UN News Today 12 December 2024 |

WFP ramps up distributions in Syria

The UN World Food Programme is scaling up assistance to reach nearly three million people in Syria, where humanitarian needs are growing as the country navigates political transition following the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Recent hostilities have displaced hundreds of thousands across the country, worsening an already dire food security situation.

WFP’s Country Director in Syria Kenn Crossley said teams are on the ground ensuring that the most vulnerable people receive the food assistance they need.

He said, “right now, commercial supply routes are compromised, food prices are soaring, and the Syrian currency is depreciating.”

Meanwhile, “essential items such as rice, sugar and oil are in short supply and bread prices have spiked”, making it critically important to ramp up efforts, particularly during the winter season.

WFP urgently requires $250 million over the next six months to reach 2.8 million people in Syria, where nearly 14 years of war have left many people in a vulnerable state.

The agency said some 12.9 million people were food insecure at the start of the year, while humanitarian assistance has declined significantly due to funding shortfalls.

Guterres calls for justice for Africa in speech to Lesotho parliament

Moving now to Lesotho in southern Africa, where the UN Secretary-General addressed parliament on Thursday, bringing a message of solidarity and justice for the entire continent.

António Guterres said deep injustices stemming from colonialism are denying Africa’s rightful place on the world stage.

Take the UN Security Council for example, where nearly 80 years after its establishment Africa still awaits even a single permanent seat.

Mr. Guterres said “this hurts Africa, but it also hurts the Council – its effectiveness, its legitimacy, and its credibility.”

He said crises such as the conflicts raging from Sudan to the Sahel, demand not just global attention but African leadership.

“Yet Africa has no permanent voice when the world decides on matters of war and peace… in Africa, through the Security Council,” he remarked, saying “that is unacceptable – and it must change.”

The Secretary-General also called for correcting injustices on other fronts, including related to the international finance system and funding for climate action.

Myanmar still a leading source of opium and heroin: UN report

Opium production has slowed in Myanmar, but the country remains a leading source of opium and heroin, according to the latest survey  by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which analyses data collected during the third growing season since the military seized power.

The report shows a moderate decrease of four per cent – from 47,100 hectares to 45,200 – and a similar decrease in yield per hectare, pointing to an initial stabilization of cultivation at the current high levels, thus cementing Myanmar’s status as the world’s leading source of opium.

However, the uneven distribution of the decrease across the country – as well as uncertainties regarding the impact of the continued drug ban in Afghanistan on global demand for opium and heroin – suggest that Myanmar’s opium economy is at a crossroads.

Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, overthrew the democratically elected government on 1 February 2021, sparking mass protests.

Since then, at least 5,350 civilians have been killed, according to a recent UN human rights report. More than 3.3 million people have been displaced, and over half the population is living below the poverty line, mainly due to military violence.

UNODC Regional Representative Masood Karimipour said that “as conflict dynamics in the country remain intense and the global supply chains adjust to the ban in Afghanistan, we see significant risk of a further expansion over the coming years.”

Dianne Penn, UN News

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