The World Food Programme (WFP) entered into a partnership with global e‑commerce company Alibaba to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (zero hunger).  Alibaba Cloud will support the creation of a digital World Hunger Map to monitor global hunger and enhance the efficiency of WFP operations.

The senior United Nations disarmament affairs official warned today that the Security Council must remain united against the use of chemical weapons, a crime that must always be viewed as a violation of a “deeply held taboo”.

The Secretary-General welcomes the delivery of humanitarian aid that began today for 50,000 people in need stranded at the Rukban camp near the Syria-Jordan border.  The delivery by the United Nations, jointly with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, also allows the teams to conduct an emergency vaccination campaign for some 10,000 children and undertake rapid needs assessments.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Geir O. Pedersen of Norway as his Special Envoy for Syria.  The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to reiterate his deepest gratitude to Staffan de Mistura of Italy for his concerted efforts and contributions to the search for peace in Syria.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi must be investigated in an independent and impartial manner to ensure full examination of, and accountability for, human rights violations committed during what she called a “shockingly brazen crime”.

Despite recent reductions in hostilities in parts of Syria — and some acceleration of humanitarian aid delivery — the United Nations and its partners still lack comprehensive access to millions more in need of assistance, the Organization’s senior humanitarian affairs official told the Security Council in a briefing today.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it is concerned about the resurgence of insecurity in the Lac region in the west of Chad.  The situation has forced some aid agencies to suspend operations leaving tens of thousands of people without food and health services.

Nearly one month after the deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, UNICEF says that some 375,000 children still need life-saving supplies and services.  More than 2,000 were killed, and key services for children – such as schools and health centres – have been rendered inoperable.

Officials in Damascus have rejected the United Nations formulation of a list of participants to make up a constitutional committee intended to move the political process in Syria forward, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council today.

As part of this year’s United Nations Day observance the Department of Public Information has organized a photo exhibition in the New York Headquarters Visitors’ Lobby called “People on the Move”, with more than 50 stunning images portraying refugees, migrants and internally displaced people over seven decades.