Iran

Amid the continued humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it provided food to nearly 150,000 people and cash assistance to 6,000 on 14 December.  Some 100 food shops and other businesses have closed in Jalalabad city due to currency devaluation and high food and commodity prices.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more children and women were abducted for ransom between January and August 2021 than during the entire 2020.  UNICEF estimates based on official sources say 71 women and 30 children were abducted in the first eight months of 2021, and 59 women and 37 children in 2020.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message today, on the occasion of the launch of the Global Framework on United Nations Support on Syria/Iraq Third Country National Returnees:

Today marks three years since the death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  As the current Secretary-General said, Kofi was one-of-a-kind, a man who embodied United Nations values.  Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that, on this day three years ago, the world lost one of its moral voices.

On 16 August, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Stefan Priesner of Austria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iran, with the host Government’s approval.

With talks ongoing in Vienna to fully restore the landmark 2015 agreement to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the United Nations political affairs chief called on the United States to lift or waive its sanctions against Tehran, as Security Council delegates rallied the parties to make the difficult political decisions needed to achieve a breakthrough.

A new report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development found that the crash in international tourism due to COVID-19 could cause a $4 trillion loss to global gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic’s direct impact on the sector and ripple effects on others.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned today that a further escalation in violence is unfolding across Myanmar, saying there appear to be no efforts towards de-escalation, but rather a build-up of troops in key areas, contrary to commitments the military made to end the violence.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that shelling yesterday damaged a power line near a main lift pumping station of the South Donbas Waterway in eastern Ukraine.  It interrupted safe water supply for 1.1 million people in 50 nearby settlements on both sides of the “contact line”.

Schools for more than 168 million children around the world have been closed for an entire year due to lockdowns, a report from UNICEF says, noting that around 214 million children globally, or one in seven, have missed more than three quarters of their in-person learning.  The most vulnerable may never return, it warns.