The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs launched a $2.2 billion appeal in Baghdad today to address the protection and humanitarian needs of 5.2 million people in Iraq. The appeal calls for assistance with, among others, food, emergency shelters, winterization packages, warm clothes, shoes and health services.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, told the Security Council this morning that every day without a political agreement contributed the situation on the ground to deteriorate further, complicating the work of the United Nations Mission there.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced equipment is being airlifted and 7,000 tons of food delivered to the affected countries this week as part of the Ebola response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Nigeria free of Ebola virus transmission after 42 days without a single case.
Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and in his message, the Secretary-General calls on the world to recommit to act together against extreme poverty. He notes that despite reaching the Millennium Development Goal target of halving the number of people living in poverty, some 2.4 billion people still live on less than $2 a day.
The Secretary-General has called for the international community to step up its efforts on Ebola and turn pledges into action, as the World Health Organization warns of a continuously deteriorating situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, Anthony Banbury, stressed the need to accelerate the response, saying the deadly virus got a head start and is winning the race. Only 4,300 of the 7,000 treatment beds needed will be available by 1 December and only 50 of the 500 safe‑burial teams required are now on the ground. This morning a German aircraft arrived in Accra to be loaded with humanitarian supplies and equipment for delivery to Sierra Leone and Guinea later in the week.
The Head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) today announced the death from Ebola of a United Nations Volunteer who worked in the UNMIL Medical team.  The Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) said this sad loss underscores the importance of an urgent and immediate response by the international community.
The Secretary-General travelled to the Middle East today and met with the Prime Ministers of Palestine and Israel, Israel’s opposition leader and Quartet representative Tony Blair. He was encouraged by the amount committed by donors at the Cairo conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and the Israeli Prime Minister’s support for a temporary mechanism for rebuilding.
The Secretary-General congratulated Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, two of the world’s greatest champions for children, on being awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize for Peace. He said the true winners today are the world’s children.