This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Sahel needs, ‘sky high, but resourcing is at rock bottom’

Over 18 million people in the Sahel are likely to face extreme food insecurity in the next three months – the highest number since 2014.

That’s the stark message from UN humanitarians, who on Friday announced a $30 million injection of aid during the June to August lean season, in the four worst-affected countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger.

According to the UN aid coordination agency OCHA, 7.7 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from malnutrition; 1.8 million are severely malnourished and this number could reach two million by the end of this year, without urgent action.       

In Geneva, here’s Tomson Phiri from the UN World Food Programme:

“Needs are sky-high, and resourcing was at rock bottom, this timely injection of funding from the UN CERF is a welcome relief that will help us to start up, but of course additional resources will be required… If contributions are not received as indicated, we will have no choice but to reduce rations even further.”

Failure to open Ukraine ports, a ‘declaration of war’ on food security

The ongoing war in Ukraine has played its part in an unprecedented global food security crisis that could result in famine and mass displacement, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP)    has warned.

Addressing the Security Council in New York late on Thursday, WFP chief David Beasley said that the closure of Ukrainian ports and their massive grain silos since the Russian invasion on 24 February was a major cause of the current food insecurity crisis.

“Truly, failure to open those ports in Odessa region will be a declaration of war on global food security, and it will result in famine and destabilization and mass migration around the world.”

Also at the Security Council debate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted 60 per cent of the world’s undernourished people live in areas where there is conflict.

Last year, most of the 140 million people suffering acute hunger around the world lived in just 10 countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

UN warns climate change threatens access to water and sanitation

Climate change is set to increase pressure significantly on people’s access to water and sanitation unless governments do more to prepare key infrastructure now, the UN has warned.

According to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Health Organization, despite the fact that water management is a priority in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, plans to make water access possible in the face of climate pressures, “are absent” in the pan-European region.

And “in most cases” throughout the UNECE region, which covers 56 countries, there’s also a lack of coordination on drinking water, sanitation and health, intergovernmental discussions held in Geneva this week heard.

Here’s UNECE spokesperson Thomas Croll-Knight:

“Climate change is already posing serious challenges to water and sanitation systems in countries around the world. From reduced water availability and contamination of water supplies, to damage to sewerage infrastructure, these risks are set to increase significantly unless countries step up measures to increase resilience now.” 

It is estimated that more than one third of the area of the European Union will be under “high water stress” by the 2070s, by which time, the number of additional people affected, is expected to be between 16 and 44 million.

Consequences of climate change and  a lack of action on UNECE’s Protocol on Water and Health now, could result in damage to water supply and sewerage infrastructure, degradation of water quality and availability and spillage of sewage in the environment.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.