Haiti

In Somalia, Beletweyne district and other areas have been severely affected by unusually heavy rains and flooding.  Humanitarian needs are dire.  The World Food Programme is working with the Federal Government and with sister United Nations agencies to coordinate the response and reach the hardest-hit people.

In Central America, subsistence farmers and some larger-scale farming operations in “the Dry Corridor” have lost 50 to 75 per cent of their crops due to irregular weather conditions, including high temperatures, below average rain and long dry spells.  The 2018 drought affected more than 2 million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Ecuador says a small team will visit the country Ecuador from 20 October to 8 November to look into allegations of human rights violations and abuses committed in the context of the recent protests.  The mission will be conducted at the invitation of the Government.

Figures released today by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan show record-high levels of civilian casualties in the country during the third quarter of 2019, including 2,563 killed and 5,676 injured, a 42 per cent increase from the same period in 2018.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The United Nations long‑standing peacekeeping presence in Haiti closed its doors today amid mounting political and security challenges, which risk eroding strides facilitated by a generation of blue helmets, said the Organization’s senior peace operations official in a briefing to the Security Council.

Armed attacks and insecurity continue to affect parts of northern, eastern and central Burkina Faso, driving forced displacement and increasing the number of people in need of protection and assistance.  Some 486,000 people have been displaced, up from 80,000 in January.

The Secretary-General is following with increasing concern the situation in Guinea, where demonstrations have been called against a Government proposal to review the Constitution.  The United Nations continues to monitor the situation and remains in contact with key stakeholders with a view towards de-escalating tensions.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Helen Meagher La Lime of the United States as his Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).

UNICEF chartered a plane carrying 1.6 million doses of oral cholera vaccines to Sudan, delivering the medicine at a critical time as cholera cases continue to be reported.  The agency and its partners are also strengthening water treatment systems, distributing water purification products and providing technical support.