While the 6 February signing of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic gave rise to much hope for an end to the decades-long crisis in that country, the accord’s ultimate success will depend on the parties’ willingness to end the violence and engage in dialogue, the Special Representative told the Security Council today.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said that more than 5 million families across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean spend over 40 per cent of their non-food household expenses on maternal health services. The costs of prenatal care and delivery services can deter women from seeking medical attention.
World Health Organization experts arrived in Pakistan following an HIV outbreak in Sindh province, where some 600 cases — more than half of them children under age five — have been identified. The outbreak was first reported on 25 April, with a major HIV screening programme having started three days later.
Due to sporadic rainfall in Bangladesh’s Teknaf peninsula, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and aid partners will truck water in the coming days to 140,000 Rohingya refugees, where water rationing due to limited supply has raised concern about the potential for water-borne diseases.
The United Nations is stepping up its response to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is now in its tenth month and has claimed more than 1,200 lives. The Secretary-General has appointed David Gressly, Deputy Head of mission, as the Organization’s Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
UNICEF is launching a global campaign to emphasize the power and safety of vaccines, primarily aimed at parents, the agency announced today. Launching next Wednesday, the campaign will coincide with the start of World Immunization Week. The campaign will be conducted on social media with the hashtag #VaccinesWork.
On 18 April 2019, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic enacted the amendments specified with underline in the entry below on its Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze and travel ban set out in paragraphs 9 and 16 of Security Council resolution 2399 (2018) as renewed by resolution 2454 (2019), adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says it has reached 1 million people in Mozambique with food assistance in the month since Cyclone Idai made landfall. WFP intends to assist 1.7 million people needing urgent food and nutrition support, but still requires $130 million to implement its response through June.
The Secretary-General is shocked at today’s attack in Quetta, in Pakistan. He strongly condemns this cowardly act and extends his condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Pakistan.
