UNited Nations

1. UN-African Union Mission in Darfur in final shutdown phase

   Practically all peacekeepers and staff have now left the hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in line with its drawdown plan, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

2. Progress on tobacco fight, but new nicotine products pose increasing threat

   While many countries are making progress in the fight against tobacco use, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report shows some are failing to address the problem of emerging nicotine and tobacco products.

3. COVID-19: Education replaced by shuttered schools, violence, teenage pregnancy

   A culture of “safety, friends and food” at school has been replaced by “anxiety, violence, and teenage pregnancy”, with remote learning out of reach for millions, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Tuesday.

4. Myanmar: Rights expert calls for ‘COVID ceasefire’, urges UN action

   The UN independent expert on the human rights situation in Myanmar on Tuesday called for a “COVID ceasefire” for the country, as infections and deaths soar even as the military junta escalates attacks against healthcare workers. 

5. Child malnutrition expected to quadruple in Southern Madagascar  

   At least half a million children under five in drought-afflicted southern Madagascar are on the verge of acute malnourishment, two UN agencies warned on Monday. 

6. Outstanding sites added to UNESCO World Heritage List 

   An ancient temple in India and a “cultural landscape” in Spain have become two of the latest sites to be registered on the UN’s prestigious World Heritage List. 

7. Free, fair Palestinian elections, must include East Jerusalem: UN experts

   Landmark elections in the Occupied Palestinian territory must be rescheduled soon and include East Jerusalem, three UN independent human rights experts said in a statement on Monday. 

8. UN climate science talks open amid heatwaves, floods and drought

   Negotiations began on Monday to approve a UN science report which will anchor high level summits later this year, charged with boosting climate action worldwide.

9. Support mangrove conservation, UNESCO chief says

   The world is waking up to the importance of mangroves, a senior UN official said on Monday, underscoring the need for everyone to support restoration and protection of these crucial habitats. 

10. Together, we must tackle growing hunger, urges Guterres  

    Inefficient global food production is at the root of a huge rise in hunger as well as one-third of all emissions and 80 per cent of biodiversity loss, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned, in a call to all countries to transform food systems to speed up sustainable development.