Despite efforts to introduce a ceasefire in north-west Syria, fighting continues unabated, with air strikes reportedly affecting 55 communities in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo Governorates between 21 and 23 June, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council today, amid questions about whether the system established to protect medical facilities is actually doing so.
More than 1.3 million people in north-west and south-west Cameroon need humanitarian assistance, up from 160,000 in 2018. Non-State armed groups banned education, 80 per cent of schools are closed and 74 schools were destroyed. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says half of those in need are children.
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, highlighting a “survivor-centred approach”. The Secretary-General’s message stressed that survivors are mostly women and girls, but also men and boys, calling for support to access life-saving health services, justice and reparation.
Senior United Nations officials sounded alarms in the Security Council today over increased fighting in north-west Syria among parties trying to advance their military interests, pointing to “unimaginable” consequences if critical players do not exert the political will needed to end the protracted conflict.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership, which outlines areas of cooperation to deepen engagement and accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians by anti-Government elements throughout the holy month of Ramadan, citing more than 100 civilian casualties in Kabul alone. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative said that by definition these are war crimes.
An estimated 115 million boys around the world were married off as children, with one in five wed before they turned 15, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) first in-depth analysis of child grooms. The Central African Republic had the highest prevalence, followed by Nicaragua and Madagascar.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said that more than 5 million families across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean spend over 40 per cent of their non-food household expenses on maternal health services. The costs of prenatal care and delivery services can deter women from seeking medical attention.
World Health Organization experts arrived in Pakistan following an HIV outbreak in Sindh province, where some 600 cases — more than half of them children under age five — have been identified. The outbreak was first reported on 25 April, with a major HIV screening programme having started three days later.
A recent spike in clashes in north-western Nigeria has forced some 20,000 people to flee to neighbouring Niger since April, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today. UNHCR is working closely with authorities in Niger to provide basic assistance and register these people.
