Mali

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

A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme found that solar energy dominated global investment like never before in 2017.  Investment in solar power grew by 18 per cent to $160.8 billion, surpassing new investments in coal and gas.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru):

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

The Global Report on Food Crises, published today, sounded an alarm regarding surging levels of acute hunger.  Some 124 million people in 51 countries were affected by acute food insecurity in 2017 — 11 million more than in 2016.

Humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have doubled over the last year, with 13 million people in need of assistance, in a context of persistent insecurity and bureaucratic impediments, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council today after a visiting mission.

On 28 February 2018, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) concerning Mali held informal consultations to consider the first interim update of its Panel of Experts, submitted in accordance with paragraph 11 of resolution 2374 (2017).

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the arrival of migrants in Italy — the most active route for those leaving North Africa for Europe — hit a five-year low:  5,247 for the first two months of 2018, versus some 13,000 for the same period last year.  IOM attributed the drop, in part, to voluntary humanitarian returns from detention centres in Libya.

The Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index for February found that rising world prices for staple grains and dairy products more than offset lower prices for vegetable oils, leading global food commodity prices up 1.1 per cent.  FAO also lowered projections for global wheat harvests this year.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mansour Ayyad Sh. A. Alotaibi (Kuwait):