Noon Briefings

The World Health Organization today welcomed the launch of the world’s first malaria vaccine.  It will be made available in Malawi, followed by Ghana and Kenya, through a pilot programme aimed at reaching 360,000 children under the age of 2 every year.

The top-ranking United Nations officials for refugees, migration and humanitarian affairs will jointly visit Bangladesh from Wednesday to Friday this week to highlight the ongoing importance of supporting the humanitarian needs of nearly a million Rohingya refugees, as well as people living in host communities.

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.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) called for action to better manage the 50 million tons of electronic waste, known as e-waste, the world produces annually so it can be turned into a valuable source of decent work.  Currently, only 20 per cent of all e-waste, valued at $62 billion, is formally recycled.

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 Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that thousands of civilians in Libya remain trapped in conflict-affected areas on the southern outskirts of Tripoli.  United Nations political and humanitarian teams continue to operate there, providing urgent humanitarian assistance.

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.

The Secretary-General continues to follow the developments in Sudan very closely and reiterates his call for calm and utmost restraint by all.  The Secretary‑General reaffirms that the United Nations stands ready to support the Sudanese people as they chart a new way forward.

Two jailed Reuters journalists from Myanmar will share the 2019 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s press freedom prize.  Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone were reporting on alleged human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State when they were arrested in December 2017.

Briefing the Security Council, the High Commissioner for Refugees stressed today that there is an unprecedented stigmatization of refugees and migrants in the media and in politics, and that this should concern us all as it is creating a toxic environment that makes it increasingly difficult to tackle this issue.