Yemen

The United Nations Children’s Fund is taking measures to ensure a safe start to the school year in Ebola-affected regions of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including training of principals and 1,750 teachers about the virus, setting up procedures for early detection, isolation and referral to health services for children who may have Ebola‑like symptoms.

The 2018 Department of Public Information/NGO Conference got under way today under the theme “We the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems”.  It will focus on the value of multilateralism in solving global problems, and on opportunities for closer partnership between the United Nations and civil society in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On 10 August 2018, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) held informal consultations to consider the midterm update of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, submitted in accordance with paragraph 6 of resolution 2402 (2018).

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that an estimated 200 to 250 civilian casualties have been reported in Afghanistan following recent fighting in Ghazni, which damaged the water system and electricity services.  In support of Government efforts, humanitarian partners are on standby to scale up activities once safe, secure access is ensured for aid workers and people in need.

The new Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is ramping up assistance to Ecuador, which declared a state of emergency in three provinces on Wednesday due to the influx of Venezuelans, some 547,000 of whom entered the country through the Colombian border.  About 30,000 Venezuelans entered at a rate exceeding 4,000 per day in the first week of August.

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

Emergency fuel stocks at a number of critical health, water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip have almost run out, creating enormous risks for the population, according to United Nations humanitarian personnel.  The immediate lack of fuel is due to Israeli restrictions on imports, which also apply to United Nations‑procured emergency fuel.

United Nations humanitarian officials say violent protests in Ethiopia’s Somali region have led to at least 29 deaths, and that houses of worship, homes and businesses have been attacked and destroyed.  The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that some 22,000 households were already provided with emergency supplies, but more than 150,000 still need assistance.

UNHCR says that more than 1,500 refugees and migrants have lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in the first seven months of 2018.  The bleak milestone was confirmed after more than 850 lives were lost in June and July alone, marking the Mediterranean crossing as the world’s deadliest sea route.