United Nations personnel in Lebanon are responding to a fuel tank explosion in the northern district of Akkar, which killed 28 people and injured over 80 others on 15 August.  The incident comes as the country grapples with a deepening crisis and electricity shortages have forced hospitals to operate at reduced capacity.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regained access to two refugee camps previously cut off by clashes in Ethiopia’s Tigray Province.  It is calling for urgent support amid rising displacement, as well as safe passage to transfer refugees to a safer site, 135 kilometres away.

Humanitarian officials warn that, without sustained funding, millions of people in in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states will struggle to feed themselves during the lean season due to conflict, COVID-19, high food prices and the effects of climate change.

The World Health Organization reported that weekly deaths from COVID-19 in Africa reached a record peak in the week ending 1 August, with more than 6,400 deaths recorded — the highest seven-day toll since the onset of the pandemic in Africa.  South Africa and Tunisia accounted for more than 55 per cent of the fatalities.

A United Nations report details today the worsening human rights situation in the Central African Republic in the past year, attributing responsibility for 54 per cent of the documented incidents to armed groups, and the remainder to national defence and security forces, bilateral personnel and private military contractors.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People, held virtually today:

A new report by the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stresses the need to prevent torture in places of detention in Iraq, including the Kurdistan region.  “No circumstances, however exceptional, justify torture,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative in the country.

Today at the G20 environment and energy ministers meeting in Naples, Italy, Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, called upon countries to provide the leadership needed to hold the global average temperature rise as close to 1.5°C as possible.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon expressed deep regret over the inability of Lebanon’s leaders to reach agreement on the formation of a new Government that is urgently needed to address the country’s numerous challenges.

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat has a new draft Global Biodiversity Framework to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature, and its essential services to people.  It will serve as the basis for negotiations at the Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, in October.