Around the World: Daily Updates from UN Country Teams - July 2024
Our UN teams are on the ground in 162 countries and territories, coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis — from climate action and food security to gender equality and safety of civilians. UN Resident Coordinators and their teams utilize innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month.
Thursday, 11 July
Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Responding to Hurricane Beryl's devastation
The UN team led by UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Simon Springett with The Hon. Dickon Mitchell Prime Minister of Grenada and Dr. The Hon. Ralph Gonsalves Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines presented a Response Plan in the wake of the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl. The Plan, seeks to address the urgent needs of some 24,000 people in Grenada and 19,000 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -based on preliminary estimates- and also aims to raise at least US$ 9 million (US$ 5 million for Grenada and US$ 4 million for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).
Monday, 08 July
Bangladesh: UN support to mitigate the impacts of floods
We have an update from our team in Bangladesh where over the weekend, further flooding hit the north of the country, around the Jamuna River basin. After Cyclone Remal made landfall on 26 May impacting 4.6 million people, and less than a month later extensive flooding affected six districts in northeast Bangladesh with about 1.8 million people stranded. The scale of the needs is immense and exacerbates the existing vulnerabilities. The UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) promptly disbursed $US6.2 million to support approximately 400,000 vulnerable families to mitigate the impact of the floods. FAO, UNFPA, WFP, UNICEF, in coordination with Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, is providing food assistance, agricultural and livelihood support, primary health support (including maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health), support to address gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.
Friday, 05 July
Burkina Faso: Conclusion of regional visit by Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel
The UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, Under-Secretary-General Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, and the Regional Director for Africa at the UN Development Coordination Office, Yacoub El-Hillo concluded their visit to Burkina Faso. The delegation met with Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla, emphasizing the need to support national efforts, building on the existing dialogue between transitional authorities and our team on the ground. Other engagements included conversations with a broad array of ministers as well as the National Youth Council.
USG Mar Dieye emphasized the UN’s dedication to aligning with Burkina Faso’s development and crisis resolution efforts. He commended the launch of the Patriotic Support Fund, a government initiative to mobilize resources for national security and development. The discussions focused on accelerating integrated actions across humanitarian, development, and peace initiatives, strengthening food systems to achieve food sovereignty, and extending stabilization programmes in the Sahel region.
Monday, 01 July
Brazil: Supporting national and local government response to floods
In Brazil, the UN team led by Resident Coordinator Silvia Rucks is supporting the national and local government response to the floods in the South of the country, with a particular focus on at-risk groups. This includes 14 UN agencies working together to address critical needs in humanitarian assistance, early recovery, and reconstruction efforts. The UN Resident Coordinator's Office, with support from the OCHA Regional Office, is streamlining information flows and strengthening coordination for various sectors, including education, health, protection, shelter, and water and sanitation.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are helping to provide services such as documentation, health, legal counselling, and social benefits with multilingual services and guidance. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is supporting with lifesaving Gender-Based Violence prevention and response services, including safe spaces, and other vulnerable populations, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, and older persons, are being connected to assistance pipelines. The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has identified priority health threats and is managing the health sector's emergency response. Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) is supporting the assessment of the damages and losses caused by the disaster. UNICEF trained Community Health Agents on risk communication and provided water-proof boots, gloves, and masks.
Interested in more? Check out previous daily updates from UN teams 'around the world':
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