Africa

The World Meteorological Organization reports that the recent heatwave in Canada and the United States had major impacts on people, animals and vegetation, and that so many records were broken in June regarding high temperatures worldwide that it was hard to keep track.

A new report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that the crash in international tourism due to COVID-19 could cause a $4 trillion loss to global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic’s direct impact on the sector and ripple effects on others.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the side event on climate change and green growth at the fifty-sixth annual meeting of the African Development Bank today:

Hanaa Singer, Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka – alongside the United Nations Environment Programme and the European Union — facilitated the rapid deployment today of experts to help with marine litter and environmental impact assessment work related to the sinking of the 'MV X-Press Pearl' cargo ship.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned today that a further escalation in violence is unfolding across Myanmar, saying there appear to be no efforts towards de-escalation, but rather a build-up of troops in key areas, contrary to commitments the military made to end the violence.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) high-level event titled, “Strategic Vision for Africa 2030:  Investing in a Transformative Approach to Promote Peace, Security and Development”, held today:

More than 271,000 people have been impacted and over 26,000 displaced by monsoon-related flash floods and landslides in south-western Sri Lanka, humanitarian affairs officials say.  The impacts of the south-west monsoon come as Sri Lanka works to mitigate the environmental impact of a sinking cargo ship near Colombo.

Despite gains in Central Africa, from fostering peace to fighting the COVID‑19 pandemic, tensions and pockets of continued violence continue to threaten stability and civilian safety, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the subregion told the Security Council today.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it continues to receive reports of systematic forced return of Mozambican families from the United Republic of Tanzania.  The Agency urged Mozambique’s neighbours to respect access to asylum for those fleeing widespread armed conflict in the northern part of the country.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the ceremony marking the awarding of the Mo Ibrahim Prize to Mahmadou Issoufou, former President of Niger, today: