Bahamas

The United Nations Network on Migration reiterated today its call to end the detention of children for immigration purposes in every region of the world.  They said detaining children in such a context – whether they are travelling alone or with their families – has been recognized as a violation of children’s rights.

The World Food Programme launched its biggest emergency response for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh this year, following this week’s heavy rains and flooding.  In 24 hours, WFP reached 16,000 people with food aid — more than the total number of people it has reached since the start of the monsoon season.

More than half the population of South Sudan — 6 million people — do not know where they will find their next meal.  The Food and Agriculture Organization is providing crop seeds, while the United Nations Children’s Fund is distributing food for women and children and the World Food Programme is responding with food and cash.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator completed a two-day visit to Ethiopia, calling for additional funding to support the Government-led response to the displacement crisis and humanitarian need brought on by drought, flooding, disease outbreak and inter-ethnic violence that has forced millions of people to flee their homes.

The UNICEF installation unveiled this weekend on the North Lawn of United Nations Headquarters shows the devastating scale of child deaths in conflict zones during 2018.  It features 3,758 backpacks in rows reminiscent of a graveyard, each representing the loss of a young life to conflict.

The United Nations recorded fewer human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the first half of 2019, a High Commissioner for Human Rights report found, describing the 3,039 violations as an improvement.  However, the number of violations committed until June remains higher than two years ago.

The Central Emergency Response Fund released $75 million to support responses to eight underfunded emergencies — in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Eritrea, Mali, Sudan, Venezuela and the neighbouring region — providing aid to 4 million people affected by conflict and natural disasters, among other crises.

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

At least 14 people were killed and many more injured yesterday, including children, when a bus hit an improvised explosive device near Douentza in the Mopti region, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali reported.  The Mission supported the medical evacuations of 16 victims.

The Yemen office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights confirmed that 52 detainees were among those killed when air strikes hit a former community college compound on the northern outskirts of Dhamar City, United Nations teams in the country reported on Sunday.  As many as 170 detainees were being held there.