Liberia

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, today allocated $6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to address the humanitarian needs of refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan to Egypt, in support of the ongoing response there, which has become host to some 1.2 million Sudanese refugees since last April.

In Sudan, humanitarian officials report that flooding is heightening the risk of cholera, and that it will continue to spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that in a month since the first suspected cases were reported, more than 650 cases and 28 deaths have been reported there.

The Secretary-General launched the 2023 United Nations Environment Programme Emissions Gap report, warning that if nothing changes, in 2030 emissions will be 22 gigatons higher than the 1.5°C limit will allow and roughly the total annual emissions of the United States, China and the European Union combined.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

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.

The new Permanent Representative of Liberia to the United Nations, Sarah Safyn Fyneah, presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Christine N. Umutoni of Rwanda as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, with the host Government’s approval.  She takes up her post on 1 February.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) today released a report which says that rapid urbanization was only temporarily delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global urban population back on track to grow by another 2.2 billion souls by 2050.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for urgent humanitarian action in 20 hunger hotspots, where food insecurity is likely to deteriorate in the next three months.

More than 1,000 migrants have died or disappeared since 2014 while trying to leave East Africa and the Horn of Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.  Most were travelling to the Arabian Peninsula or South Africa.  Migrants face violence, abandonment by smugglers, limited access to medical care and detention, among other dangers.