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UNICEF/Asad Zaidi

News in Brief 15 July 2022

  • Iran: UN expert welcomes life verdict for former prison official involved in mass executions
  • Vaccine backsliding left 25 million kids at risk in 2021
  • Tunisia: Presidential decrees ‘sap’ judicial independence, says UN rights expert
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FAO/Sonia Nguyen

Funding boost for Sahel’s drought-stricken farmers and herders

A near $10 million aid boost has been given to the Sahel’s drought-stricken farmers and herders, thanks to Sweden, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced.

More than 4 million people in the region face increasing hardship following dry spells last year that hit crop production and livestock, according to FAO.

The agency warns that families’ food stores are “emptying fast” while herders are “in desperate search” of fodder for their animals.

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3'33"
UNICEF/Brent Stirton

Suffering of Yemen’s children “invisible" to the world: UNICEF

The suffering of millions of children across Yemen has become “invisible to the rest of the world” according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in the war-ravaged country.

Merixtell Relaño said the impact of the fighting between coalition-backed government forces and so-called Houthi rebels, on children and families, has been “catastrophic”.

The conflict has fuelled what UN agencies are calling the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with 6.8 million on the brink of famine.

WFP

“Immediate and flexible resources” needed for Yemen: WFP

“Immediate and flexible resources” are need to help nearly 19 million people in Yemen, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

WFP Country Director, Stephen Anderson, was speaking ahead of High-Level pledging conference on 25 April, which hopes to provide emergency resources to alleviate Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

The event is being organized by the UN together with the governments of Sweden and Switzerland in Geneva.

Dag Hammarskjöld led life of ‘duty and humanism’ says biographer

“If there is a conflict, leave it to Dag” became a popular phrase in the 1950s when the late Dag Hammarskjöld was Secretary-General of the UN.

Swedish historian and biographer Henrik Berggren, made the observation at UN Headquarters while discussing his recently published book on “the man and the diplomat”.

During his years as UN chief from 1953 to 1961, Mr Hammarskjöld or “Dag” guided the Organization through the world’s most complex emergencies.

FAO/Giulio Napolitano

Increased competition for water resources may lead to conflict

An increase in competition for global water resources may lead to more conflict, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.

Agriculture accounts for around 70 per cent of overall water usage around the world and the UN food agency says it must be better managed to ensure more equitable access.

Experts from around the world will convene in Stockholm, Sweden, from Sunday for the 2016 World Water Week.

World Bank/Maria Fleischmann

Countries encouraged to see link between diet and sustainability

Although more people than ever before now understand that healthy eating is beneficial, few governments have made the connection between good nutrition and environmental sustainability.

The finding comes in Plates, Pyramids, Planet, a report launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Food Climate Research Network at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.