Yemen is in “imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades”, the UN chief warned in a statement released on Friday, calling for urgent action on the part of the international community to “stave off catastrophe”.

Yemen is in “imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades”, the UN chief warned in a statement released on Friday, calling for urgent action on the part of the international community to “stave off catastrophe”.
The coronavirus pandemic has not only exacted a terrible toll on human lives, health and economies, it has also exacerbated existing conflicts, a UN forum heard on Thursday, with top officials urging global solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.
In a briefing to journalists on Thursday, a senior UN humanitarian official in Sudan recounted moving testimony from refugees who are crossing the border from Ethiopia in their thousands, fleeing fighting in Tigray province.
Following years of political instability and conflict, Libya is making substantial progress on the path to peace, the top UN official in the country told the Security Council on Thursday.
Refugee resettlement numbers will be at a “record low” this year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday, with only 15,425 people resettled in the first nine months of 2020, compared to more than 50,000 in 2019.
New York, 19 November 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the importance of sanitation, safe water and handwashing facilities to stop the spread of infectious diseases. Everyone should have access to hygienic, safe, sustainable sanitation. That is the only way to ensure health for all.
But around the world today, 4.2 billion people are without safe...
New York, 19 November 2020
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to this very important discussion on racism in the workplace.
I want to thank Dr. Kanem and our distinguished panel members who bring impressive expertise to this difficult issue.
...New-York, 19 November 2020
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to this very important discussion on racism in the workplace.
I want to thank Dr. Kanem and our distinguished panel members who bring impressive expertise to this difficult issue.
Racism is a persistent scourge of our world.
...
With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the Middle East following weeks of decline, the top UN official in the region has welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume coordination with Israel.
Madame President,
Members of the Security Council,
Allow me first to extend my deepest condolences for their profound loss to the family of former Palestinian Chief Negotiator and Secretary General of the PLO, Dr. Saeb Erekat, to the Palestinian Government and to the Palestinian people.
Saeb, as we all know, dedicated his life to the peaceful...
Over 1,000 people have been killed and more than 400 abducted in the past six months in intercommunal violence in South Sudan, amid fears that tensions may worsen with the onset of the dry season, the UN envoy for the country has said.
A “full-scale humanitarian crisis” is unfolding as thousands of refugees flee ongoing fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region each day to seek safety in eastern Sudan, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday.
Highlighting the importance of the UN Security Council to address peace and security challenges in an increasingly complex world, the President of the General Assembly has called on ambassadors to drive through “true reforms”, to make the body more effective.
“Hunger is an outrage in a world of plenty”, the UN chief told the governing body of the Organization’s food agency on Monday, highlighting the important role of food security in cementing peace.
It will take a variety of different actors to confront and deal with the “daunting challenges” in the Sahel region, the head of UN peacekeeping told the Security Council on Monday.
I am very concerned by the decision of the Israeli authorities yesterday to open the bidding process for the construction of Givat Hamatos.
If built, it would further consolidate a ring of settlements between Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. It would significantly damage prospects for a future contiguous Palestinian State and for achieving a negotiated two-State solution based on the 1967 lines,...
New York, 15 November 2020
Road traffic collisions are a major health and development concern. Some 3700 fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends and colleagues are lost on the world’s roads every day. Road traffic incidents are the leading cause of death for children and young adults between 5 and 29 years old, and ninety percent of victims live in low- and middle-income...
National elections in Libya will take place on 24 December 2021, Stephanie Williams, the head of the UN mission in the country, announced on Friday during a virtual press conference.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed on Friday has been strongly advocating for the greater participation of women and youth in Mali’s ongoing transition towards a durable peace, and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as she continues her solidarity visit to West Africa and the Sahel.
The UN chief has expressed “grave concern” at the possible consequences which could arise from an operation reportedly launched by the Moroccan Government on the southern border of Western Sahara, in response to a reported highway blockade by supporters of the pro-independence Frente POLISARIO.
This Week in DPPA is a brief roundup of political and peacebuilding events and developments at UNHQ and around the world.
Security CouncilGriffiths concerned by spikes of violence in Yemen Read his full remarks here
Central AsiaMeeting with experts on water and energy cooperation IraqMeeting on internally displaced persons (IDPs)
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Women, Peace and SecurityEvent on ‘’Climate and Security: An Emerging Context of a New Era for Women, Peace and Security”
Workshop on women’s participation in politics
Peacebuilding Commission meeting on Liberia
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Contact DPPA at dppa@un.org
There is increasing concern about the worsening security situation in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described on Friday as “desperate”.
Disturbing reports of an alleged massacre have surfaced in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, amid fighting between national and regional forces that may become impossible to control, the UN human rights chief warned on Friday.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan
The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) informs about issuance by both sides of a Joint Statement of Intent between the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations.
JOINT STATEMENT OF INTENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC AND THE UNITED NATIONS
The purpose of this...
Thousands of people continue to be killed and injured every year by landmines and explosive weapons in conflicts around the world, while the COVID-19 pandemic has forced mine-clearance efforts to be scaled back, a UN-backed civil society report on the issue said on Thursday.
With telephone lines still cut and transport links disrupted, it is impossible for humanitarians to get vital supplies into Ethiopia’s Tigray region or assess evolving humanitarian needs, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday that it is working with Sudanese authorities to help more than 7,000 refugees who have fled Ethiopia over the past two days, following major clashes in the Tigray region of the country.
The plight of Yemenis demands “nothing less than a firm bet on peace”, the UN Special Envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday.