian officials in the Philippines report that the Government declared a national dengue epidemic yesterday.  There have now been more than 146,000 reported cases of dengue fever and 622 confirmed fatalities since the beginning of 2019, mostly affecting children between 5 and 9 years old.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Joanna Wronecka (Poland):

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

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched a new website to identify laws and policies related to response efforts, featuring an interactive map with data from 140 nations and covering such areas as a country’s ability to diagnose HIV among babies and whether people are prosecuted for carrying condoms.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan today welcomed the reduction in civilian casualties over the 1 January-30 June period, but still views the harm done to civilians as shocking and unacceptable.  The latest United Nations update, released today, documents 3,812 civilian casualties in the first half of 2019.

The United Nations Children’s Fund announced a partnership to build a first-of-its-kind factory to convert plastic waste in Côte d’Ivoire into modular plastic bricks, which will be used to build classrooms.  Côte d’Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms; 500 will be constructed through the partnership in the next two years.

Following is UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed’s briefing, as prepared for delivery, to the Security Council on women, peace and security in Afghanistan, in New York today:

The international community must stand with the women of Afghanistan and ensure that their hard-won gains since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001 are not sacrificed in any peace agreement, a leading Afghan human rights activist told the Security Council today ahead of presidential elections in September.