Humanitarian issues

The Elsie Initiative Fund for Women in Peace Operations announced today the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali will receive a nearly $1.5 million grant to build gender-sensitive camp facilities and thus facilitate greater deployment of women police from Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.

The United Nations Department for Safety and Security today launched its 2023-2024 appeal “Helping the UN to Deliver in Emergencies”. This appeal, totaling $14.29 million, will help United Nations Security respond globally with the right capabilities at the right time and in the right place.

In Myanmar, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports that the number of people living in poverty has doubled due to the effects of the pandemic and the military takeover — to nearly half of the population, that’s 25 million people.

In Afghanistan, the United Nations team there continues to support women since the Taliban takeover a year and a half ago. In 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO) created and sustained nearly 1,700 jobs for women and trained almost 470 women on entrepreneurship and decent work practices.

In Sudan, where humanitarian needs are at a record high, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, today launched the 2023 appeal for $1.7 billion in aid. An estimated 15.8 million people, one third of the population, will need life-saving assistance next year, up 1.5 million from 2022.

​​​​​​​Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the international conference on Ukraine, in Paris today:

Today, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs visited Kherson in Ukraine after the Government regained control. In the past month, humanitarian convoys have been bringing to Kherson water, food, medicines, blankets and other essential items, including generators to ensure hospitals and schools continue operating.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the country’s Government today signed the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation framework 2023-2027 to plan and implement United Nations activities in-country in support of the 2030 Agenda.

A report by the International Labour Organization, United Nations Environment Programme and International Union for Conservation of Nature notes that 20 million jobs could be created by harnessing the power of nature to address challenges such as climate change, disaster risk and food and water insecurity.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the Central Emergency Response Fund high-level event, in New York today: