Development

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today strongly condemned the widespread sexual violence, as well as killings of civilians, and attacks on aid workers in Leer County.  UNMISS has carried out 10 verification missions and says that 72 civilians were killed, and 64 cases of sexual violence have been recorded.

Against the backdrop of shifting population demographics, conflicts, post-pandemic economic shocks and climate change, the developing world is on the brink of a “perfect storm” of debt, food and energy crises, experts warned today, as the Commission on Population and Development opened its fifty-fifth session.

Following is UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s statement, delivered on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, at the opening of the Economic and Social Council Financing for Development Forum, in New York today:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Development Finance Innovation in a Capital-Constrained World Dialogue, in Washington, D.C., today:

The World Food Programme (WFP) says its operational costs for West Africa are expected to expand by $136 million as a result of rising fuel and food prices.  Some 43 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity by June.  Before the Ukraine conflict WFP had already forced to cut rations in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Niger.

In a consensus text adopted today, the General Assembly welcomed the upcoming World Cup football championship in Qatar as the first such event to be held in the Middle East and encouraged the relevant authorities to exert every effort to ensure that the 2022 tournament will leave a lasting legacy for peace and development in the region.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace:  “The Role of Sport in Combating Climate Change”, via UN YouTube and WebTV.un.org, today:

Some 10,000 people have sought refuge in Uganda’s Kisoro district, following violent clashes that began on Monday in the Rutshuru territory.  The United Nations Refugee Agency is working with the Government of Uganda and humanitarian partners to provide assistance.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the global launch of the Open University’s Centre for the Study of Global Development, held virtually today:

A total of 36 donors at yesterday’s pledging event for Yemen pledged nearly $1.3 billion, only 30 per cent of the roughly $4.3 billion required for an efficient and effective response to the humanitarian crisis.  Unprecedented funding shortages are forcing reductions and closures of life-saving aid.