In Cuba, the United Nations took part in the consultation process to make reforms to the country’s Family Code. Almost 75 per cent of Cubans voted on 25 September in a referendum on the diversity of families, affection and solidarity as key social values and strengthening the protection of a host of vulnerable groups.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
In Sri Lanka, the United Nations continues to support the Government, and people of the country respond to the economic crisis there. The Organization has reached more than 1 million women, children and men with humanitarian aid across all 25 districts of the country.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) today released a report which shows that pay transparency measures can help expose pay differences between men and women and identify underlying causes. According to ILO, on average, women, are paid about 20 per cent less than men, globally.
In Uganda, the United Nations is supporting authorities to tackle the impacts of climate change and restore degraded forest lands. In the north-eastern region of Karamoja, which is affected by climate change-induced drought and food insecurity, the Organization has helped rehabilitate 122 hectares of land.
In Syria, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator there expressed serious concern yesterday over the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country. The number of confirmed cholera cases so far is 20 in Aleppo, 4 in Lattakia and 2 in Damascus.
On Saturday, accompanied by Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General travelled to Balochistan, Larkana and Sukkur, in Sindh Province, and met with a group of women and men who abandoned everything to help their neighbours reach safety as their houses flooded. He said he had never seen climate carnage on this scale.
The General Assembly on 8 September decided to establish a United Nations Office on Youth Affairs. The new office will give the Organization a dedicated office to support the 1.2 billion young people in the world today.
The World Food Programme’s first humanitarian shipment of grain from Ukraine, delivered under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has arrived in Ethiopia and will be distributed in the coming weeks. The shipment will support one month of assistance to over 1.5 million people who have been displaced by drought and conflict.
Today is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. This year’s theme is “The Air We Share” and focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution, stressing the need for collective accountability and action.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in China today said he is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and destruction caused by the 5 September earthquake in Sichuan Province. He said the Organization stands ready to assist and support the Government of China’s valiant rescue efforts.