Syria

The Government of Zambia, the United Nations and partners launched a response plan after the poorest rainfall in decades is expected to leave 2.4 million severely food insecure.  Meanwhile, humanitarian partners in Somalia and South Sudan are scaling up responses to severe seasonal flooding that affected 1 million.

The recent escalation of hostilities in north‑east Syria — following a Turkish military operation launched on 9 October — has exacerbated the safety and well‑being of the area’s 3 million residents, a top United Nations humanitarian official warned the Security Council today, adding that nearly 180,000 people have fled that border region in just two weeks.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and “Education Cannot Wait”, the first global, multilateral fund for education in emergencies started a strategic partnership to ensure children and youth in emergencies have access to education opportunities.

Lack of funding threatens humanitarian programmes for millions of children in areas affected by conflict and disaster, UNICEF reports.  Executive Director Henrietta Fore said that while the agency needs additional donor support to meet children’s most basic needs in Pakistan, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Venezuela.

Close to 2,000 irregular migrants who made the journey from Africa to Europe — over 90 per cent — would do it again, according to a new United Nations Development Programme survey.  The report finds that getting a job was not their only motivation to move and that not all were “poor” or had little education.

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Ecuador says a small team will visit the country Ecuador from 20 October to 8 November to look into allegations of human rights violations and abuses committed in the context of the recent protests.  The mission will be conducted at the invitation of the Government.

Figures released today by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan show record-high levels of civilian casualties in the country during the third quarter of 2019, including 2,563 killed and 5,676 injured, a 42 per cent increase from the same period in 2018.

In north‑east Syria, despite very difficult challenges, the United Nations and humanitarian partners continue to deliver aid and provide basic services to 1.8 million people in need where access allows.  This includes emergency food rations for 83,000 newly displaced people, hygiene kits and drinking water.

Armed attacks and insecurity continue to affect parts of northern, eastern and central Burkina Faso, driving forced displacement and increasing the number of people in need of protection and assistance.  Some 486,000 people have been displaced, up from 80,000 in January.

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