Since 1998, the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) has been an essential platform for discussing the activities and issues related to strengthening the coordination and effectiveness of the humanitar
The United Nations is working closely with the authorities in Lebanon to support ongoing response in the aftermath of the massive deadly explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday, destroying large swathes of the capital. More than 130 people were killed in the blast, which ripped through the port and surrounding area, causing countless injuries and leaving thousands homeless. The Government has declared a two-week state of emergency.
Speaking on Wednesday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that support for hospitals and trauma response is a top priority.
16 Jul 2020
The UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, has called on G20 nations to act now or face a series of human tragedies more brutal and destructive than the direct health impacts of the coronavirus as he released an updated US$10.3 billion appeal to fight the virus in low-income and fragile countries.
This checklist is to accompany the full Interim Technical Note on Protection form Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) during COVIID-19 Response.
The authoring bodies are: CHS Alliance, InterAction, IOM, Oxfam, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, OCHA, WFP, WHO, and the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate in consultation with other IASC members.
On 8 April 2020 the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, released the following statement on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19):
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most dangerous challenges this world has faced in our lifetime. It is above all a human crisis with severe health and socio-economic consequences.
The world faces a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is spreading human suffering, crippling the global economy and upending people’s lives. COVID-19 is threatening the whole of humanity – and the whole of humanity must fight back. Global action and solidarity are crucial.
On 25 March, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will launch a COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan. The Secretary-General will be joined by the UN’s Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock today released US$15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help fund global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus.
The announcement came as the World Health Organization (WHO) upgraded the global risk of the coronavirus outbreak to "very high" – its top level of risk assessment. The WHO has said there is still a chance of containing the virus if its chain of transmission is broken.