"UKRAINE"

Updating reporters today on the situation in Ukraine, a UN spokesperson said that fighting and hostilities over the weekend killed and injured civilians, while critical facilities, including several hospitals, were damaged on both sides of the frontline. UNIFEED

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General said today that COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, even though, as the world enters the fourth year of the pandemic, “there is no doubt we are in a far better situation now than we were a year ago, when the Omicron wave was at its peak.” WHO

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded a six-day visit to war torn Ukraine, his third visit since the Russian invasion, with a call for donors to stay the course and support the people who are suffering acutely. UNHCR

The IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva visited Rwanda this week, and met with President Kagame and his senior officials to discuss the country’s economic outlook. IMF

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the Security Council, “The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War. Two billion people, one quarter of humanity, live in places affected by conflict”. UNIFEED

According to a new UN report, world output growth is projected to decelerate from an estimated 3 percent in 2022 to 1.9 percent in 2023, marking one of the lowest growth rates in recent decades. UNIFEED

The ongoing war in Ukraine has disrupted education for more than five million children, UNICEF warned, calling for increased international support to ensure children do not fall further behind. The impact of 11 months of conflict only compounds the two years of lost learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 8 years of war for children in eastern Ukraine. UNICEF

Asked about the Russian Foreign Ministry's comments regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN spokesperson said, “we have been extremely transparent on the work we are doing and the other efforts.” UNIFEED

WHO is launching its 2023 health emergency appeal today for US$ 2.54 billion to provide assistance to millions of people around the world facing health emergencies. The number of people in need of humanitarian relief has increased by almost a quarter compared to 2022, to a record 339 million. WHO

Five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, a new status report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has found, increasing their risk of heart disease and death. WHO