"ETHIOPIA"

The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said, “Looking ahead, it would be impossible to envision free, fair, and credible elections in December 2024, unless all South Sudanese parties, leaders, and stakeholders grab the bull by the horns, and agree on a critical mass of decisions by the first quarter of 2024.” UNMISS

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

1 in 3 children – or 739 million worldwide – already live in areas exposed to high or very high water scarcity, with climate change threatening to make this worse, according to a new UNICEF report. UNICEF

Within Sudan, 4.5 million people have been internally displaced since April, when the war began, while 1.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries. The overwhelming majority of the refugees are women and children. UNHCR

Families fleeing Sudan are arriving in remote parts of northern South Sudan where humanitarian agencies are struggling to provide emergency aid. UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, “The world is increasingly divided, fragmented and inward looking,” adding that “forty-four new emergencies in 31 countries, capping off an awful record of number of crises in one year.” UNHCR

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, visited Yambio and Tambura to get an in-depth sense of the security situation in Western Equatoria, given recent reports of rising tensions. UNMISS

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “As the northern hemisphere winter approaches, we continue to see concerning trends for COVID-19. Among the relatively few countries that report them, both hospitalizations and ICU admissions have increased in the past 28 days, particularly in the Americas and Europe.” WHO

The Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister, Mekonnen Hassen, called on all member states to recommit to the Charter of the United Nations and added, “Maintaining the status quo will not advance our shared interest of ensuring peace and prosperity. UNIFEED