This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

‘Historic expansion’ of joint UN fund to boost sustainable development

The UN Joint Sustainable Development Fund on Monday announced an historic expansion, to help ensure the world gets on track to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

Proposals for projects from Kenya, Madagascar, North Macedonia, Suriname and Zimbwabwe were chosen by the Fund from more than 100 submissions, emerging as the “strongest, most impactful, and investment-ready”.

The $54.5 million funding boost constitutes an ambitious and concerted response by the UN to the challenges of our generation, from COVID-19 to youth empowerment to climate change, said the Fund.

UN Resident Coordinators will be tasked with getting the programmes up and running, across the five nations, ushering in a new generation of collaborative action between the UN, governments, civil society, and private sector investors.  

This announcement comes less than a year after the Fund launched its first investment of $41 million in four transformative programmes in Fiji, Indonesia, Malawi, and Uruguay.

Syrians displaced by violence during ISIL prison attack return home

More than 90 per cent of the 45,000 people displaced by hostilities in and around a large prison in northeast Syria two weeks ago, have now returned to their homes, said the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA, on Monday.

The offensive near to Al-Hasakeh launched by terrorist group Da’esh, on the Al Sin’a Prison complex on 31 January, was successfully beaten back after days of siege, by US-backed Kurdish defence forces, although security and search operations continue.

As of 6 February, one displacement centre continues to host approximately 20 households and a further 2,000 people are estimated to be living in host communities.

Main obstacles to return include the damage or destruction of homes, shortage of basic services and food items, and restrictions on movement due to ongoing security operations.

Death toll still rising in Madagascar, a week on from Cyclone Batsirai

A week after Tropical Cyclone Batsirai hit the southeast coast of Madagascar, the death toll continues to rise.

At least 121 people have lost their lives, including 87 who reportedly died following landslides in the mountainous district of Ikongo, according to the country’s disaster management agency.

More than 29,000 people remain displaced across 79 different sites, and nearly 19,000 homes have been destroyed, flooded, or damaged, said a news release issued on Monday on OCHA’s Reliefweb platform.

More than 133,00 children have lost access to schooling, while more than 4,500 classrooms have been destroyed.

At least 69 health facilities have been affected, including the district hospital in the east coast town of Mananjary, which is currently not operational.

Relief efforts are being scaled up, while the Government is repairing basic infrastructure.

Local communities and authorities are on alert as a new tropical depression is forming in the Indian Ocean, heading towards Madagascar.

Matt Wells, UN News.