This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.  

13 million facing severe hunger as drought grips Horn of Africa 

Around 13 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, will face severe hunger in the first three months of year, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday. 

Three consecutive failed rainy seasons have decimated crops and led to major livestock deaths, and forecasts say rainfall is likely to remain below average. 

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the needs are massive and urgent, and they are quickly outpacing the funds available.  

The UN agency projects that up to 20 million people in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will need water and food assistance in the next six months, and many of them are children.  

Right now, nearly 5.5 million children are threatened by acute malnutrition. 

In an anxious world, time to redefine progress: new UN report 

People’s sense of safety and wellbeing is at a low in almost every country, with six in seven worldwide plagued by feelings of insecurity.  

That is according to new data from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), showing that even citizens living in countries that enjoy some of the highest levels of good health, wealth, and education outcomes, are reporting greater anxiety than a decade ago.  

The report calls for more solidarity across borders to tackle the disconnect between development and perceived security.    

Cyberbullying tops child online safety concerns 

Wednesday also marks Safer Internet Day.  

According to the International Telecommunication Union, one-third of all internet users are children under 18, and a child goes online for the first time every half second. 

Young people also spend more time online than the rest of the population. 

In 2020, they were 24 per cent more likely to connect to the Internet. An estimated 71 per cent of those aged between 15 and 24 use the Internet, compared to just 57 per cent in other age groups. 

In a survey run by the agency, cyberbullying came out as the top concern, with around 40 per cent saying it was an issue. 

Participants also raised alarm over data protection lapses, and the threat of grooming, where abusers exploit children online. 

Alexandre Soares, UN News.