More than 3 million doses arrived in Venezuela on 4 January, bringing the total received through the COVAX facility to nearly 9 million, while Bolivia recently received nearly 2 million doses through COVAX. Thanks to a massive logistical effort led by the Pan-American Health Organization, nearly 90 million doses have landed in 33 countries in Latin America.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
World Braille Day, on 4 January, aims to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people. COVID-19 has revealed how critically important it is to produce essential information in accessible formats.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it is stepping up its aid delivery to help a growing number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants crossing by foot across Chile’s northern border with Bolivia. Local authorities report that 400-500 people from Venezuela have crossed into Chile daily since November.
The World Food Programme warned that it is running out of funds to continue its provision of food assistance to 13 million people in Yemen. From January, 8 million people will receive a reduced food ration, while 5 million who are at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions, will remain on a full ration.
In Myanmar, the United Nations country team there remains deeply concerned over increasing internal displacement and more people needing humanitarian assistance as a result of conflict, political instability and COVID-19 since the military takeover on 1 February.
Marking International Human Solidarity Day, the Secretary-General said that hunger is no longer about lack of food, but largely a man-made disaster, concentrated in countries affected by large-scale, protracted conflict. He urged the international community to do everything in its power to tackle both hunger and conflict.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, has appealed for $510 million to support 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people in Gaza and the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem in 2022. Forty per cent of Palestinians will require humanitarian assistance next year.
Amid the continued humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it provided food to nearly 150,000 people and cash assistance to 6,000 on 14 December. Some 100 food shops and other businesses have closed in Jalalabad city due to currency devaluation and high food and commodity prices.
Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy for Yemen, told the Security Council this morning his is deeply alarmed by the ongoing military escalating, intensified fighting and shifting frontlines in Yemen, which are endangering civilians. Aid operations in the country are helping almost 11 million people each month.
The United Nations Population Fund launched a $835 million appeal to reach 54 million women, girls and young people in 61 countries in 2022 — the agency’s largest ever humanitarian appeal — seeking integrated sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services, as well as comprehensive support for survivors of violence.