Month: February 2023
Despite challenges, Africa ‘poised for progress’ – Guterres
Mr. Guterres praised the many African Union (AU) initiatives aimed at bringing about this vision for the continent – including Agenda 2063 a blueprint for the Africa of the future, and the Decade of Women’s Financial and Economic Inclusion – and the decision to focus on the African Continental Free Trade Area at the Summit…
Read MoreAmid ‘spy balloon’ controversy, WMO highlights key role of weather balloons in climate monitoring
On the heels of recent news reports about Canada and the United States shooting down several flying objects, including an alleged Chinese ‘spy balloon’, inside their borders, WMO points out that weather balloons provide just a tiny fraction of the millions of observations gathered worldwide daily. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden made public remarks…
Read MoreGuterres in Africa: End political stalemate in Libya now, UN chief urges leaders
“What is urgently needed is the political will to break the protracted political stalemate and achieve progress on multiple fronts,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the latest meeting of the High-level Committee on Libya, taking place in Addis Ababa. Progress is sorely needed towards holding elections and advancing gains in security, national reconciliation and…
Read MoreUkraine needs ‘implementable’ peace, Security Council hears, meeting on anniversary of Minsk accord
“Peace is not just about signing an agreement,” said Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, who briefed members during a meeting requested by the Russian Federation – as the one-year mark nears, since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Jenča stressed that turning words on paper into action…
Read MoreQuake latest: Aid convoys will keep crossing into Syria ‘for as long as needs are there’
Since 9 February, 143 trucks have passed through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “The movements continue today, they continue over the weekend and will continue every day for as long as the needs are there,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists in…
Read MoreUN launches $1 billion appeal to scale-up aid operations in Türkiye
The funding, which covers a three-month-period, will allow aid organizations to swiftly ramp up their operations to support Government-led response efforts in areas that include food security, protection, education, water and shelter. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to step up and fully fund the response effort. “Türkiye is home to the…
Read MoreWorld Bank chief Malpass announces early departure
David Malpass, a former senior United States’ Treasury official nominated by then President Donald Trump, served as chief of World Bank Group (WBG) since 2019. In a post on the social media platform LinkedIn, he said he intends to step down by June, one year before the end of his four-year appointment. “I’m proud of…
Read MoreUN experts warn of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if Rohingya refugee rations are cut
The Human Rights Council-appointed experts called for donors worldwide to give generously to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Rohingya Refugee Response fund. “The planned rations reductions are the devastating consequence of the international community’s failure to provide funding for initiatives that address the fundamental needs of Rohingya refugees”, the two Special Rapporteurs said in a statement. “Rations…
Read More78 million children don’t go to school at all, warns UN chief in call for action
Lending his support to a call for more funding for education in emergencies spearheaded by the UN global fund Education Cannot Wait (ECW) the UN chief insisted in a video message that no-one should be denied their chance to learn. A full 222 million children today experience blighted education today, Mr. Guterres noted. To help them, 18…
Read MoreOutbreaks underline critical need to ramp up health systems: Tedros
The call comes against a backdrop of Marburg and mpox outbreaks, the more than 10,000 COVID-19 deaths still being reported weekly, and the ongoing emergency response to the deadly earthquake in Syria and Türkiye, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Together, these current conditions point to the critical need for all countries to build health…
Read More