Restrictions on fundamental human rights and freedoms — especially for women and girls — are exacerbating the bleak humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as members diverged over the international community’s optimal level of engagement with the Taliban in light of such repression.
In Afghanistan, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a programme to protect rural livelihoods amid continuing drought and extreme economic crisis and will support more than 9 million people across 34 provinces in 2022.
In Algeria, the United Nations team on the ground sent out an appeal for increased support from the international community to boost lifesaving assistance to some 90,000 Sahrawi refugees risking food insecurity and malnutrition.
After back-to-back droughts in the Horn of Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) is expanding its assistance as levels of hunger soar. Since the start of the year, 9 million more people have slipped into severe food insecurity across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that three consecutive years of severe drought in the Grand Sud of Madagascar have led to the country’s worst food crisis in 20 years, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of already poor populations.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) just completed a visit to Kidal, where he met with officials and other stakeholders. Discussions focused on means of improving cooperation and supporting the acceleration of the implementation of the Peace Agreement.
In Senegal, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UN-Women and United Nations Population Fund are helping national authorities tackle the effects of fuel and food price hikes due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and climate change, with a joint programme benefiting over 14,000 food-insecure households in eight regions.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
Senior humanitarian directors of United Nations agencies and partners wrapped up a visit yesterday to Somalia where the threat of famine looms, with more than seven million people already acutely food insecure. Assistance has reached over four million drought-affected people, but aid workers face severe funding shortfalls.
