Refugees

In Syria, a United Nations cross-line convoy of 10 trucks carrying 220 metric tons of humanitarian assistance for 22,000 people crossed from Aleppo to Sarmada on 23 June. While an important complement, the cross-line operation cannot substitute cross-border aid that reaches 2.7 million Syrians each month.

According to a new report, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that families in Lebanon are barely able to meet their most basic needs despite cutting down drastically on expenses.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ flagship annual report, Global Trends in Forced Displacement, noted that by the end of 2022, the number of people displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights abuses stood at a record 108 million people, up 19.1 million people from 2021, the biggest increase ever.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Refugee Day, observed on 20 June:

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today warned that at least 573,000 children under the age of five are at risk of suffering from malnutrition in Malawi. UNICEF noted that the country is still grappling with the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, with over 650,000 people internally displaced.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today issued a fact-finding report on Mali which concluded that there are strong indications that more than 500 people were killed in March 2022 by Malian troops and foreign military personnel in the village of Moura in the Mopti region of central Mali.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) dispatched two patrols to protect civilians after receiving two reports yesterday about the presence of members of the CODECO armed group in Blukwa, near Djugu, in Ituri Province, forcing the armed group to withdraw.

Fighting in Sudan continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians, and the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that many will die due to lack of essential services and disease outbreaks. Amidst critically low medical supplies and an increasing number of refugees, United Nations agencies are providing relief.

In Zambia, the United Nations team, led by Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali, reports it is helping authorities to tackle the droughts and floods which have affected over 373,000 people. Various United Nations agencies are providing cash transfers, health services and other relief to more than 1 million households.

Following the two cyclones that hit Vanuatu in March, the United Nations resident coordinator has met with Government ministers, the Disaster Management Office and Organization staff to understand challenges, needs and ways the United Nations can further support recovery.