"WATER"

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution and human rights violations in 2020 rose to nearly 82.4 million people, according to UNHCR’s latest annual Global Trends report released on Friday.. This is a further four per cent increase on top of the already record-high 79.5 million at the end of 2019. UNHCR

Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic, the UN’s top official for disaster reduction said on Thursday, in a call for concerted action and new transboundary alliances to tackle the growing global threat. UNTV CH

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths today (15 Jun) told the Security Council that Yemeni men, women and children “are suffering every day because people with power have missed the opportunities presented to them, to make the necessary concessions to end the war.” UNIFEED

Briefing by Amy Quantrill, Deputy Spokesperson for the President of the 75th Session of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly holds a high-level dialogue to assess the progress made in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought, and map the way forward in view of the end of the UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are in need of urgent assistance. Majority are seeking shelter in towns and villages where living conditions are dire particularly for the most vulnerable: women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. UNHCR

As Lebanon is facing one of its worst financial and economic crises in its modern history grappling with an economic and financial meltdown, the UN estimates that over the next eight months some USD 300 million are required to cover the crucial needs of 1,5 million Lebanese and 400,000 migrant workers affected by the ongoing crisis. UNTV CH

UNICEF, WFP and WHO are extremely concerned about the situation in Tigray region where the risk of famine is imminent, unless food, livelihood assistance and other life-saving intervention continue to be scaled, unimpeded access is guaranteed, and hostilities cease. UNTV CH

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet has issued a strong warning of “imminent further bloodshed and suffering in Myanmar,” her spokesperson said. UNTV CH

In her last briefing to the Security Council, ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the developments in Sudan “amply demonstrate that the arm of justice is long and patient,” adding that justice and the voice of the people “ultimately prevailed.” UNIFEED