The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months — until 31 January 2022 — expressing serious concern over violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines, reported encroachment by both sides into the buffer zone and increase in unauthorized construction — all of which pose challenges to the Force’s operations.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of six Rohingya refugees following heavy monsoon rains and strong winds which pelted refugee sites in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, causing flash floods and landslides.  More than 12,000 refugees have been affected, initial reports say.

While the global community should prioritize its support for Gaza’s reconstruction in the wake of the violence that erupted there in May, a senior United Nations official also urged the Security Council not to “lose sight of the broader goal” — namely, ending the Israeli occupation and realizing a two-State solution — as she briefed the organ during its quarterly open debate on the Middle East today.

Africa needs more support on its path to growth, speakers said today, as the 193-member General Assembly examined efforts by the United Nations to help Africa fight malaria while pursuing durable peace and sustainable development.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Food Systems Pre-Summit ministerial round table on Transforming Food Systems for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals:  Rising to the Challenge, in Rome today:

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) completed the withdrawal of all uniformed and civilian personnel by its deadline of 30 June 2021, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare told the Security Council today, achieving a milestone set by the 15-member organ for the Mission’s exit and empowering Sudan’s Government to take charge of maintaining peace in the region.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that half a million people in parts of Balochistan province in Pakistan are facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.  Another 100,000 people need immediate life-saving assistance due to severe drought-like conditions.

The second session of the intergovernmental Preparatory Committee for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries opened at Headquarters today with delegates — mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 on the world’s poorest nations as they struggle to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals — aiming to finalize a draft programme of action for when the Conference takes place in Doha, Qatar, on 23 to 27 January 2022.

The United Nations and the Russian Federation held the Seventh Annual Aviation Talks on 21 and 22 July as part of the official business programme of the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2021.

The Independent Audit Advisory Committee of the United Nations (IAAC) held its fifty-fifth session from 21 to 23 July.