Marking peacekeeping’s seventy-fifth anniversary, the Peacekeeping Department is launching a campaign, Peace Begins with Me, which promotes understanding of challenges faced by communities in conflict, demonstrates peacekeeping’s impact and calls for a global movement for peace.

In Lebanon, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) donated 1,000 cholera testing kits, administered over 900,000 oral cholera vaccines and provided refrigerators and solar panels to ensure continuous access to electricity in support of the Ministry of Public Health’s efforts to combat the cholera outbreak which began in October.

On behalf of the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), Sima Bahous; and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Political, Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, Khaled Khiari, completed a four-day visit to Afghanistan to appraise the situation, engage de facto authorities and underscore United Nations solidarity with the Afghan people.

In the Central African Republic, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there launched a countrywide campaign on 16 January to promote efforts to protect civilians and to build confidence between the internal security forces and the population.

A report released today by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) notes that children from the poorest households benefit the least from national public education funding. According to the report, children living in poverty are less likely to have access to school and drop out sooner.

In Nigeria, due to continued conflict, climate change, inflation and rising food prices nearly 25 million people are at risk of hunger between June and August, if urgent action is not taken, according to a food and nutrition analysis by Nigeria’s Government in partnership with the United Nations.

In Ethiopia, humanitarian colleagues report some 3,000 truckloads of food, health, shelter, water and other supplies have entered the conflict-affected Tigray region since mid-November following the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service is also conducting regular flights into Tigray.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Ishikane Kimihiro (Japan):

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

The United Nations country team in South Africa is working with authorities to respond to the recent measles outbreak, including 245 confirmed cases, almost 75 per cent of them children under the age of nine. With funding from Germany and Japan, UNICEF is procuring equipment that will benefit approximately 2,000 health facilities.