Afghanistan conference draws donor pledges and calls for lasting ceasefire 

24 November 2020
Peace and Security
UN Photo/Violaine Martin

International donors pledged financial and political support for Afghanistan’s peace process at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference in Geneva on Tuesday, anticipating a sustainable ceasefire that will help the country rebuild and heal after decades of conflict. 

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© FAO/Haji Dirir

Fears of Desert Locust resurgence in Horn of Africa

Humanitarian Aid

The Desert Locust crisis which struck the greater Horn of Africa region earlier this year threatening food supplies for millions, could re-escalate as recent strong winds carried mature swarmlets from southern Somalia into eastern and northeastern Kenya, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

University of Oxford/John Cairns

‘Real hope’ surrounding COVID vaccines ‘cannot be overstated’ – WHO chief

Health

Along with other tried and tested public health measures, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Monday that “there is now real hope” that vaccines will play an essential part in helping end the COVID pandemic. 

© UNFPA Sudan/Sufian Abdul-Mout

UN ‘extremely concerned’ for safety of Tigray civilians in regional capital, as refugee numbers grow

Peace and Security

The UN on Monday said it was “extremely concerned” over the safety of civilians across Ethiopia’s Tigray region, as fighting between Government troops and those loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) reportedly continued, with the Ethiopian Prime Minister having called on opposition forces to surrender the capital Mekelle, by Wednesday.

Unsplash/Johannes Plenio

Carbon dioxide levels hit new record; COVID impact ‘a tiny blip’, WMO says  

Climate Change

Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere hit a new record of 410.5 parts per million in 2019, and are expected to keep rising this year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin on Monday.  

UN Women/Alfredo Guerrero

UN expert calls for urgent action to end ‘pandemic of femicide and violence against women’ 

Human Rights

COVID-19 is overshadowing what has become a “pandemic of femicide” and related gender-based violence against women and girls, said independent UN human rights expert Dubravka Šimonović on Monday, calling for the universal establishment of national initiatives to monitor and prevent such killings.  

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