Sudan

In Sri Lanka, the United Nations is supporting the Government in assessing and meeting the immediate needs of over 250,000 people impacted by the ongoing severe floods and landslides since 2 June.

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

The UN Department of Peace Operations has launched its annual report on women, peace and security. The report highlights the work done by UN peacekeepers on gender equality, and it says that the rapid spread and intensity of armed conflicts and protracted crises has heavily impacted women and girls worldwide.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, today expressed serious concern at the recent rise in killings of civilians across Burkina Faso, with allegations of responsibility pointing to both armed groups and State actors.

Results from the Global We the Women survey, produced by the UN Office for Partnerships and the polling company John Zogby Strategies, show that 86 per cent of women from 185 countries cite climate change and more than 50 per cent identify conflict as primary concerns for the next decade.

In conflict-ridden Sudan, over 7 million people are now displaced and 2 million more have fled to neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration reports. World Food Programme convoys with 1,200 metric tons of food, for some 116,000 people in Darfur, are near their final destination, Darfur.

In Bangladesh, prior to the anticipated landfall of a cyclone in the southern parts of the country, the World Food Programme (WFP) swiftly dispatched cash assistance to 30,000 families — about 150,000 people — most at risk, as part of WFP’s flagship programme “Anticipatory Action” for climate shocks.

In Gaza, aid partners report being able to reach Al Aqsa Hospital, in Deir Al Balah, with about 15,000 litres of fuel. Consistent fuel delivery is vital to keep oxygen generators running, without which the lives of over 20 newborn babies would be at risk. Between 7 and 23 May, just over 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza.

In South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than an estimated 7 million people in the country are likely to experience high levels of food insecurity through July.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released the third edition of its World Wildlife Crime Report, which says that wildlife trafficking has not been substantially reduced despite two decades of concerted action.