With Ebola accelerating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it plans to scale up and double food assistance to people affected by the disease.
Calling for “bold political leadership” ahead of World Hepatitis Day, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday urged countries to take advantage of recent reductions in the costs of diagnosing and treating viral hepatitis and scale up investments in disease elimination.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with the heads of a number of UN agencies, expressed horror at Thursday’s reports that as many as 150 people may be dead after a boat they were traveling in capsized off the coast of Libya, making it the worst such tragedy in the Mediterranean this year.
The relentless campaign of airstrikes in Syria has been met with a “collective shrug,” the top United Nations human rights official said on Friday, denouncing the world’s apparent indifference to the mounting civilian casualties as a “failure of leadership” by the world’s most powerful countries.
Our main stories today: senior UN officials condemn attacks on Somalia capital, and call for continued international support; the International Atomic Energy Agency and UN’s Economic and Social Council welcome new leaders; and the Food and Agriculture Organization warns of possible locust swarms in Horn of Africa and Yemen
In her inaugural speech as President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Mona Juul, of Norway, underscored that the body’s mandate today remains “as relevant and compelling” as it did back in 1945 when it was tasked with “fostering international cooperation on economic, social, and cultural issues”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned Wednesday’s deadly terror attacks in Somalia, that targeted the offices of the mayor of Mogadishu, reportedly killing six Government officials and injured several others.
Although Somalia has made “considerable progress” in its political, economic, social and human rights situation over the past six years, “there is much more to do,” a United Nations expert said on Thursday, urging the international community to assist.
Progress has been made in consolidating democracy in West Africa and the Sahel, according to the United Nation’s Special Representative in the region on Wednesday, who cited successful elections and “political dialogues” as part of the advances made.
Our main stories today: the latest Global Innovation Index ranks Switzerland the world’s most innovative country, the head of the UN Mission in DRC warns of a ‘deadly environment’ for health workers, UNICEF delivers cash for 9 million vulnerable Yemeni families, acting head of UNAIDS says battle against HIV/ AIDS is “far from over”.
