In progress at UNHQ

Noon Briefings


Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children Najat Maalla M’jid presented her annual report to the Human Rights Council today, which highlights an alarming rise in child trafficking. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), children now represent 38 per cent of detected victims.

In South Sudan, the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) there is intensifying efforts alongside international peace partners to de-escalate the tensions following clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and armed youth in Upper Nile, as well as conflict between organized forces in Western Equatoria state.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its monthly Food Price Index today, and the benchmark for global food commodity prices rose in February, propelled by price increases for sugar, dairy and vegetable oil. Another FAO report states that 45 countries currently require external assistance for food.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today warned that millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war. According to UNICEF, armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including infants as young as one, amid the nationwide conflict.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN, its humanitarian partners and the Congolese Government today launched in Kinshasa, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan seeking $2.5 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection for more than 11 million people, including 7.8 million internally displaced.