In Myanmar, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports that the number of people living in poverty has doubled due to the effects of the pandemic and the military takeover — to nearly half of the population, that’s 25 million people.

A report by the International Labour Organization, United Nations Environment Programme and International Union for Conservation of Nature notes that 20 million jobs could be created by harnessing the power of nature to address challenges such as climate change, disaster risk and food and water insecurity.

The World Health Organization released data showing that, in 2021, countries around the world held the line against further setbacks to malaria prevention, testing and treatment services, with an estimated 619,000 malaria deaths globally in 2021, compared to 625,000 in the first year of the pandemic.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the United Nations continues to support authorities to improve the well-being and livelihoods of communities in the country’s northern region. Since the end of May, Côte d’Ivoire has registered around 4,000 refugees fleeing from neighbouring Burkina Faso, including 2,200 children.

In Haiti, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has increased their cholera treatment centres from 49 to 62. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Development Programme (United Nations Development Programme), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched cholera and health activities in the Port-au-Prince area focusing on women and girls impacted by gang violence there.

The ninth United Nations inter-agency cross-line convoy of 16 trucks, carrying 482 metric tons of food and other humanitarian supplies, crossed from Aleppo into Sarmada in north-west Syria. Supplies included medicines, nutrition items, water, sanitation and hygiene items, reproductive health kits, and education materials.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is in West Java, Indonesia, following the earthquake that struck Monday, and has distributed 350 customized kits to women, adolescents and people living with HIV. Deployed midwives to West Java have also established a reproductive health centre, where three babies have been born so far.

In a report published ahead of World Children’s Day, marked on 20 November, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) noted that racism and discrimination against children based on their ethnicity, language and religion are rife in countries across the world.

Today is International Day for Tolerance. The resolution proclaiming the Day was adopted by the General Assembly in 1996, and among other things, the Day aims to foster mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.

In Mozambique, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns it will be forced to suspend life-saving assistance, particularly in Cabo Delgado province, to 1 million people — at the peak of the hunger season in February — unless it urgently receives $51 million more in funding.