Unifeed

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has designated European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet as Goodwill Ambassador on the International Day of Human Space Flight. FAO

The IMF announced a 4 percent pick up in the Middle East and North Africa region’s real GDP forecast and a 3.7 percent rise in the Caucasus and Central Asia’s in 2021 on Sunday in Washington, DC. However, despite the optimistic forecast, the outlook remains uncertain. IMF

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to support the COVAX facility adding that bilateral arrangements to deliver COVID-19 vaccines “run the risk of fanning the flames of vaccine inequity” and stressed that “this is a time for partnership, not patronage.” WHO

It is still not clear if Jordan’s Prince Hamzah is under de facto house arrest or not, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday. UNTV CH

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday that a critical shortage of vaccines has left some countries unable to start their COVID-19 inoculation campaigns. UNTV CH

The latest bout of violence erupted on 3 April in Al Geneina town when unknown assailants shot at a group of men from the Masalit tribe, killing two and injuring one. In response, armed elements from Masalit and Arab tribes mobilized, leading to clashes between them. UNTV CH

The global economy may be recovering, but there are significant challenges and it is not time to ease up on support, several key policy-makers said at the Spring Meetings of the IMF in Washington, DC today. IMF

“All vulnerable countries exposed in the pandemic and its economic fallout deserve particular attention,” announced IMFC Chair Minister Magdalena Andersson in her first IMFC press conference as the new Chair with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday. IMF

Announcing the United States has officially joined the UN Group of Friends on Climate and Security, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “this is a critical issue for the United Nations, especially because the threat isn’t just to all of our climates, it’s also a collective security issue for all of us.” UNIFEED

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen has “doubled in just one month signalling an alarming and dangerous surge in the virus.” UNIFEED