Humanitarian issues

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

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.

The World Health Organization released data showing that, in 2021, countries around the world held the line against further setbacks to malaria prevention, testing and treatment services, with an estimated 619,000 malaria deaths globally in 2021, compared to 625,000 in the first year of the pandemic.

In South Sudan, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim Peter Van der Auweraert strongly condemned today the ongoing violence in Upper Nile State, which has displaced over 9,000 people. The United Nation is working with aid partners to provide food, access to water, sanitation, hygiene and healthcare facilities.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations continues to support authorities to improve the well-being and livelihoods of communities in the country’s northern region. Since the end of May, Côte d’Ivoire has registered around 4,000 refugees fleeing from neighbouring Burkina Faso, including 2,200 children.

Ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the onset of frigid winter temperatures portend danger and worsening hardships for millions of Ukrainians, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, urging all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Three decades since it created the United Nations humanitarian system, the General Assembly today adopted four resolutions to bolster a beleaguered relief apparatus struggling to help nearly 400 million people facing severe crises around the planet, as well as a text on the culture of peace.

The International Labour Organization, the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and Gallup released a joint analysis showing that more than 1 in 5 people have experienced violence and harassment at work, whether it is physical, psychological or sexual.

In Haiti, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has increased their cholera treatment centres from 49 to 62. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Development Programme (United Nations Development Programme), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched cholera and health activities in the Port-au-Prince area focusing on women and girls impacted by gang violence there.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message on the launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2023, in Geneva, Addis Ababa and Riyadh today: