Humanitarian issues

In Sri Lanka, the United Nations team’s revised Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan aims to help 3.4 million people, with immediate food assistance for 2.4 million food-insecure people and support 1.5 million people in agriculture and fishing to revive severely disrupted food systems.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the launch of the Early Warnings for All Executive Action Plan, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt today:

Alice Nderitu, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, expressed her concern today at reports of a resurgence of ethnic clashes in the Blue Nile region of Sudan fuelled by hate speech. She called on all those in positions of authority to institute conflict prevention mechanisms and hold all perpetrators accountable.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today released its Adaptation Gap Report, which finds that global efforts in adaptation planning, financing and implementation are not keeping pace with the growing risks.

The International Support Group for Lebanon, which includes the United Nations, issued a statement today that notes with concern the continued lack of cooperation among Lebanese political actors that has precipitated a presidential vacuum.

The United Nations Secretariat at the Joint Coordination Centre reports that the Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations delegations agreed not to plan any movement of vessels in the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 2 November.

In Tunisia, the third of nine commercial vessels from Ukraine arrived over the weekend, through the Black Sea Grain Initiative, bringing more than 78,000 tons of soft wheat to the country. A fourth vessel is scheduled to land today in Tunis, with 30,000 tons of corn.

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

In Chad, the United Nations and partners have assisted some 250,000 people affected by flooding; however, only one quarter of the $70 million needed to help 8000,000 people has been received. The water rise has stabilized in the capital but is forecasted to move upstream to the already crisis-impacted Lac region.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a report showing that an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5 per cent from 2020. According to the report, 1.6 million people died from tuberculosis in 2021, including 187,000 HIV-positive people.