Syria

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

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees today said it is deeply saddened by reports of the deaths of at least 20 people during a stampede for food and cash in Niger’s Diffa region on Sunday.  The number of victims could rise as more information is received.

The United Nations is alarmed by reports of an artillery shell explosion that injured up to 17 children at a school in Myanmar’s Rakhine State last Thursday.  The incident is part of an escalation of hostilities between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military across much of Rakhine.

Kenya is experiencing its worst desert locust infestation in 70 years, with swarm activity and breeding also occurring in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.  Left unchecked and with additional rains, it could grow 500-fold by June, with devastating impacts.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) says it will deploy 34 electoral advisers in Bangui and 16 prefectures to help the country as it prepares for presidential and legislative elections late this year and early 2021.

The United Nations Development Programme will tomorrow launch “Mission 1.5”, a climate change engagement campaign that will connect global citizens with Governments and policymakers.  Built around an online video game on climate policy, it provides a platform for voting on solutions they wish to see happen.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it’s seeking $107 million to support life-saving humanitarian operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  There are acute food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation needs, but funding for humanitarian operations there remain historically low.

The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a global research and innovation forum in Geneva tomorrow to mobilize international action on coronavirus, the agency announced today.  WHO has sent diagnostic kits to 14 countries and identified more than 160 laboratories with the technology to diagnose coronavirus.

The mounting military escalation in north-west Syria has spiked dramatically in recent days, resulting in a level of civilian displacement and carnage long feared by the international community, the top United Nations official in the country said today during a late-breaking meeting of the Security Council.

The World Health Organization today launched a strategic preparedness and response plan to help countries prevent, detect and diagnose transmission of the coronavirus.  The agency is requesting $675 million to fund the plan for the next three months; most of money will support countries particularly at risk.