Unrelenting drought in southern Madagascar is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of famine, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports. At least 1.35 million people need emergency food and nutrition assistance. Acute malnutrition in children under 5 has almost doubled over the last four months.
Burundi
The new Permanent Representative of Burundi to the United Nations, Zéphyrin Maniratanga, presented his credentials to the Secretariat today.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today launched the Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative, with 15 leading airlines supporting the prioritization of the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and other critical supplies.
Noting an improved security situation in Burundi, but also calling on its Government to address human rights violations and other continuing issues, the Security Council today ended mandatory reporting on the country and encouraged its international partners to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
Humanitarian partners in Honduras launched a flash appeal for $69.2 million to help the Government respond to the needs of 450,000 vulnerable people affected by Hurricane Eta, which caused catastrophic damage. Given the recent new tropical storm Iota, the plan will be updated following assessments of its impact.
The United Nations is scaling up life-saving aid for north-west Syria, including health items to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. In May alone, it sent 1,781 trucks from Turkey, the highest number since cross-border operations began in 2014, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports.
For the first time since 2018, the World Food Programme has been able to send a humanitarian convoy from Kenya directly into South Sudan through the Nadapal Border crossing. The nine-truck convoy carried 280 metric tons of food, enough to feed 20,000 people for a month. The route’s reopening cuts travel times in half.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
An Ebola outbreak has been identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s western Equateur province. The health ministry has identified six cases, including four people who have died. The World Health Organization has staff in Mbandaka, the main city impacted by the outbreak, to support the response.
Somalia is dealing with COVID-19, floods and the worst desert locust upsurge in 25 years amid protracted conflict and significant displacement. As aid partners and authorities are scaling up efforts, the revised 2020 Somalia humanitarian response plan remains less than 17 per cent funded, at $210.8 million out of $1.25 billion.