Somalia

After a long journey across the seas, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg is arriving this afternoon in New York.  The United Nations will be there to welcome her with a flotilla of 17 sailboats, each branded with a sustainable goal.  Ms. Thunberg is scheduled to attend the Secretary-General’s climate summit.

Amid a fragile security landscape marred by terrorist attacks and a drought leaving more than 2 million people facing acute food insecurity in Somalia, officials told the Security Council today that the success of forthcoming elections and enhanced stability across the country hinges on genuine, dedicated cooperation and coordination among all parties.

UNICEF appealed today for more than $70 million to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to 900,000 children across Venezuela until the end of 2019.  The agency says it is stepping up efforts to help children and families facing food shortages and limited access to health care, safe water and education.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched a new website to identify laws and policies related to response efforts, featuring an interactive map with data from 140 nations and covering such areas as a country’s ability to diagnose HIV among babies and whether people are prosecuted for carrying condoms.

Two years after the 2016-2017 drought, poor rainfall between March and mid-May 2019 across the Horn of Africa is leading to increased food insecurity, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports, with nearly 13 million people severely food insecure in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The humanitarian situation in north-west and south-west Cameroon continues to deteriorate and 1.3 million people are now in need of assistance.  The humanitarian response for the country is one the most critically underfunded in the world.  Only 20 per cent of the $300 million requested has been received.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru):

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

There have been unprecedented wildfires in the Arctic since the beginning of June, according to the World Meteorological Organization.  In June alone, they emitted 50 megatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, an amount equivalent to Sweden’s annual carbon dioxide emissions.