Health

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Cuba, the United Nations took part in the consultation process to make reforms to the country’s Family Code. Almost 75 per cent of Cubans voted on 25 September in a referendum on the diversity of families, affection and solidarity as key social values and strengthening the protection of a host of vulnerable groups.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks for the high‑level event on ending the COVID-19 Pandemic through equitable access to tests, treatments and vaccines, in New York today:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s virtual remarks at the Third Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Global Health, under the theme “Investing in Health Systems Strengthening for Universal Health Coverage through a Primary Health Care-Oriented Approach”, in New York today:

In Syria, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator there expressed serious concern yesterday over the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country. The number of confirmed cholera cases so far is 20 in Aleppo, 4 in Lattakia and 2 in Damascus.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, where 1.3 million Palestinian children will be returning to school this week, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator there issued a statement today in which she said she is concerned that, since the beginning of the year, 20 children were killed in the West Bank.

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 United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today released a report on the human rights situation there over the 10 months since the Taliban takeover, citing 2,106 civilian casualties between mid-August 2021 and mid-June 2022 despite an overall notable reduction in armed violence.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has funded a renovation of a radio station in Bentiu. The network, which previously reached 35 kilometres, has been upgraded to cover a 200-kilometre radius. The station will help people better understand the peace agreement and how it is being implemented.