In Ethiopia, humanitarian colleagues report some 3,000 truckloads of food, health, shelter, water and other supplies have entered the conflict-affected Tigray region since mid-November following the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service is also conducting regular flights into Tigray.
South Sudan
The Secretary-General has extended the mandate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon from 1 March until 31 December to complete non-judicial residual functions and ensure its orderly closure. Mandated to conduct the trials of those accused of carrying out the 14 February 2005 attacks in Beirut, its work is coming to an end.
Uganda today marked the end of its Ebola outbreak, with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Head of the World Health Organization, stressing that Ebola can be defeated when the whole system works together, and Resident United Nations Coordinator in Uganda Susan Ngongi Namondo appealing to the public to continue embracing prevention measures.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report that the ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades.
In the Central African Republic, United Nations peacekeepers have concluded a joint mission with the Central African security forces to better protect people in the country’s west. Over a period of one month, peacekeepers conducted over 100 patrols and 30 aerial surveillance missions.
The United Nations country team in South Africa is working with authorities to respond to the recent measles outbreak, including 245 confirmed cases, almost 75 per cent of them children under the age of nine. With funding from Germany and Japan, UNICEF is procuring equipment that will benefit approximately 2,000 health facilities.
In Colombia, the United Nations team has received over $17 million for the multi-donor fund aiding the country’s “Total Peace” initiative, securing 76 per cent of the Fund’s 2023 investment needs to support transitional justice, rural development, reintegration of ex-combatants and security.
The Elsie Initiative Fund for Women in Peace Operations announced today the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali will receive a nearly $1.5 million grant to build gender-sensitive camp facilities and thus facilitate greater deployment of women police from Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
The road map for South Sudan must be implemented within stipulated timeframes, speakers told the Security Council, as the 15-member body also debated progress achieved in implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement and underscored the importance of strong and unified armed forces for the country’s institutional development.
In South Sudan, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim Peter Van der Auweraert strongly condemned today the ongoing violence in Upper Nile State, which has displaced over 9,000 people. The United Nation is working with aid partners to provide food, access to water, sanitation, hygiene and healthcare facilities.