In Tonga, following the volcanic eruption, humanitarian colleagues report that over 80 per cent of the population have been impacted by the disaster, with three confirmed fatalities to date. Relief efforts are scaling up, including by the United Nations Children’s Fund, but it is difficult to reach remote areas.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Briefing the Security Council today, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the situation that now faces women human rights defenders, and prospects for women’s full participation in shaping and building peace, are vastly worse than they were before the pandemic got under way.
After a volcanic eruption and tsunami caused significant infrastructure damage in Tonga, the World Food Programme said it is exploring ways to bring in aid and the United Nations Children’s Fund is ready to send emergency water, sanitation and other supplies from warehouses in Fiji and Brisbane.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it is deeply concerned by recent incidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia that saw individuals glorify atrocity crimes and convicted war criminals target certain communities with hate speech, warning of a potential uptick in such acts in 2022, an election year.
In the Central African Republic, the number of improvised explosive devices has increased significantly, especially in the north-west, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there said today. It believes the armed group 3R has been intentionally targeting peacekeepers and the national armed forces.
In Yemen, the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) has expressed its concern at the allegations of the militarization of the Hudaydah ports. The Mission has made a request to undertake an inspection and reminds all parties that the ports are a crucial lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
Mahamet Saleh Annadif, Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told the Security Council this morning that concern that the terrorist threat from Sahel countries could expand to the Gulf of Guinea is now a reality and that insecurity is compromising progress in the entire region.
In the Philippines, the World Food Programme (WFP) is warning that nutrition and food security are at risk in communities hit by Super Typhoon Odette three weeks ago. Odette has made landfall nine times over an area the size of Austria over two days, affecting 7 million people. WFP requires $25.8 million to provide food to 250,000 survivors.
Fifty-five journalists and media workers were killed around the world in 2021, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – the lowest annual death toll in over a decade. However, two thirds of those killings took place in countries not experiencing armed conflict and impunity for those crimes remains widespread.
More than 3 million doses arrived in Venezuela on 4 January, bringing the total received through the COVAX facility to nearly 9 million, while Bolivia recently received nearly 2 million doses through COVAX. Thanks to a massive logistical effort led by the Pan-American Health Organization, nearly 90 million doses have landed in 33 countries in Latin America.