In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following Tuesday’s attack in Ituri province, United Nations peacekeepers are patrolling the area with reinforced troops to provide security around the Savo displaced persons site and are facilitating medical supplies and evacuations to Bunia for wounded civilians.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
World Wetlands Day, observed on 2 February, is being celebrated under the theme “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”, highlighting the importance of actions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for human and planetary health.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm at the continued disappearance of six people abducted in Kabul two weeks ago in connection with recent women’s rights protests. It called on the de facto authorities to report the findings of their investigation and do their utmost to ensure the safe, immediate release of these individuals.
In tsunami-hit Tonga, the United Nations continues to support the recovery, providing satellite phones for Government staff to communicate while the underground communications cable undergoes repairs. On Tongatapu, the main island, 90 per cent of power has been restored and aid distribution continues.
On Myanmar, nearly one year after the takeover, the High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the international community to intensify pressure on the military to stop its campaign of violence against the people of the country and to insist on the prompt restoration of civilian rule.
At a meeting today on the Sahel region, the Emergency Relief Coordinator for the United Nations said that nearly 15 million people in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso will need humanitarian assistance in 2022. This is 4 million more than one year ago.
Briefing the Security Council today on Afghanistan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative there noted that, six months after the takeover by the Taliban, the country is hanging by a thread.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned today that the deteriorating drought conditions in Somalia could displace more than 1 million people by April if urgent action is not taken now. IOM noted that water scarcity in some parts of the country is the worst in 40 years.
United Nations international experts arrived today in Peru to carry out a rapid assessment of the social and environmental impacts of an oil spill disaster. The team started working today and expects to continue for two weeks.
In Ethiopia, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have been forced to reduce aid distribution in Tigray as fuel supplies are blocked from entering the area. Last week, food aid reached only 10,500 of the 800,000 people in need. The humanitarian response is being scaled up in accessible areas in Amhara and Afar.