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Month: November 2020

UN chief calls for greater inclusion of persons with disabilities

The UN chief was addressing countries that are party to the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which he stressed can only be fully implemented by tackling the obstacles, injustices and discrimination that this population experiences. 

“Realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is crucial to fulfilling the core promise of the 2030 Agenda: to leave no one behind,” he said, referring to the global action plan to bring about a more just and sustainable world. 

“In all our actions, our goal is clear: a world in which all persons can enjoy equal opportunities, participate in decision-making and truly benefit from economic, social, political and cultural life. That is a goal worth fighting for.” 

Pandemic widens inequalities 

The 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention (COSP13) is taking place ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, commemorated annually on 3 December. 

Like most UN events this year, it is being held in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants meeting both in person and online. 

The pandemic has deepened pre-existing inequalities affecting the world’s one billion persons with disabilities, the Secretary-General said.  Even under normal circumstances they were already less likely to access education, healthcare and jobs, or to be included in their communities. 

A long way to go 

The Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities echoed this assessment. Danlami Umaru Basharu was concerned that structural barriers, exclusion and discrimination have worsened during the crisis. 

“While I celebrate that there now 182 parties to the Convention, the pandemic has made evident that there is still a long way to go in fully understanding the human rights model of disability enshrined in the Convention, and therefore in fully implementing its provisions,” he said in a video message. 

In May, the Secretary-General issued a policy brief highlighting the disproportionate impact COVID-19 is having on persons with disabilities. 

An inclusive future 

He has called for pandemic response and recovery to be more disability inclusive, starting with recognizing and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities.  

“We must also ensure that the vision and aspirations of persons with disabilities are included and accounted for in a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 world,” he said. 

The Secretary-General further emphasized that securing the rights of persons with disabilities is necessary for upholding the values and principles that underlie the UN. 

Last year, Mr. Guterres launched a UN-wide Disability Inclusion Strategy, aimed at bringing about lasting and transformative change across the Organization and its operations. 

The strategy also reflects how the UN is working to lead by example, he added, as the global body wants to be an employer of choice for persons with disabilities. 

Renew commitment to Palestinian people, UN chief urges, marking International Day

In a message, the UN chief cautioned that prospects for a viable two-State solution are becoming “more distant”. 

“A host of factors continue to cause great misery, including: the expansion of illegal settlements, a significant spike in the demolition of Palestinian homes and structures, violence and continued militant activity,” said Mr. Guterres. 

“Israeli and Palestinian leaders have a responsibility to explore every opening to restore hope and achieve a two-State solution.” 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed each year on 29 November. Established in 1977, it marks the day in 1947 when the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning Palestine into an Arab State and a Jewish State. 

Committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis 

The Secretary-General said that he remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and end the occupation in line with relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements in pursuit of the vision of two States – Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous and sovereign Palestine – living side by side in peace and security, within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States. 

“I hope that recent developments will encourage Palestinian and Israeli leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations, with the support of the international community, and will create opportunities for regional cooperation,” he said. 

“Let us together resolve to renew our commitment to the Palestinian people in their quest to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, dignity, justice and security,” added the Secretary-General.  

In the message, Mr. Guterres also extended his condolences on the passing, earlier this month, of Saeb Erakat, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General and Chief Negotiator for Palestinians in the Middle East Peace Process. 

Financial situation of UNRWA 

Mr. Guterres also voiced concerns over the financial situation facing the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which provides direct and often life-saving assistance to millions of Palestine refugees. 

“I appeal to all Member States to urgently contribute to enable UNRWA to meet the critical humanitarian and development needs of Palestine refugees during the pandemic,” urged the Secretary-General. 

First Person: ‘people with disabilities are the greatest untapped resource on the planet’

I’ve been legally blind since elementary school, and lost all functional vision by my early thirties. My mother didn’t want me to go to a school for the blind, and was determined to keep me in the public school system: I used the low-vision technologies available at the time, as well as learning how to walk with a cane and read braille.

I describe losing my sight as an inconvenience, nothing more! I’m married, I’m a father to three children, I’ve competed in martial arts, I ski, climb mountains and I’ve had a successful 20-year career in the tech industry.

People with disabilities are the greatest untapped resource on the planet: we are the perfect candidates for what I call ‘desk jockey’ type jobs: today’s technology is so accessible, and people with disabilities are extremely productive and loyal employees. In some ways, they are more productive than sighted people. For example, some blind people can listen to their screen readers at 300 words a minute. That is faster that a sighted person can consume the same amount of data, looking at a screen.

Let’s face it, big companies don’t hire a person with a disability because it’s a feel-good story. They hire them because they are going to work twice as hard and they are not going to job-hop. They hire them because they know that they are going to deliver.

Unsplash/Sigmund
Technology has opened up new work opportunities for the visually impaired.

‘My job is to kick in doors’

There are now tremendous opportunities for gainful employment for persons with disabilities, particularly since the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) came into force. This has helped to bring more persons with disabilities into the workforce, thanks to access ramps to buildings, braille in elevators and accessibility technology built into popular operating systems.

I’m committed to reducing the high unemployment rate among skilled blind and visually impaired IT and tech professionals, and this starts with changing the perceptions of potential employers. That’s why I started the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT). We’re based in Colorado, and we help those with disabilities, particularly the blind and visually impaired, to find work, through education and placements.

My job is to go out there, kick in doors and let employers know just how easy it is to seamlessly integrate people with disabilities and add value to the bottom line and the corporate culture.

The better we are at getting people with disabilities into the workforce, the more the economy benefits. I call it the “Billion Dollar Initiative”. A blind person over their working lifetime in the United States will consume about a million dollars in public assistance, including disability benefits, food stamps and housing benefits.

If we can get a thousand people with disabilities out of that system and into work, that is around a billion dollars saved in public assistance, and nearly one hundred million dollars of earned income generated every year through employment.

Unsplash/Dylan Gillis
Mike Hess established the Blind Institute of Technology in the United States to change perceptions of potential employers.

Thriving during a crisis

I’m a glass half full person, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I had to ask myself if a small non-profit like ours could survive, as most of revenue comes from placing people with companies.

In fact, we’ve thrived throughout 2020. Things started to turn around in April, when Salesforce, through its Office of Accessibility, offered us a 50,000 dollar grant. After that we received more grants from foundations, and another from Adobe.

I promised the donors that I would use all the money to supplement wages for our students, whose education is geared towards a career. We tell them that we have grant money, we have passionate students, and they need work experience. This is helping us to have more conversations with more companies.

Telecommuting levels the playing field

The fact that so many people are working for home, because of the pandemic, is also an unexpected bonus: for many persons with disabilities, and not just blind and visually impaired people, getting to and from the office is a challenge, and many do not have access to public transport. For now, this problem has gone away.

It’s true that opportunities for social interaction are more limited now but, even in “normal” times, persons with disabilities are often isolated. To counter this, we’re organizing virtual mentoring in school districts for young people, to let them know there’s a support network out there, and to remind them that resilience is a muscle, that we can exercise together.

International Day of Disabilities

  • International Day of Disabilities is marked every year on 03 December,

    Over one billion people in the world have some form of disability, one in seven of the total global population,

  • 80 per cent of all people with disabilities live in a developing country,
  • Accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities are fundamental rights recognized by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
  • The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls upon States Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to all aspects of society, on an equal basis with others, as well as to identify and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility.

UN condemns ‘brutal and callous’ attack on civilians in north-east Nigeria

In early afternoon of 28 November, local time, armed men on motorcycles attacked civilian men and women while they were harvesting crops in Koshobe village and other rural communities in Jere Local Government Area, near provincial capital Maiduguri. According to reports, at least 43 people were killed and many wounded.  

“It is the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year,” Edward Kallon, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said in a statement. 

“We have also received reports that several women may have been kidnapped. I call for their immediate release and return to safety,” he added.  

Communities ‘shocked’ 

Rural communities in the area are shocked by the brutality of the attack and fear for their safety. 

“It is unfortunately one of too many such attacks targeting farmers, fishermen and families who are trying to recover some livelihood opportunity after over a decade of conflict,” said Mr. Kallon. 

The Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced millions from their homes. The violence, coupled with climate shocks has also aggravated food security, leaving an estimated 10 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. 

‘Respect humanity’ 

Mr. Kallon went on to note that the entire UN system and the humanitarian community working to provide life-saving and development assistance to the most vulnerable in Borno state is “outraged” by the incident. 

“Such direct attacks against innocent civilians jeopardize the ability for the most vulnerable people to survive the adversity there are facing, and which we are striving to alleviate,” the UN official added, calling on all actors on the ground to “respect international laws and humanity”. 

Rising hunger in drought-stricken southern Madagascar forcing families to eat insects: WFP

The figure is three times the number projected mid-year, with women and children comprising most of those experiencing “crisis” or “emergency” hunger conditions.  

The UN agency pointed out that Madagascar already had the world’s 10th highest rate of stunting, as almost half of all children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. 

Foraging for food 

“As hunger numbers rise, so does the proportion of families who are resorting to crisis-coping mechanisms.  The majority of them are having to eat bugs.  They are selling off lifesaving livelihood assets, farm implements, kitchen utensils,” said Tomson Phiri, a WFP spokesperson in Geneva. 

The hunger and malnutrition is the result of three years of ruined harvests, hampering access to food and affecting people across 10 districts. 

WFP has described the situation as “extremely worrying”.  

WFP/Tsiory Andriantsoarana
A child undergoes a malnutrition test in Madagascar.

Last month, WFP conducted an assessment in Amboasary, the hardest-hit district, which revealed that three-quarters of children were forced to drop out of school so they could help their families forage for food. 

“Most of the women that we spoke to said they had nothing to feed their young children except the red cactus pears that grow on the roadside”, said Mr. Phiri. 

Hot meals and assistance 

As part of its drought response, WFP began life-saving emergency food assistance in September, reaching more than 100,000 people in Amboasary. 

This support has included in-kind food distributions but also hot meals for particularly malnourished children and elderly persons. 

Some 576,000 people in the nine other districts are also receiving assistance during the lean season, which runs through December. 

Mr. Phiri said given the gravity of the situation, the agency plans to continue scaling up operations through next June. 

“We additionally seek to help the challenges that are being faced by rural women, who often are prevented from owning land and agricultural assets, as well as face discriminatory customary practices,” he added. 

WFP is appealing to the international community for $37.5 million so it can continue response efforts. 

UN Committee urges end to impunity for enforced disappearances in Iraq

In issuing its findings, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances – a group of 10 independent experts that monitors States’ adherence to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance – also noted that revictimization prevails in these cases.

The Committee called on Iraq to incorporate the offence of enforced disappearance into its domestic criminal legislation and to ensure that no person is held in secret detention.

Legislation Delays

To be sure, the Committee also welcomed that Iraq set up two fact-finding committees, in 2016 and 2018, to address enforced disappearances committed in the country.  It also hailed the drafting of the Bill on the Protection of Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which is currently before the Council of Ministers.

But the experts also expressed concern at delays in adopting this legislation, which has fostered a lack of criminalization of the offence.  It recommended that Iraq revise the bill, in compliance with the International Convention, and in consultation with all stakeholders, including civil society.

Lack of data

Committee experts are also worried by the lack of reliable data on cases of enforced disappearance and the large quantity of unidentified bodies and mass graves. It recommended Iraq establish a consolidated nationwide database of all cases of disappearance that have occurred in the country since 1968.

For its part, the Committee said it has received allegations concerning around 420 secret detention sites.  It urged the State party to investigate thoroughly the allegations, and to close any such facilities or convert them into regular registered and supervised detention centres, as well as to take all necessary measures to ensure that no one is detained secretly in the future.

Experts on board

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances monitors States parties’ adherence to the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Committee is made up of 10 members who are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties.  The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty.

UN rights experts condemn retaliatory arrests of activists in Egypt

The human rights activists, from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), were arrested “within days” of a meeting with 13 foreign ambassadors and diplomats on 3 November, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR). They face terrorism and public security charges. 

“It is absolutely abhorrent to retaliate against human rights defenders from one of Egypt’s last functioning human rights NGOs, simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression by discussing Egypt’s human rights situation,” the UN experts said in a statement on Friday. 

“These arrests underline the very grave risks human rights defenders face in Egypt every day while carrying out their legitimate work … They are only the latest steps in an escalating campaign against EIPR and are part of a broader move to limit civic space and target those who operate within it,” they added. 

The arrested EIPR officials include Executive Director Gasser Abdel Razek; director of criminal justice Karim Ennarah; and administrative manager Mohammad Basheer. 

Targeted since 2016 

According to the statement, authorities have targeted the human rights NGO since 2016, when the bank accounts of former EIPR director and founder Hossam Bahgat were frozen and he was banned from leaving the country. In February 2020, EIPR’s gender rights researcher, Patrick Zaki, was arrested, and remains in pre-trial detention on charges relating to terrorism and incitement. 

All four men are being held in the Tora prison complex, just south of capital Cairo, with concerning reports that at least one of them is being held in solitary confinement.  

The experts called for charges against all four defenders to be dropped, for them to be released immediately and unconditionally, and for authorities to cease targeting Mr. Bahgat and EIPR. 

“We deeply regret that despite several calls from the United Nations human rights mechanisms and the international community, Egypt continues to use counter-terrorism legislation to target civil society,” the experts added. 

Protect human rights defenders 

In the statement, the UN rights experts also underscored that vilification of human rights defenders as a threat to society is not only harmful to the defenders, but to all members of Egyptian society. 

“Criminalizing those who defend human rights – and those who bring to light violations of human rights – undermines the sanctity of those rights,” they said. 

“Human rights defenders and civil society activists must never be penalized for their efforts to ensure the protection of the rights of others … These efforts must not be regarded as terrorism or a public threat. Quite the opposite: We should protect and value them for their contributions.” 

The UN rights experts making the call include the special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders; on the rights of peaceful assembly and association; on human rights while countering terrorism; on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; on the freedom of opinion and expression; on the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; as well as members of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. 

The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. 

COVID-19: Testing still vital even as vaccines roll out

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus emphasized how testing has been common among countries which have worked to control the virus. 

“As vaccines are rolled out, testing will continue to play a vital role”, he said. 

“Initially, health workers, older people and other at-risk groups will be prioritised for vaccination. That will still leave the virus with a lot of room to move, and testing will remain a vital tool for controlling the pandemic.” 

However, Tedros stressed that though vital, testing is only part of the strategy against COVID-19. 

“Testing is the spotlight that shows where the virus is. Investments in testing must be matched by investments in isolation facilities, clinical care, protecting health workers, contact tracing, cluster investigation and supported quarantine”, he stated. 

More evaluation needed 

Meanwhile, WHO said more information is needed concerning the vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University. 

The partners announced this week that clinical trials showed a regimen consisting of one half-dose of the vaccine, followed by a full dose a month later, was more effective than two full doses. 

Dr. Katherine O’Brien, Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO, underlined the need for further evaluation as the data were reported in a press release. 

“I think what we can emphasize, though, is that from what we understand about the press release, there is certainly something interesting that has been observed. But there are many reasons that could underlie the differences that were observed,” she said. 

WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminatha, pointed out that less than 3,000 people were given the lower-dose regimen, according to the press release, all of whom were 55 years old or younger.  

She added that the other group consisted of more than 8,000 people of varying ages, thus making it very hard to compare the two, while overall, their numbers were too small to come to any definitive conclusions. 

“It would be speculation at this point,” Dr. Swaminathan told reporters. 

She said AstraZeneca has informed WHO that it intends to run a full trial of the lower-dose regimen. 

Lessons from Ebola 

Global experience with storage and distribution of the Ebola vaccine could inform delivery of any potential inoculation against COVID-19 once developed, according to WHO. 

“There is demonstrated experience of delivering ultra-cold chain vaccines, even in some of the most difficult and remote areas,” said Dr. O’Brien.  “But that has also taken enormous resources to do that.” 

The WHO official was responding to a journalist’s question concerning the experimental vaccine developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech, which was recently submitted to authorities in the United States for emergency approval. 

The vaccine, which has shown a more than 90 per cent efficacy rate, requires very cold storage of -70 degrees Celsius or below, prompting concerns about potential distribution in African countries. 

No one vaccine is enough 

“We do have experience in a number of countries, specifically in Africa, being able to deploy a vaccine with that ultra-cold chain requirement”, said Dr. O’Brien, referring to the Merck Ebola vaccine used in outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

“So, as we anticipate the use of the Pfizer vaccine, the intention is certainly to be able to use it along with other vaccines because no one vaccine is going to have adequate supply, nor will any one vaccine necessarily have suitable operational characteristics to meet all of the needs.” 

Dr. O’Brien added that Pfizer has developed a special “shipper” which can maintain the vaccine’s temperature for up to 10 to 15 days. 

Furthermore, the vaccine can be stored at refrigerated temperatures for five days, she continued, while portable freezers that do not run on electricity, and even dry ice, also can be used. 

Innovate for delivery 

As ultra-cold chain logistics are not in place everywhere, including in high-income nations, Dr. O’Brien suggested that countries will have to “innovate” around systems for delivering COVID-19 vaccines that have this requirement.   

One approach could be to use them for immunizing certain segments of the population.   

She cited health professionals as an example, because they work in facilities where immunization would take place and where it would be easier to install the ultra-cold chain freezers. 

Move your body 

Although the pandemic has imposed many restrictions on our lives, there is no excuse to sit on the couch, WHO affirmed on Friday, announcing new guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, published this week. 

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

Readers can find information and guidance on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from the UN, World Health Organization and UN agencies here. For daily news updates from UN News, click here.

Exercise is essential for physical and mental health throughout life, the agency said, but one in four adults, and four in five adolescents, do not move enough. 

The guidelines recommend between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week for adults, and an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents.

African nations ‘far from ready’ for COVID-19 vaccination drive, says UN health agency

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa highlighted the importance of strong planning and preparation for successful inoculations against COVID-19. 

“The largest immunization drive in Africa’s history is right around the corner, and African governments must urgently ramp up readiness. Planning and preparation will make or break this unprecedented endeavour,” she said. 

“We need active leadership and engagement from the highest levels of government with solid, comprehensive national coordination plans and systems put in place,” added Dr. Moeti. 

The call came as a new WHO analysis revealed that vaccination programme readiness in Africa is lagging. 

Readiness ‘well below’ benchmark 

According to the analysis, based on countries’ self-reporting, the African region has an average score of 33 per cent readiness for a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, which is well below the desired benchmark of 80 per cent. 

WHO, together with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation and other partners, is working to ensure equitable access to vaccines in Africa through the COVAX facility, the vaccines pillar of the WHO Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. When vaccines are licensed and approved, COVAX will work to secure enough doses to provide protection to an initial 20 per cent of the African population, said WHO. 

However, only 49 per cent have identified priority populations for vaccination and have plans in place to reach them, 44 per cent have coordination structures in place, according to WHO analysis. In addition, 24 per cent have adequate plans for resources and funding, 17 per cent have data collection and monitoring tools ready, and only 12 per cent have plans to communicate with communities to build trust and drive demand for immunization.  

Vaccine ‘just the first step’ 

Dr. Moeti, underscored that developing a safe and effective vaccine “is just the first step in a successful rollout”. 

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

Readers can find information and guidance on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from the UN, World Health Organization and UN agencies here. For daily news updates from UN News, click here.

“If communities are not on-board and convinced that a vaccine will protect their health, we will make little headway. It’s critical that countries reach out to communities and hear their concerns and give them a voice in the process,” she added. 

WHO has provided its Vaccine Readiness Assessment Tool to all 47 countries in its African Region. The Tool, for use by Ministries of Health, provides a roadmap to plan for COVID-19 vaccine introduction and covers ten key areas, from planning and funding, to training, monitoring and community engagement. 

The UN agency and its partners also issued guidance on COVID-19 vaccination planning and deployment for governments, to help them design strategies for the deployment, implementation and monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines and better integrate their strategies and financing to boost efficiency. 

First of four UN humanitarian airlifts for Ethiopia refugees lands in Khartoum

“This morning, a plane carrying 32 tonnes of UNHCR emergency aid from our global stockpiles in Dubai landed in Khartoum”, said spokesperson Babar Baloch. “Another airlift is scheduled to leave Dubai on Monday with an additional 100 tonnes of additional relief items…In total, we plan to send four airlifts.”

Growing exodus

Since the start of fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in early November, more than 43,000 refugees have crossed into Sudan.

People have sought shelter amid reports of a heavy build-up of tanks and artillery around regional capital Mekelle, following the Ethiopian Government’s ultimatum to forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to surrender, which has reportedly expired.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the unfolding situation, before urging “the leaders of Ethiopia to do everything possible to protect civilians, uphold human rights and ensure humanitarian access for the provision of much-needed assistance”.

In a statement, the UN chief also called for the “free and safe movement of people searching for safety and assistance, regardless of their ethnic identity, across both national and international borders”.

Seize the opportunity for peaceful resolution: Guterres

In a note to journalists released on Friday by the UN Spokesperson’s Office, Mr. Guterres said he contining to closely follow  developments in the Tigray region, “as well as its regional impact”. He welcomed the meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the African Union Special Envoys on Friday, offering “the full support of the United Nations to the African Union initiative”, urging the parties to “embrace this vital opportunity to peacefully resolve the conflict.”

“The Secretary-General underlines the need to ensure the protection of civilians, human rights and access for humanitarian assistance to the affected areas and appreciates the statement by Prime Minister Abiy today reaffirming the Federal Government’s utmost commitment to these obligations.”

Echoing the Secretary-General’s message, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, warned that both sides were using rhetoric that was “dangerously provocative and risks placing already vulnerable and frightened civilians in grave danger”.

One million refugees

Even before violence erupted in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region causing mass displacement, Sudan was already home to nearly one million refugees, mainly from South Sudan.

In eastern Sudan, UNHCR has continued to step up its relief effort, together with national and local partners. “Aid is being mobilized to help refugees, almost half of whom are children”, Mr. Baloch said, citing “complex logistical challenges”.

To date the agency has helped to relocate nearly 10,000 refugees to Um Rakuba site, 70 kilometres inside Sudan, as work continues to put up shelters and improve services.

© UNHCR/Olivier Jobard
A young Ethiopian refugee looks out from a makeshift shelter at a transit site in Hamdayet, Sudan.

Family tracing services have been established and these have already reunited many separated refugees.

Mr. Baloch noted that although humanitarian agencies continue to provide shelter and other facilities to help refugees, “more resources are required and Sudan needs international support urgently”.

Inside Tigray, concerns continue to grow for the safety of civilians in Mekelle, home to more than 500,000 people, and some 96,000 Eritrean refugees based in four camps.

No access

“Without humanitarian access, it’s very hard to say what is actually going on, on the ground but there were worrying reports that fighting was getting closer to these refugee camps”, Mr. Baloch told journalists via video link at a regular UN Geneva briefing.

Before the conflict erupted, UNHCR had “regular access to the refugees”, the UNHCR official continued, but “since the start of it, we have lost access”.

Highlighting the refugees’ reliance on humanitarian distributions, Mr. Baloch said that “according to what they have had…they will be running out of food as of Monday”.

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