Environmental issues and sustainable development

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.

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.

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.

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.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the “Governance for Sustainable Development” session, part of the high-level “A shared Sustainable Recovery Based on the SDGs” event in Dubai today:

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the twelfth session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 15 January:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres remarks at the World Economic Forum, held virtually, today:

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.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the twelfth session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 15 January:

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.