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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
Earlier today, the Secretary-General spoke at an event in the General Assembly Hall on the Vienna Programme of Action on Landlocked Developing Countries.
He said that we are all keenly aware of the geographical disadvantages faced by some of these 32 countries, but stressed that, with partnerships, the challenges can be overcome.
The Secretary-General called on the right policy mix, increased investment, and reliable transit infrastructure, efficient customs operations and improved access and the use of technology.
He also emphasized the need for cooperation from the international community to stem the massive amounts of resources that continue to flow out of landlocked developing countries in the form of illicit financial flows.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will leave tomorrow for Doha, Qatar, to participate in the Disabilities Conference and meet with senior State officials and other stakeholders over the weekend.
On Sunday, she will proceed to Amman, Jordan, where she will meet with senior Government authorities, the UN Country Team, regional representatives and other entities of the UN system. She will depart on 10 December.
The UN Migration Agency said today that at least 58 women, men and children have died after a vessel from The Gambia carrying an estimated 150 migrants sank as it approached the coast of Mauritania.
Eighty-three others who managed to swim to shore are receiving medical assistance.
IOM is supporting the medical response by providing first aid kits, blankets and other supplies. Those injured have been transferred to the city hospital and an IOM doctor will arrive today to support the local response.
The UN and its partners are supporting the Government-led response efforts with rapid assessments in the most affected areas. This is following the landfall made by Typhoon Kammuri earlier this week. About 400,000 people have been displaced and 13 were reportedly killed, and over a thousand homes destroyed.
In South Sudan, there are more than 900,000 people have been impacted by heavy rainfall and flooding in the country since July, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The UN and its partners have stepped up their response. As of last week, 7,000 metric tons of food have been distributed, reaching more than 700,000 people.
Emergency kits have also helped 9,000 households, with 12,000 additional households set to receive these kits soon.
Aid workers are using planes and waterways to access hard-to reach locations and are repairing roads, with the support of local communities.
Last month, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, released $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help with the response of the floods.
An additional $10 million was allocated from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund and the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan remains severe, with 7.5 million people in need of aid due to conflict, chronic vulnerabilities and a lack of essential services.
In Samoa, there are 4,217 cases recorded to date and 62 deaths, the vast majority of which have been babies.
According to WHO, the situation remains critical and medical teams are mindful of the importance of rapid vaccination across the country.
From the very beginning the UN, through the UN Children’s Fund, supplied over 200,000 vaccines and WHO brought in the emergency medical teams from all over the world to help Samoa.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization today launched a measles vaccination drive targeting 2.2 million children in North Kivu.
The DRC is currently experiencing the world’s largest and most severe measles epidemic, impacting all 26 provinces. Since the start of 2019, more than 250,000 suspected cases and over 5,000 deaths mostly among children under five, have been recorded.
The drive is part of a large vaccination campaign which will ultimately reach 18.9 million children across the country by the end of the year.
WHO said that to date, $27.5 million have been mobilized for this campaign. However, another estimated $4.8 million are needed to complete it and to strengthen disease surveillance, case management and communications.
The Food and Agriculture Organization today released its monthly Food Price Index and said world prices rose significantly in November, reaching their highest point in more than two years. This was largely due to an increase in the price of meat products and vegetable oils.
Overall, the FAO Price Index averaged 177.2 points over last month, up 2.7 per cent from October and 9.5 per cent from the same period a year earlier.
For meat products, the demand was largely driven by China ahead of the year-end-festivities. And for vegetable oil products, demand increased due to their use in the production of biodiesels as well as expectations of shortages next year.
Today is International Volunteer Day.
The theme is ‘Volunteer for an Inclusive Future’ celebrates that, through volunteering, people make meaningful contributions to more inclusive and equalitarian societies.
In a message, the Secretary-General stressed that volunteerism is a powerful mechanism to engage people, especially those left farthest behind, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. By voluntary actions, people on the margins can become more included in societies.
Today is World Soil Day. This observance aims to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General
