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Ukraine, Somalia, Covid-19 & other topics - Daily Press Briefing
Speaking at the opening of the Water Conference this morning, the Secretary-General reminded us that water is humanity’s lifeblood, but it is in deep trouble. We are draining humanity’s lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, he said, and we are evaporating it through global heating.nbsp;
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on all nations to accelerate action to make water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) a reality for all.
At 3 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing here entitled Turning the tide: A Call to Collective Action by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. nbsp;
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., there will a hybrid briefing by Terry Duguid, MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, along with officials of the of United Nations University Institute for Water Environment and Health. They will brief on the outcomes of the 2023 Global Water Security Assessment.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council this morning and noted the beginning of the holiday period when the holy month of Ramadan coincides with Passover and Easter, He reminded all that the status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem must be respected and urged all sides to refrain from unilateral steps that escalate tensions.nbsp;
In Syria, Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has wrapped up his visit to the country. Earlier today, he met with representatives of national and international NGOs and other humanitarian partners and heard from them the challenges that aid workers face and what can be done to bolster existing aid operations.
And following the earthquakes in Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that assessment teams are being deployed to areas affected by the tremors in Afghanistan. Efforts to assess damage continue in Pakistan, as well.
In Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, was in the front-line city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region yesterday. She met women affected by the war, as well as the women-led organizations and volunteers working to support them.nbsp;
UN agencies and partner organizations today appealed for US$116 million to provide life-saving assistance to Somali refugees seeking safety in Ethiopia’s Somali region.nbsp;
And the World Health Organization published a new report today highlighting the effect of COVID-19 on access to noncommunicable disease medicines, and showed that people living with cancer, heart diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases experienced difficulties in accessing their routine medicines. Many have had their treatment disrupted, which can lead to serious health consequences.
