This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Afghanistan ‘hanging by a thread’, Guterres tells Security Council

Six months after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country is “hanging by a thread”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.

He said that Afghans faced a brutal winter with families huddled in makeshift tents under plastic sheets and described overcrowded clinics; skyrocketing fuel prices pushing hospital generators to the brink; and education services teetering on collapse.

And as the worst drought in two decades is pushing nine million closer to famine, the economy is spiralling downward, and human rights are losing ground, particularly for women and girls.

When it comes to complex humanitarian emergencies, the UN chief said that “Afghanistan is as bad as it gets”.

He also stressed the need to jump-start the country’s economy “through increased liquidity” and called on the Taliban to recognize and protect fundamental human rights.

“As a matter of moral responsibility – and regional and global security and prosperity – we cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan. 

“They need peace. They need hope. They need help. And they need it now”.  

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, UN-appointed independent human rights experts said on Wednesday that combating all forms of antisemitism must remain a global priority.

In a statement, they recalled previously documented high levels of antisemitism and underscored the need for State and non-State actors to uphold their human rights obligations and responsibilities in fighting the scourge. 

They said it was particularly concerning that Jews have been subjected to violence, discrimination and harassment by people targeting them as proxies for Israel, simply because of their Jewish identity.

Statements that go beyond criticizing Israeli policies or actions, to assertions that Zionism is a racist ideology, are not only false but also fuel resentment against Jews worldwide, said the UN experts.

Tonga: Access to safe water still major concern

Almost two weeks after the volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, the Government is continuing to provide relief for the hardest-hit islands.

According to the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, the country’s entire population has been impacted by fallen ash, and about 84,000 people, or 84 per cent of the population, have been directly affected.

Disrupted communication lines, which were initially hard to reach, are being visited by assessment teams and gradually re-established.

And while some 3,000 people had to seek shelter on higher ground in the immediate aftermath, the vast majority have now returned home.

Access to safe water is the chief humanitarian concern, as many reservoirs have been contaminated and need to be cleaned.

Tonga remains COVID-free and the Government operates strict protocols, requesting that all international support be delivered in a contactless manner.

Excluding water, relief supplies are being held in quarantine for a period of  72-hours.

Liz Scaffidi, UN News.