In progress at UNHQ

To End Yemen’s Tragic Plight, Parties Must Agree on Humanitarian Action, Nationwide Ceasefire, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

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With a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping over Yemen, and as Houthi rebels pursue their offensive in the oil-rich Marib region, more must be done — urgently and with greater international funding — to ease what is still the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today as the 15-member organ, meeting via videoconference, conducted its monthly debate on the conflict in that Middle East country.

Concluding Financing for Development Forum, Ministers Reaffirm Commitment to Strengthen Multilateral Cooperation, Solidarity in Combating Ill Effects of COVID-19

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Ministers and other high-level officials concluded the 2021 Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up today, reaffirming their commitment to strengthen multilateral cooperation and solidarity to combat COVID-19’s frustration of global implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, tenuous even before the unprecedented crisis exacerbated existing ones.

Office for Disarmament Affairs Launches United Nations ‘What If – Spesterra’ Youth Video Challenge

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The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 the “International Year of Peace and Trust”.  It is also the first year of the Decade of Action to usher in ambitious steps to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Against that backdrop, the Office for Disarmament Affairs will launch the “What if — Spesterra" Youth Video Challenge to stimulate young people’s interest and knowledge about the vital way disarmament contributes to a safer, more secure and sustainable world for all.

Women Still Suffering in War Zones, Special Representative Tells Security Council, Highlighting Unmet Global Commitments to Victims of Sexual Violence

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Facing pandemic lockdowns, spiking violence and eroded access to services and legal protections, women in war zones continue to suffer and global commitments remain largely unmet, the United Nations senior official on sexual violence in conflict told the Security Council today, calling for a “paradigm shift” in how resources are allocated in the post-COVID-19 world.

Short-Term Financing, Creation of Repo Market Crucial to Assist Poor Countries Facing Escalating Debt, Economic Contraction, Speakers Tell Financing for Development Forum

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Poor countries are facing severe setbacks on their development paths, encumbered by ballooning debts, high risks of default and limited ability to inject desperately needed liquidity into their markets, economic experts told the Forum on Financing for Development today, as they offered ideas for ensuring a more equitable global recovery from the pandemic during three interactive panels.