The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, raised concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic’s adverse impact on children in conflict zones. In her annual report to the Human Rights Council, she urged States to incorporate child rights in virus containment plans and ensure that protection services continue to operate.
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The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports rising hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where months of conflict have worsened a dire situation caused by COVID-19 and locusts. Nearly 80 per cent of hospitals in Tigray are not functional, according to the World Health Organization.
United Nations personnel in the Central African Republic say they have stepped up security patrols following the arrest of former Séléka commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani. Mr. Kani, who is suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, was surrendered to the International Criminal Court on 24 January.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the number of people displaced by violence in Africa’s Sahel region has reached 2 million. Officials warn that needs continue to surge, with multiple crises converging and the humanitarian response dangerously overstretched.
Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, today expressed great concern about serious allegations of sexual violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, including a high number of alleged rapes in the capital. She called for zero tolerance of sexual violence among all warring parties.
Violence in the Central African Republic is disrupting critical supply routes, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Bangui. Following recent attacks on aid convoys and peacekeepers, more than 1,600 trucks carrying food and medicine are blocked at the border with Cameroon, as food prices spike.
From Madagascar, the United Nations is issuing a flash appeal for $76 million to support more than 1 million people in the south who face a potentially life-threatening lack of food, nutrition, water and sanitation, and health assistance due to the region’s worst drought in 10 years coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator’s team in Brazil is supporting the state of Amazonas in tackling latest surge of COVID-19. The United Nations Children’s Fund delivered 250 hygiene kits and food baskets, while the International Organization for Migration is working to mitigate transmission in indigenous and riverside communities.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jordan launched one of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccination drives for refugees on 14 January. An Iraqi woman in the city of Irbid was the first registered refugee to be vaccinated as part of Jordan’s national campaign.
Countries face serious costs, damage and losses, unless they step up actions to adapt to the new climate reality, the United Nations Environment Programme warns in a new report released today. Financing and implementation fall far short of needs, with adaptation costs in developing countries estimated at $70 billion.