Chad

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed François Batalingaya of Rwanda as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, with the host Government’s approval. His start date is tomorrow.

In Lebanon, United Nations peacekeeping personnel report an escalation in the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line in recent days. Several fatalities were reported following Israeli strikes. At least five people were reported to have been killed in Sector West-Khirbet Silim on 9 March, and another person in Baalbek on 11 March.

In Chad, the UN, aid partners and the Government today launched the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which seeks $1.1 billion to help 4.6 million there, with a priority focus on food security and nutrition as the country braces for what could be the worst lean season in over a decade.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Global Waste Management Outlook 2024. The report, titled “Beyond an age of waste: Turning rubbish into a resource”, provides the most substantial update on global waste generation and the cost of waste and its management.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report today on how attacks on Red Sea shipping are reshaping global trade routes. Higher fuel consumption from rerouted trade could result in a 70 per cent rise in greenhouse-gas emissions for these trips, and shipping costs have skyrocketed.

In Algeria, the United Nations launched the Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan, covering the next two years — 2024-2025. The plan calls for $214 million to ensure food stability, a reliable water supply as well as to address the nutritional requirements of people living in camps in Tindouf.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, Violette Kakyomya, today warned that the country, now host to nearly 490,000 refugees from neighbouring Sudan and suffering from record levels of rain last year, is facing multiple humanitarian crises. She called for urgent support for 7 million of the country’s 18 million people.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly high-level side event on Chad titled “The journey towards constitutional order in Chad: Invitation to a meeting of exchange and reinforcement of partnerships”, in New York today:

A report released over the weekend by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries is surging.

In Malawi, the World Food Programme faces a critical funding shortage of $6.3 million, forcing it to implement cuts in food rations for 51,000 refugees living in the Dzaleka camp. The new cash allowance will be $5.90 per person per month — down from $8.50 — barely enough to meet monthly food requirements.