UN – KMAUPDATES

Sep32020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Sudan: UN agencies support flood response in Sudan but warn aid stocks ‘rapidly’ depleting

HEALTH

NEW YORK, United States of America -- The UN and its partners are supporting the Sudanese Government as it responds to recent severe flooding, which has killed 90 people and affected 380,000 others, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Tuesday. The flooding was triggered by heavy seasonal rains, mainly in neighbouring Ethiopia, which caused the Nile River to rise to nearly 17.5 metres (roughly 57 feet) this past weekend: the highest level in 100 years, according to the authorities. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said the government has declared a state of emergency in Khartoum state alone, where more than 21,000 people have been affected by flooding since the end of July. Homes destroyed, water contaminated Across Sudan, some 37,000 homes were destroyed in the...

Jul182020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UN issues $10.3 billion coronavirus appeal and warns of the price of inaction

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 18, 2020/ -- The UN’s Humanitarian Chief, Mark Lowcock, has called on G20 nations to act now or face a series of human tragedies more brutal and destructive than the direct health impacts of the virus as he released an updated US$10.3 billion appeal to fight the coronavirus in low-income and fragile countries. Without mitigating action, the pandemic and associated global recession are set to trigger the first increase in global poverty since 1990 and push 265 million people to the point of starvation by the end of the year. Recent estimates suggest up to 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes as a result of direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19. Meanwhile, diverted health resources could mean the annual death toll from HIV, tuberculosis a...

Jul182020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus: World off track in meeting 2030 Agenda, UN deputy chief warns, calls for solidarity in COVID-19 recovery

INTERNATIONAL

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 18, 2020/ -- The world was off track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, even before the COVID-19 crisis erupted, but can get back on course by increasing investment in public services, showing solidarity on financing, and “reshaping” how people work, learn, live and consume. “We can turn this around, if we stay true to the 2030 Agenda”, said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, as she closed the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) - an annual stock-take of the world’s progress in reaching the SDGs, but “the road ahead is now even steeper”, she added. After eight days of discussions, she said the message is clear on the need for solidarity and foresight on financing, and greater investments in social pro...

Jul172020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, ImpactHER and UN Women Policy Brief exposes disadvantages to women entrepreneurs in post COVID-19 era, offers solutions

AFRICA

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 17, 2020/ -- Women-led businesses are more vulnerable to closure than those led by men in the era of the novel coronavirus, due to women’s limited access to finance, shifts in consumer behavior, and the increase in women’s household care responsibilities as a result of extended lockdowns. All across the continent, the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking economic havoc and hitting women the hardest, with women-led Small and Medium-sized Enterprises(SMEs) at greater risk of closure as they tend to be smaller and on average, operate in lower profit margin, service-based industries. These and other important findings of a new policy brief highlighting policy solutions to support women-led businesses in Africa in a post COVID-19 world, were released during a webin...

Jul152020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – South Sudan: United Nations in Torit launches COVID-19 campaign to protect community policing members

Uncategorized

JUBA, South Sudan, July 15, 2020/ -- Fear of contracting COVID-19, combined with a lack of protective gear, has put an end to patrols conducted by Police Community Relations Committees in Eastern Equatoria State. The resulting void has been filled by robbers, but now a UN-led campaign aims to revive patrolling practices to keep citizens safe. “The grass has grown tall, and a lack of day and night community policing patrols has encouraged criminals to take advantage of the situation,” says Theresa Nahidich, sub chief of the Odikolong residential area in Torit town. In Eastern Equatoria, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, have assisted in forming bodies known as Police Community Relations Committees, whose main task is to act ...

Jul152020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: As more go hungry and malnutrition persists, achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 in doubt, UN report warns

Uncategorized

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 15, 2020/ -- Securing healthy diets for the billions who cannot afford them would save trillions in costs More people are going hungry, an annual study by the United Nations has found. Tens of millions have joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished over the past five years, and countries around the world continue to struggle with multiple forms of malnutrition. The latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published today, estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 – up by 10 million from 2018, and by nearly 60 million in five years. High costs and low affordability also mean billions cannot eat healthily or nutritiously. The hungry are most numerous in Asia, but expanding fastest in Africa. Across t...

Jul152020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – South Sudan: UNMISS donates COVID-19 personal protection equipment to South Sudanese police

Uncategorized

JUBA, South Sudan, July 15, 2020/ -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, represented by its Police Commissioner Unaisi Vuniwaqa, has handed over an assortment of COVID-19 personal protection equipment to the South Sudan National Police Service at its headquarters in the capital Juba. “We will make sure that these items will be put to the best possible use, not only in Juba but at key police stations across the country as well,” Deputy Inspector General of Police, Lieutenant General James Pui Yak said, while also thanking the peacekeeping mission for its continuous support. The COVID-19 equipment making up the donation includes face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, buckets, detergent and thermometers. “In our endeavour to provide technical assistance to our South Sudanese co...

Jul152020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Sudan: UNAMID COVID-19 Media Update

Uncategorized

ZALINGEI, Sudan, July 15, 2020/ -- As of 8 July 2020, UNAMID recorded 20 cases of COVID-19 among its personnel. Out of the 20 cases, 15 have fully recovered from the disease and with one death. So far, 44 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been conducted on Mission personnel in Darfur as of 12 July, based on staff showing mild or moderate symptoms or having potentially been in contact with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case. UNAMID support to the Government on COVID-19 UNAMID continues to provide support to the Government of Sudan to enhance its response to COVID-19. In this regard, and in line with UN Secretary General’s message of 5 April 2020 on gender-based violence and the women, peace and security framework, UNAMID in collaboration with the ministries of health an...

Jul122020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Body of Uganda’s Permanent representative to the UN finally flown back to the country

AFRICA

Kampala, Uganda --- The body of Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr has been flown back, a month after he died in Geneva, Switzerland. Aparr who was Uganda’s Head of Mission and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations died on June 10. Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aparr’s body arrived in the country on Saturday morning and burial arrangements will be announced in the subsequent days. The ministry said his body was received by ministry senior officials and family members. It is still not clear what killed Ambassador Aparr, a career diplomat that represented the country at different forums for many years. His profile on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website indicates t...

Jul122020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Pompeo slams UN report on deadly US drone strike on Iranian

INTERNATIONAL

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized an independent U.N. human rights expert's report insisting a American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in January was a “watershed” event in the use of drones and amounted to a violation of international law. The report presented by Agnes Callamard to the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council on Thursday chronicled events around the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the legal implications of his killing as part of a broader look on the use of drone strikes. Callamard, the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions who has been commissioned by the council, called the January strike in Iraq “the first known incident in which a state invokes self-defense as justification for an atta...

Jul102020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Government of Sweden boosts UNICEF lifesaving healthcare services during COVID-19 response

AFRICA

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 10, 2020 --The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received US$4.4 million (app. UGX 16 billion) from the Government of Sweden to support Uganda’s COVID-19 humanitarian response and efforts towards the continued delivery of essential health services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, newborns, young children, and adolescents. The new funding will target beneficiaries in the districts of Iganga, Isingiro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kasese, Mbale, Wakiso, Pakwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Madi-Okollo, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, and Adjumani from July 2020 to June 2021. UNICEF and partners continue to support the Government of Uganda in controlling, containing, and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. UNICEF is particularly focused on strengthening acce...

Jul102020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNHCR and WFP warn refugees in Africa face hunger and malnutrition as COVID-19 worsens food shortages

AFRICA

ROME, Italy, July 10, 2020 --UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that severe underfunding, conflict and disasters – as well as supply chain challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID19 - threaten to leave millions of refugees across Africa without food. “Millions of refugees throughout Africa are currently reliant on regular aid to meet their food needs,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Around half are children, who may develop life-long difficulties if deprived of food at vital stages in their development.” Unless urgent action is taken to address the situation, levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia are expected to rise. In refugee camps in Ethiopia, 62% of children are experiencing cr...

Jul92020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – South Sudan: UNHCR calls on South Sudan leaders to reinvigorate peace efforts on 9th anniversary of independence

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 9, 2020/ -- Nine years since South Sudan gained independence and became the world’s youngest nation, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is calling on the country’s leaders to reinvigorate efforts to establish lasting peace and bring an end to Africa’s largest displacement crisis. “It’s crucial that South Sudan continues on the road to lasting peace,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “After years of conflict, the South Sudanese people deserve the chance to return to their homes, to live in safety in their communities and to focus on building a bright and prosperous future.” Notable steps forward have been made and deserve recognition, including the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict signed in 2018, and the formation of a...

Jul92020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus: Increased trafficking in falsified medical products due to COVID-19: says United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) research

HEALTH

VIENNA, Austria, July 9, 2020/ -- The sudden increase in demand for medical products to address the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an expansion in the trafficking of substandard and falsified products, according to research published today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The virus has further highlighted the shortcomings in regulatory and legal frameworks aimed at preventing the manufacture and trafficking of such products, the “COVID-19-related Trafficking of Medical Products as a Threat to Public Health” research brief points out. “Health and lives are at risk with criminals exploiting the COVID-19 crisis to cash in on public anxiety and increased demand for PPE and medications,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. “Transnational organized crime groups...

Jul92020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: Speech by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Libya at the UN Security Council (Video conference)

AFRICA

BERLIN, Germany, July 9, 2020/ -- By Heiko Maas Mr Secretary-General,Colleagues,Excellencies,Ladies and gentlemen, Six months have passed since the Berlin Conference on Libya. In those six months, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. While doctors and patients on all continents were fighting to save human lives, hospitals in Libya were being bombed. While the whole world closed its borders and went into lockdown, ships, planes and trucks with weapons and mercenaries kept arriving in Libyan cities. Ladies and gentlemen, It is time to stop this cynical absurdity! This is why we decided to invite all of you and all of the participants of the Berlin process here today to discuss and agree on the next steps: First: Foreign interference remains the main driver of the confli...

Jul52020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, UN High-Level Forum aims to chart pathways toward a sustainable recovery

Uncategorized

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 5, 2020 -- Facing the devastating impacts of COVID-19, which is threatening decades of progress in improving people’s lives, countries are meeting at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development from 7 to 16 July to chart the best paths forward to a healthier, more equitable world. The virtual ten-day Forum convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) takes place as the global death toll from COVID-19 has passed 500,000, and more than ten million cases have been confirmed. Economies have collapsed, unemployment is skyrocketing, and health care systems are buckling under the increased strain of the virus. Bringing together over 1000 participants, including around 100 members of govern...

Jul42020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: On the one year anniversary of the bloody attack on the Tajoura Detention Centre, the UN renews its call for the closure of migration Detention Centres and accountability

AFRICA

Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, with detained migrants and asylum seekers who are vulnerable and exposedTRIPOLI, Libya, July 3, 2020/ -- Today marks one year since the airstrike on the Tajoura Detention Centre which resulted in the killing of at least 52 migrants and the injury of 87 others in one of the deadliest incidents since the launch of the attack on Tripoli in April 2019.The attack on Tajoura, where migrants and refugees were trapped, and where some had been detained for up to two years without charge, underlines the urgent need to close down all migration Detention Centres in Libya and release migrants and asylum seekers, along with the provision of protection and assistance. This is particularly urgent as Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pan...

Jul42020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: United Nations in West and Central Africa concerned over increased vulnerabilities of migrants amid COVID-19

HEALTH

Over 30,000 migrants are currently stranded at borders and more than 2,000 are waiting to be assisted in overcrowded transit centers where they are at heightened risk of COVID-19 infectionDAKAR, Senegal, July 3, 2020/ -- The Regional United Nations Network on Migration together with the Regional UN-SDG COVID-19 Executive Committee in West and Central Africa are concerned with the wellbeing of millions of migrants across the region amid the COVID-19 crisis. While they face the same health threats from COVID-19 as any other human being, migrants may be exposed to a higher level of vulnerability linked to discrimination and exclusion in their living and working conditions or in their access to basic services including healthcare. Under these difficult circumstances, migrants may be at risk o...

Jul42020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Libya: On the one year anniversary of the bloody attack on the Tajoura Detention Centre, the UN renews its call for the closure of migration Detention Centres and accountability

AFRICA

TRIPOLI, Libya, July 4, 2020 -- Yesterday marked one year since the airstrike on the Tajoura Detention Centre which resulted in the killing of at least 52 migrants and the injury of 87 others in one of the deadliest incidents since the launch of the attack on Tripoli in April 2019. The attack on Tajoura, where migrants and refugees were trapped, and where some had been detained for up to two years without charge, underlines the urgent need to close down all migration Detention Centres in Libya and release migrants and asylum seekers, along with the provision of protection and assistance. This is particularly urgent as Libya grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, with detained migrants and asylum seekers who are vulnerable and exposed, given the poor sanitation, health an...

Jul42020 by KMA UpdatesNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Amidst COVID-19 pandemic, UN High-Level Forum aims to chart pathways toward a sustainable recovery

Uncategorized

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 4, 2020 -- Facing the devastating impacts of COVID-19, which is threatening decades of progress in improving people’s lives, countries are meeting at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development from 7 to 16 July to chart the best paths forward to a healthier, more equitable world. The virtual ten-day Forum convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) takes place as the global death toll from COVID-19 has passed 500,000, and more than ten million cases have been confirmed. Economies have collapsed, unemployment is skyrocketing, and health care systems are buckling under the increased strain of the virus. Bringing together over 1000 participants, including around 100 members of govern...