The Special Representative for the Secretary-General in Colombia told the Security Council that, in a mostly peaceful election, Colombians elected their new President, Gustavo Petro. The electoral outcomes also included the largest ever share of women, close to 30 per cent of lawmakers.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
UNESCO and the World Jewish Congress have released a report on distortion and denial of the Holocaust on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok and Twitter. The report findings note that on moderated platforms moderation and education significantly reduces such content.
The Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine today condemned the deadly attack on Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast on 9 July. Reports are that a municipal dormitory for vulnerable people was hit, killing at least 34 civilians, including a child. Another nine people were rescued from the debris and are now hospitalized.
The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide is in Bosnia and Herzegovina on an official visit to participate in events to commemorate the twenty-seventh anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide
Today marks the first Kiswahili Language Day. With more than 200 million speakers, Kiswahili is one of the most widely used languages of African origin, and the most widely spoken language in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Sri Lanka, the World Food Programme (WFP) today said that 3 in 10 households are food insecure, according to its latest food security assessment. Food inflation is alarmingly high. This month there was a 57 per cent increase in food prices, which has crippled the population’s ability to put food on the table.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today released research that says nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence.
In South Africa, Acting Resident Coordinator, Ayodele Odusola and her team are focused on rebuilding the KwaZulu-Natal province and, in response to the pandemic, providing more than $750,000 in assistance and technical support and working with authorities through the district development model to improve social services.
In Afghanistan, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement to provide funds for housing and infrastructure in Khost and Paktika Province. The programme will assist families impacted by the earthquake there.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) today released a report which says that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global urban population back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion souls by 2050.