Political affairs

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that, in September, it started delivering emergency relief food assistance to communities in regions bordering war-torn Tigray.  According to WFP, across Ethiopia, more than 13.6 million people are estimated to be food insecure due to a number of factors.

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.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration today began preparing asylum seekers in the Matamoros camp for entry to the United States as the country ends a policy that forced some 25,000 people to wait in Mexico for their immigration hearings.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR), Jordan launched one of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccination drives for refugees on 14 January.  An Iraqi woman in the city of Irbid was the first registered refugee to be vaccinated as part of Jordan’s national campaign.

United Nations humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has allocated $1.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to the Food and Agriculture Organization for desert locust control operations in Kenya.  Swarms could threaten livelihoods and food security of 3.6 million people across the region if they are not controlled.

A group of regional United Nations entities launched a $2.5 million recovery fund to support Mauritius as it responds to the oil spill caused by a shipwreck off its coast in July, with efforts focused on the livelihoods impacted.  United Nations regional directors for eastern and southern Africa have pooled $250,000 to kick-start the fund.

The third commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is taking place in trying times for the international community, with the ongoing consequences of COVID-19 felt around the world.  With the international community focused on the response to the pandemic and many memorials and commemorations cancelled, it is critical to take the time to remember and honour the victims of terrorism.

More than 150 religious actors and prominent leaders today welcomed the momentous step taken by the representatives of the Christian, Kakai, Shia, Sunni and Yazidi communities in Iraq through the adoption of an Interfaith Statement on the Victims and Survivors of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) in March.  This was convened as part of a virtual conference hosted jointly by the Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for the crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) and Religions for Peace. 

NEW YORK, 10 July (United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism) — The Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism concluded its discussions on Friday, 10 July.