Syria

The United Nations welcomed the decision by the Government of Colombia to grant nationality to Venezuelan refugee children born in the country to Venezuelan parents.  The measure will benefit more than 24,000 children born since August 2015 who were at risk of statelessness.

Aware of the Syrian Government’s announcement this morning on the resumption of military operations in the country’s northwest, the United Nations continues to call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times.

The Secretary-General takes note of the signing of a cessation-of-hostilities agreement by President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique and opposition leader Ossufo Momade of the Resistência Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO), a step towards a signing a definitive peace agreement next week.

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

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan today welcomed the reduction in civilian casualties over the 1 January-30 June period, but still views the harm done to civilians as shocking and unacceptable.  The latest United Nations update, released today, documents 3,812 civilian casualties in the first half of 2019.

The Security Council’s failure to respond to the conflict in Syria, now in its ninth year, is a clear weakening of its responsibility to protect, a human rights advocate stressed today as briefers presented details of the humanitarian impact of fighting in Idlib, including attacks on medical facilities.

The United Nations Children’s Fund announced a partnership to build a first-of-its-kind factory to convert plastic waste in Côte d’Ivoire into modular plastic bricks, which will be used to build classrooms.  Côte d’Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms; 500 will be constructed through the partnership in the next two years.

Honduras has declared a national health emergency due to the prevalence of dengue, with 29,000 cases registered as of 25 July. So far, 54 people have died, mostly children.  The United Nations is assisting authorities with medical supplies and equipment, door-to-door awareness campaigns and other support.

Today, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund released $19.5 million to assist 500,000 people in need of emergency food and other crucial support.  Toby Lanzer, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said it comes at a critical time as aid agencies are running out of funds.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is working with the Government of Bangladesh to help more than 275,000 people affected by flooding in the country’s north-west. Some 5,000 households have received cash transfers as part of an innovative project which uses weather forecasts to trigger early action.