Humanitarian officials in Myanmar said today they will continue to call on security forces to ensure the protection of civilians, as the number of people killed in political violence tops 1,000. They strongly condemn the widespread use of lethal force, arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearances.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
One billion children are at extremely high risk of suffering the effects of the climate crisis, according to a new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Environmental shocks may be particularly severe in the Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria, jeopardizing access to education and basic services.
Today marks three years since the death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. As the current Secretary-General said, Kofi was one-of-a-kind, a man who embodied United Nations values. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that, on this day three years ago, the world lost one of its moral voices.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said today it urgently needs $27 million to continue providing emergency shelter for internally displaced people in Tigray. With more than 2.1 million people internally displaced, some have fled Ethiopia and sought refuge in neighbouring Sudan, the agency reported.
United Nations personnel in Lebanon are responding to a fuel tank explosion in the northern district of Akkar, which killed 28 people and injured over 80 others on 15 August. The incident comes as the country grapples with a deepening crisis and electricity shortages have forced hospitals to operate at reduced capacity.
Heavy rains and flooding have claimed dozens of lives in Chad and Niger, impacting over 100,000 people in recent weeks. The United Nations is supporting Governments in providing health care, food, shelter, water, hygiene and sanitation, and warns that the Sahel region’s weather variability has been worsened by climate change.
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that it has facilitated discussions between the Hema and Bira communities in Irumu territory in Ituri. As a result, the rival groups signed a protocol of non-aggression and cessation of violence.
Health authorities in Guinea, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), have confirmed the country’s first case of Marburg virus. The United Nations team on the ground is bolstering urgent infection prevention and control measures, such as contact tracing, while strengthening treatment capacity and risk communication.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regained access to two refugee camps previously cut off by clashes in Ethiopia’s Tigray Province. It is calling for urgent support amid rising displacement, as well as safe passage to transfer refugees to a safer site, 135 kilometres away.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that, despite numerous challenges, it has delivered food to more than a million people in the north-western and parts of southern Tigray in June and July. More than 175 trucks arrived in Tigray during the first week of August, and an additional 90 are expected in the coming days.