Middle East

Following explosions in Beirut on 4 August, the United Nations is requesting $565 million to help Lebanon move towards recovery and reconstruction.  Peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are also donating blood and have joined the “#UN4Beirut” initiative to clean up devastated city streets.

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

Support has gradually tilted in favour of a one-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past decade among Palestinians due to the grim reality on the ground, a veteran researcher told the Security Council in a 21 July videoconference meeting.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched today its Global Forest Resources Assessment report and its first online interactive platform containing detailed regional and global analyses of forests in 236 countries and territories, enabling the agency to better respond to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

The Security Council, in a 29 June videoconference meeting, announced its decision to renew the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan for six months until 31 December and called on Israel and Syria to fully respect the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned in a new report that millions of children in Yemen could be pushed to the brink of starvation due to huge shortfalls in humanitarian aid funding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  So far, the COVID-19 response is only 10 per cent funded, as UNICEF appeals for $53 million.

A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that ongoing efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions are expected to spur further investments in green energy production. These investments have been steady, standing at $600 billion per year on average.

Calling on Israel to abandon plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, the Secretary-General told the Security Council during a 24 June videoconference meeting that such a move would threaten the vision of a two-State solution.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ briefing to the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, in New York today:

In Nigeria, where the number of COVID-19-related deaths has doubled in the past month, with total virus cases reaching 20,000, the United Nations is providing vital medical kits and equipment to further support Government efforts in addressing the pandemic.