Ukraine

United Nations officials in Iraq condemned the abhorrent killing of 22-year-old Tiba al-Ali, whose death is a regretful reminder of the violence and injustice that still exists against women and girls in the country today.

As the war in Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary — with profound spillover effects across global food and energy sectors — a critical agreement between the parties to facilitate the safe export of food and fertilizers must be protected and urgently implemented, the United Nations top humanitarian official told the Security Council today, with speakers calling the Black Sea Grain Initiative a rare “beacon of hope against a bleak backdrop”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, in its January Food Price Index, said that world food commodity prices declined for the tenth consecutive month and that low domestic prices could result in a small cutback in the Russian Federation’s wheat plantings while Ukraine’s winter wheat area plantings could reduce by about 40 per cent.

In the Central African Republic, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there began an electoral awareness campaign in Obo and in Bria to encourage strong participation in the local elections.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least 2.6 million children in Haiti are expected to need life-saving assistance in 2023. In the past two years, the number of Haitian children in need of humanitarian aid has increased by half a million.

With the United Nations Team’s support, the Chadian Government adopted its first-ever action plan to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, with authorities also pledging to strengthen women’s participation in the political transition, including a revision of the Constitution.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released its newest survey on opium cultivation. The agency estimates that poppy cultivation in Myanmar has increased by 33 per cent in the first season since the military takeover.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released a report which says that fewer victims of trafficking are being identified even as the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises are increasing vulnerabilities to exploitation.

In Lebanon, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) donated 1,000 cholera testing kits, administered over 900,000 oral cholera vaccines and provided refrigerators and solar panels to ensure continuous access to electricity in support of the Ministry of Public Health’s efforts to combat the cholera outbreak which began in October.

In the Central African Republic, the United Nations peacekeeping mission there launched a countrywide campaign on 16 January to promote efforts to protect civilians and to build confidence between the internal security forces and the population.