Africa

In Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that its first aircraft carrying life‑saving medical supplies arrived yesterday in Kabul through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Airbridge.  It will cover the needs of 100,000 children and women for the next three months.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the fourth High‑level Event on the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III) “Strengthening Africa’s Pharmaceutical Industry – learning the lessons from COVID-19”, today:

The Security Council today encouraged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to resume negotiations, at the invitation of the African Union Chairperson, on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project, with a view to finalizing the text of a mutually acceptable agreement on filling and operating the dam “within a reasonable time frame”.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the ACT Foundation breakfast dialogue, held virtually from 14 to 15 September:

The General Assembly today adopted two annual resolutions — one on durable peace and sustainable development in Africa and the other on eradicating malaria.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that, in September, it started delivering emergency relief food assistance to communities in regions bordering war-torn Tigray.  According to WFP, across Ethiopia, more than 13.6 million people are estimated to be food insecure due to a number of factors.

The Office for Children and Armed Conflict says the United Nations and the Plateforme coalition of armed movements in Mali signed new action plans by which the latter committed to release all child recruits, end military use of schools, and guarantee unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to all children.

The Secretary-General will convene a high-level dialogue on energy on Friday, 24 September, under the auspices of the General Assembly.  The dialogue, which will be held virtually, is an opportunity to mobilize action and cooperation to ensure that all people can access clean, affordable energy by 2030.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council meeting on Ethiopia, held today:

The Security Council today expressed concern at growing insecurity, terrorism and maritime piracy in West Africa, the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea and encouraged further national and regional efforts to counter those threats, as it welcomed efforts by countries in the region, as well as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to tackle security challenges amid a grim humanitarian situation made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.