The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Food Price Index rose for the second consecutive month, led by prices of wheat and maize, whose production FAO expects will decline in 2018. This follows global record high levels of cereal production in 2017.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller is in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to take stock of the ongoing humanitarian crisis there and advocate for unfettered access to, and protection of, civilians.
The temporary base in Tagbara, north-east of Bambari, of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic was attacked by anti-balaka fighters today. One peacekeeper was killed and 11 others were injured after several hours of exchange of fire. The Mission condemned the attack and deployed reinforcements to Tagbara.
The World Food Programme today airlifted life-saving, nutrient-dense biscuits from its Humanitarian Depot in Dubai to Papua New Guinea. The plane carried enough food to feed approximately 60,000 people. More than 270,000 people require humanitarian aid since a devastating earthquake struck the country in February.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ján Kubiš, congratulated Iraqi political parties and blocs for signing the Electoral Charter of Honour on Wednesday in Baghdad, and pledged the United Nations Assistance Mission’s support for conducting upcoming elections freely, fairly and transparently.
The Secretary-General was shocked at reports of remarks attributed to Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. He urges all leaders in Myanmar to take a unified stance against incitement to hatred and to promote communal harmony.
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund has released over $9 million in funding to coverprovide for the immediate needs of those affected by a strong earthquake that recently struck Papua New Guinea. The event follows a February earthquake that had left some 270,000 people needing assistance..
Humanitarian operations for over 800,000 people have resumed in Rann town, in Nigeria’s Borno State following several United Nations security assessments, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. However, aid workers have not yet been authorized to stay overnight.
The Global Report on Food Crises, published today, sounded an alarm regarding surging levels of acute hunger. Some 124 million people in 51 countries were affected by acute food insecurity in 2017 — 11 million more than in 2016.
Since 11 March, the United Nations estimates that more than 50,000 people have left eastern Ghouta, Syria. Amid visits from United Nations teams in recent days, most of the existing shelters do not have the capacity or infrastructure to accommodate the large number of people arriving in rural areas near Damascus.