Syria

The first-ever International Jaguar Day, 29 November, aims to boost conservation efforts to guarantee the survival of the largest feline in the Americas.  Half of the original range of the species has been lost and its population is declining due to poaching, conflict with humans and disintegration of their habitat.

The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that the first ever multi-drug trial for the treatment of Ebola has begun.  World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it an important step to finding a treatment that will save lives.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, telling students at Tsinghua University in China that the Paris Agreement on climate change was a great start for countries to commit to lowering emissions, said she was counting on young people to hold leaders accountable to ensure a secure future for themselves and future generations.

Reiterating the importance of convening a constitutional committee as a first step towards a political solution to the crisis in Syria, the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy for that country told the Security Council today that the United Nations is open to any suggestions on the list of disputed attendees that allows inclusive participation by civil society.

The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report reveals that in 2017, there were about 219 million cases, compared with 217 million in 2016.  About 70 per cent of all cases occurred in 10 African countries and India.  To boost prevention and treatment, WHO and partners launched a new country-led response.

In Nigeria, the United Nations and business leaders are launching a joint humanitarian initiative.  Several private Nigerian companies will join the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund and contribute money and expertise to expand the aid response in the country’s north-east, where a major crisis has affected millions of families.

The United Nations refugee agency today called upon countries to take faster and more resolute action to help end statelessness.  High Commissioner Filippo Grandi urged politicians, Governments and legislators around the world to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024.

The World Health Organization reports that new measures to overcome challenges in the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are having a positive impact through the use of targeted, multidisciplinary teams to accelerate community engagement in North Kivu province.

The High Commissioner for Refugees is extremely concerned about the impacts of intensified conflict in Yemen’s Hodeidah Governorate on civilians and aid operations. In October alone, 94 civilians were killed and 95 injured.  The World Food Programme is dramatically scaling up to meet growing need throughout the country.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration announced today that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela around the world has reached 3 million.  A little more than a million are in Colombia and Peru is hosting half a million.