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The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is cooperating with Cuban authorities to support early recovery in Baracoa, Maisí, Imías and San Antonio del Sur, the areas of the island nation most-affected by Hurricane Matthew.

Amid the intensification of the military offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) in Iraq’s Mosul city and the resulting displacement of civilians, the United Nations human rights wing said today that it has received reports that Iraqi civilians are also fleeing into Syria, which itself is reeling under a five-year long conflict that has displaced millions of Syrians and left hundreds of thousands trapped in besieged cities.

A new report released today by the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) reveals that drylands, which cover some 40 per cent of the earth’s land surface, are critical in order to buffer the negative impacts of climate change, land degradation, and drought.

In connection with the theme-based actions being announced at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Marrakech (COP 22), new commitments and initiatives to use renewable energy were in the spotlight today as one of the most effective ways to implement the landmark Paris Agreement, which entered into force on 4 November 2016.

According to the latest statistics from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), pneumonia and diarrhoea kill some 1.4 million children each year, mostly in middle and low-income countries, despite the fact that these illnesses are largely preventable through straightforward and cost-effective solutions.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has condemned last night’s attack, for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility, against civilians in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, which killed four people and wounded more than 120 others.

As mass graves and further evidence of sexual exploitation, torture and killings, child recruitment and other grave human rights abuses committed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) extremists in Iraq come to light, the top United Nations human rights official has called for immediate action to ensure that the rights and the needs of victims and survivors are met – including the need for justice, truth and reconciliation.

Film star Liam Neeson has said that he was impressed by the strength and spark of the Syrian children after visiting the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan as part of his advocacy work as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador.

Despite continuing challenges, a mood of optimism has taken hold in Lebanon following the recent election of President Michel Aoun and additional political breakthroughs are expected.

Briefing the Security Council today, police chiefs from United Nations missions highlighted the work of their respective units and informed the Council members of the challenges their officers face the ground.