Observances (fr)

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today that more than 11,600 children crossed the Central Mediterranean Sea to Italy without a parent or legal guardian. That’s between January and mid-September 2023. This is an increase of 60 per cent compared to the same period last year.

On the situation in the Caucasus, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it’s deeply concerned about the rapidly increasing number of refugees fleeing into Armenia, with long queues reported at the border.

The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide expressed concern over the ongoing situation in the South Caucasus, in which it is reported that tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have left the area for Armenia in the span of just a few days. All efforts must be made to ensure their protection and human rights.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Habitat Day, observed on 2 October:

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Older Persons, observed on 1 October:

Cuts in donor funding have forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to reduce its life-saving assistance for the entire Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar, where each person receives just $8 per month. WFP needs another $175 million to provide the Rohingya with full rations through December 2024.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, in New York today:

At a 21 September high-level meeting, co-hosted by Jordan and Sweden in support of Palestine Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as Member States, reaffirmed their strong political support for the Agency.

In Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that intense clashes in Khartoum over the weekend resulted in civilian casualties. Furthermore, the UN’s humanitarian partners report that renewed clashes in South Darfur have displaced many people in the city of Nyala.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today released a report showing that halfway into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a lot of the progress made towards its food- and agriculture-related targets has stagnated or reversed.