Humanitarian issues

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released a report showing that halfway into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a lot of the progress made towards its food- and agriculture-related targets has stagnated or reversed.

The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today that the tragedy in Libya highlights the devastating consequences of extreme weather on fragile States. A new multi-agency report, coordinated by WMO, systematically examines the impact of climate change on the Sustainable Development Goals.

Against a backdrop of soaring global humanitarian needs fuelled by conflict, climate change and the impact of COVID-19, a new model for collaboration between public and private sector actors is needed to promote international security and tackle humanitarian needs, delegates heard today during the Security Council’s open debate on advancing public-private humanitarian partnerships.

A report released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners is offering solutions to decarbonize the building and construction sector. The report says that the construction sector is currently responsible for 37 per cent of global emissions.

In Liberia, the United Nations team there is boosting its response to national efforts to address food insecurity. This follows a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showing that over half a million people are currently facing acute food insecurity in the country.

In Pakistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today warned that, one year after the historic floods that devastated the country, millions of children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services.

The UN Children’s Fund reports that in Sudan at least 2 million children have been forced from their homes since the hostilities erupted four months ago, with an average of more than 700 children being newly displaced every hour. In areas with high internal displacement, disease outbreaks, including measles, are resurfacing.

In Niger, the United Nations, along with its partners, continues to deliver assistance across the country. In Tahoua, in the country’s south-west, humanitarians have provided medical care, reproductive health services and nutrition to over 1,000 people through mobile clinics.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Humanitarian Day, observed on 19 August:

In Haiti, amid intensifying violence, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for urgent action to be taken on the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for a non-United Nations multinational force to support the Haitian police in addressing the grave security situation and restoring the rule of law.