Human rights

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in China today said he is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and destruction caused by the 5 September earthquake in Sichuan Province. He said the Organization stands ready to assist and support the Government of China’s valiant rescue efforts.

In Afghanistan, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a programme to protect rural livelihoods amid continuing drought and extreme economic crisis and will support more than 9 million people across 34 provinces in 2022.

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

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) noted that this week marks five years since more than 700,000 Rohingya women, men and children fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day for People of African Descent, observed on 31 August:

After back-to-back droughts in the Horn of Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) is expanding its assistance as levels of hunger soar. Since the start of the year, 9 million more people have slipped into severe food insecurity across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

New York, 19 August 2022 — The United Nations will hold its fifth commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism on 21 August 2022 with a virtual high-level event highlighting the power of memories. The event will be broadcast live on UN Web TV from 9 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. EDT and feature remarks by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov and the Co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Spain. Four victims of terrorism from Indonesia, Morocco, Norway and Uganda will share their experiences and deliver testimonies on the power of memories. The commemoration is organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, in collaboration with the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that three consecutive years of severe drought in the Grand Sud of Madagascar have led to the country’s worst food crisis in 20 years, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of already poor populations.

In Chad, torrential rains have killed 22 people and destroyed more than 2,000 hectares of farmland since June. The United Nations, along with its partners, are supporting the Government in providing emergency assistance of food, shelter, malaria management and other critical help.

The Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) just completed a visit to Kidal, where he met with officials and other stakeholders. Discussions focused on means of improving cooperation and supporting the acceleration of the implementation of the Peace Agreement.