Drugs

Just 18 per cent of the $48.7 billion needed to humanitarian aid worldwide this year has been received, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports. The consequences are particularly acute in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Honduras, Mali, Myanmar and Sudan.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed on 26 June:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the High-level Segment of the Sixty-seventh Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in Vienna today:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched a $1.2 billion humanitarian appeal today to support 48 million people with reproductive health and gender-based violence services in 58 countries in 2024. In 2023, UNFPA received only half of its humanitarian funding needs.

The UN and partners are providing humanitarian aid to Nepal, including 6 metric tons of food from the World Food Programme (WFP), medicines and supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO), over 2,000 emergency shelter sets from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and relief packages from UN-Women, which is also working with women’s groups on community kitchens.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today that international food commodity prices declined moderately in October. However, persistent conflicts are aggravating food insecurity, and moderating food prices are being countered by weak currencies in many low-income countries.

In Syria, a United Nations cross-line convoy of 10 trucks carrying 220 metric tons of humanitarian assistance for 22,000 people crossed from Aleppo to Sarmada on 23 June. While an important complement, the cross-line operation cannot substitute cross-border aid that reaches 2.7 million Syrians each month.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed on 26 June:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released its monthly Food Price Index for May, which said that world food commodity prices declined amid significant drops in quotations for most cereals, vegetable oils and dairy products.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime today released its first-ever Global Report on Cocaine, noting that the global supply of cocaine has reached record levels, with coca cultivation soaring 35 per cent from 2020 to 2021. Demand for cocaine has also swelled with many regions showing a steady rise in cocaine users.