Population

Fighting in Afghanistan’s Kunduz Province has displaced 52,000 people since 16 August following attacks by a non-State armed group and responsive strikes by national security forces.  A surge of United Nations staff is under way to boost humanitarian capacity in Kunduz and a joint assessment team was deployed.

Wildlife crime threatens both biodiversity and human health, according to a new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.  It finds that many illegally trafficked animals may spread diseases to people, and the pangolin — a possible source of COVID-19 — remains the most trafficked mammal in the world.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Population Day, observed on 11 July:

For the Syria crisis response, the international community has pledged $5.5 billion to support humanitarian, resilience and development activities in 2020, plus $2.2 billion in 2021 and beyond, demonstrating a clear commitment to continue supporting those most affected and ensuring aid agencies are able to plan ahead.

An estimated 4.1 million girls will be subjected to female genital mutilation this year and if programmes and services stay shut for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that figure will reach 6.1 million by 2030, according to the United Nations Population Fund’s “State of World Population 2020” report issued today.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ib Petersen of Denmark as Assistant Secretary-General to serve as the Deputy Executive Director for Management of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that ongoing efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions are expected to spur further investments in green energy production. These investments have been steady, standing at $600 billion per year on average.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Diene Keita of Guinea as Assistant Secretary-General to serve as the Deputy Executive Director for Programmes of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the opening of the Nairobi Summit to Advance the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, in Nairobi today:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Nairobi Summit on the Twenty-fifth anniversary of the ground-breaking International Conference on Population and Development Day 1:  Signature Session:  Accelerating Action to End Violence against Women and Girls, in Nairobi today: