Africa

The global level of undernourishment increased sharply last year, under the shadow of the COVID‑19 pandemic, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s annual Statistical Yearbook, released today.  Nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population suffered from hunger in 2020, up from 8.4 per cent in 2019.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the twelfth high-level retreat on the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa, in Nairobi today:

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the official launching of the Generation Unlimited Sahel, today:

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the situation in the northern part of Ethiopia is rapidly deteriorating, amid fighting in and around Dessie and Kombolcha in the Amhara region, which led to large-scale displacement and increasing humanitarian needs.  The two towns were already hosting a large number of displaced people from nearby areas.

The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2022, emphasizing the need for a realistic, practical, enduring and mutually acceptable political solution based on compromise for the region.

The Security Council today urged the United Nations to strengthen its partnership with the African Union, as members adopted a presidential statement aimed at highlighting the growing contribution of such cooperation to resolving conflicts and other peace and security challenges in Africa.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Security Council’s virtual high-level debate on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations — African Union:

A United Nations Children’s Fund report released today shows that at least 200 million schoolchildren are living in 31 low- and middle-income countries that remain unprepared to deploy remote learning in future emergency school closures.  It warns that the situation could be far worse than the available data shows.

In Sudan, the United Nations is working with partners to provide life‑saving aid to 9 million vulnerable people.  Operations must continue unimpeded to prevent the humanitarian situation there from deteriorating further. However, the 2021 response plan, which seeks $1.9 billion, remains only 30 per cent funded.

More than half of Afghanistan’s population — some 22.8 million people — will face acute food insecurity starting November, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned today, including 3.2 million children under the age of five, who are expected to suffer acute malnutrition by the end of 2021.