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“The de facto authorities’ failure to adhere to commitments to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade – in spite of repeated commitments towards girls’ education, including during my visit to Kabul two weeks ago – is deeply damaging for Afghanistan”, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. ‘Grave concern’ Although high schools were set to open their doors to girls nationwide, Taliban authorities reportedly reversed the move early on Wednesday, pending a ruling made on the uniforms they must wear. “The denial of education violates the human rights of women and girls – beyond their equal right to education, it leaves them more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation,” Ms. Bachelet explained. Recounting conversations She recalled her recent visit to Kabul where women stressed to her that they wanted to speak to the Taliban themselves. The women told her that they have “information, solutions and the capability to help chart a way out of this economic, humanitarian and human rights crisis in Afghanistan.” “They insisted upon the equal right to quality education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels and were hopefully awaiting the reopening of schools today”. — UNICEF Afghanistan (@UNICEFAfg) March 23, 2022 ‘Structural discrimination’ As Afghan citizens suffer the impacts of multiple intersecting crises, the senior UN official described the decision as being of “grave concern.” “Disempowering half of Afghanistan’s population is counterproductive and unjust,” Ms. Bachelet said, adding that “structural discrimination such as this is also deeply damaging for the country’s prospects of future recovery and development.” She called on the Taliban to “respect all girls’ rights to education and to open schools for all students without discrimination or further delay”. Shattered hopes The Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, Catherine Russell, also issued a statement describing the decision as “a major setback for girls and their futures”. “Millions of secondary-school girls around Afghanistan woke up hopeful today that they will be able to go back to school and resume their learning,” she said. “It did not take long for their hopes to be shattered.” According to Ms. Russell the decision meant that an entire generation of adolescent girls is being “denied their right to an education and…robbed of the opportunity to gain the skills they need to build their futures.” She urged the de facto authorities to honour their commitment to girls’ education without any further delay and appealed to community leaders in every corner of the country to support the education of adolescent girls. “All children deserve to be in school. This is the surest way to put the country on a surer path toward the peace and prosperity that the people of Afghanistan deserve,” said the UNICEF chief. Decision deplored The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) responded to the news, by tweeting that it “deplores today’s reported announcement by the Taliban that they are further extending their indefinite ban on female students above the 6th grade being permitted to return school.” Source: Continue reading...

People in Afghanistan are today facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis of “unparalleled proportions”, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said on Tuesday. Ramiz Alakbarov, who also serves as Deputy Special Representative, issued a statement saying that acute hunger in the country rose from 14 million in July, to 23 million in March, forcing households to resort to “desperate measures” to put food on the table. “Unacceptable trade-offs have caused untold suffering, reduced the quality, quantity, and diversity of food available, led to high levels of wasting in children, and other harmful impacts on the physical and mental wellbeing of women, men, and children,” he spelled out. ‘Harsh reality’ A staggering 95 per cent of Afghans are not getting enough to eat, with that number rising to almost 100 percent in female-headed households, according to the UN Resident Coordinator, who is also deputy head of the UN assistance mission, UNAMA. “It is a figure so high that it is almost inconceivable. Yet, devastatingly, it is the harsh reality,” he said. Mr. Alakbarov painted a picture of hospital wards filled with malnourished children, many weighing at age one what an infant of six months would weigh in a developed country, with some “so weak they are unable to move”. Alleviating hunger As Afghanistan continues to grapple with the effects of a terrible drought, the prospect of another bad harvest this year, a banking and financial crisis so severe that it has left more than 80 per cent of the population facing debt, and an increase in food and fuel prices, the UN official attested, “we cannot ignore the reality facing communities”. “Enormous challenges lie ahead,” he said, reiterating that the UN and partners, are “doing everything we can” to alleviate the impacts of hunger and malnutrition, while giving communities the means to protect and sustain their livelihoods in the future. So far this year, humanitarian partners have supported 8.2 million people with life-saving and life-sustaining food assistance, including emergency food rations, school meals, agricultural supplies and nutritious foods and supplements for nursing mothers and their infants. Over the next months, the UN and its partners will continue to focus on scaling-up response activities, reaching previously underserved and remote areas that active conflict had rendered inaccessible. Reaching the malnourished Acute malnutrition rates in 28 out of 34 provinces are high with more than 3.5 million children in need of nutrition treatment support, said Dr. Alakbarov. He explained that since mid-August, over 2,500 nutrition treatment sites across all 34 provinces, both urban and rural, have been serving 800,000 acutely malnourished children, “and we plan to reach 3.2 million affected children this year”. “We also aim to reach one million people through vocational skills training, one million children through school feeding, and millions more people both directly and indirectly through programmes that will protect and boost the agricultural livelihoods upon which so much of the population depends,” added the UN Representative. Humanitarian response needed Although a massive humanitarian response mounted since August has prevented “our worst fears from being realized over the winter,” Dr. Alakbarov reminded that food insecurity and malnutrition remain “at historic highs” and require an “immediate, sustained, and large-scale humanitarian response.” On 31 March, the UN, United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar will co-host an international pledging conference in support of the humanitarian response. “The fate of an entire generation of Afghans is at stake,” he said, assuring that the UN would continue, over the coming weeks, to provide regular updates. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell Displaced families collect water during a harsh winter in Kabul, Afghanistan. A plea for help The senior UN official urged Member States to “dig deep” for the Afghanistan people and continue generously supporting life-saving efforts. While acknowledging that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough to address today’s or tomorrow’s challenges, he underscored that “it is absolutely necessary to keep people alive and healthy, and to prevent vulnerable people in the most precarious situations from sliding ever further into need”. “As we collectively support millions of Afghans to rebuild their lives and communities, we must remember that the long road to a better future is impossible on empty stomach,” he said. Source: Continue reading...

Security forces in Myanmar have killed at least 1,600 people and detained more than 12,500, since the military coup last year, the UN rights office said on Tuesday. In a new report warning that serious rights abuses uncovered in Myanmar may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, appealed to the international community to take “concerted, immediate measures to stem the spiral of violence” there. The report’s findings indicate that military and security forces bombarded populated areas with airstrikes and heavy weapons, and deliberately targeted civilians. “The appalling breadth and scale of violations of international law suffered by the people of Myanmar demand a firm, unified, and resolute international response”, the UN rights chief underscored. Gross rights violations The report, released for the 49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council, upheld that Myanmar’s military and security forces have shown “a flagrant disregard for human life,” explaining that many have been shot in the head, burned to death, arbitrarily arrested, tortured or used as human shields. Lauding the determination of Myanmar’s people opposing the coup, she called on the international community to do all it can to resolve the crisis and hold perpetrators of gross violations of international human rights law accountable. Detained, displaced and murdered Covering the period since last year’s 1 February military takeover, the report is based on interviews with more than155 victims, witnesses, and advocates, whose accounts were corroborated using satellite imagery, verified multimedia files, and credible open-source information. And yet, its findings represent only a fraction of the violations and abuses Myanmar’s people have been subjected to during the violent nationwide crackdown. Besides the killings and mass detentions, at least 440,000 have been displaced with 14 million in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, the delivery of which has largely been blocked by military forces. Mass killings The report found reasonable grounds to believe that the army, officially known as the Tatmadaw, conducted widespread and systematic attacks against civilians in patterns of conduct that may amount to crimes against humanity. In July, soldiers in Sagaing Region killed 40 individuals in a series of raids and villagers found some of the victims’ remains with their hands and feet still tied behind their backs. In December, soldiers in Kayah State burned the bodies of up to 40 men, women and children. Locals described discovering their remains in several trucks, with bodies found in positions indicating that they had tried to escape and were burnt alive. “Meaningful action by the international community is urgently needed to stop yet more individuals from being stripped of their rights, their lives and their livelihoods,” said the High Commissioner. Abhorrent suffering Detainees reported facing torture and other forms of ill-treatment during lengthy interrogations in military detention centres across Myanmar. The OHCHR report includes alleged crimes of ssexual violence, including rape; detainees being suspended from the ceiling without food or water; being forced to stand for extended periods while in solitary confinement; electrocution, sometimes alongside injection of unidentified drugs; and forcing Muslim prisoners to ingest pork. While most of the gross human rights violations documented were carried out by security forces, at least 543 individuals – including local administrators, their families and alleged informants – were also reportedly killed due to their perceived support of the military. Anti-coup armed elements claimed responsibility for 95 of the incidents. Standing strong Despite spiralling violence however, the UN human rights chief attested that “the will of the people has clearly not been broken.” “Throughout the tumult and violence of the past year…they remain committed to seeing a return to democracy and to institutions that reflect their will and aspirations.” UN Photo/Laura Jarriel Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (file photo) Source: Continue reading...

Whether as peacebuilders, humanitarians or pivotal actors courageously pushing their communities forward, Afghan women must be given the space to lead if the country is to find peace and progress, the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet stressed in a statement on Thursday. Speaking from Kabul, where she is listening to women share their experiences – and talking to the de facto Taliban authorities about the urgent, critical need to bring an end to the serious human rights violations that women and girls face – Ms. Bachelet said Afghan women have been threatened and attacked for speaking up, and excluded from positions of power. Courageous advocates “But this has not stopped them from advocating courageously for their rights and creating networks of support,” she said. “They are not passive bystanders.” Indeed, in the face of war, extreme poverty and unspeakable violence, she said Afghan women have been working tirelessly to protect and provide for their families and communities. The High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that girls should be able to go to school and university, and empowered to contribute robustly to the future of their country. Women should be visibly represented in the police force, courts of law, Government and the private sector – indeed in every sphere of civic and public life. Moreover, Afghan women have the equal right to demonstrate peacefully without fear of reprisal, to speak openly about the problems in society and to have a meaningful seat at the table, to craft solutions that respond to their realities and demands, she said. Having served as Minister for Defence and Minister for Health in Chile, her home country, she said she speaks from experience in understanding that sustainable peace, economic development and realization of the rights to health care, education, justice “and more” requires the inclusion of women and girls. In celebration of International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March, “I stand with women all around the world,” she said. “And I stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan, today and every day.” Denial of rights, stifling growth Earlier in the week, Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasized on 8 March that women’s denial of rights to free movement, work, participation in public life and education, is limiting greater economic development for the country. “More needs to be done to promote equality of opportunity for women and girls in all areas of their lives,” she stressed, a point similarly echoed by Mariam Safi, who – addressing the Security Council on 2 March – noted the rapid deterioration of women’s rights since the Taliban seized power, in August 2021. “Repression of women’s rights appears central to the Taliban’s vision for Afghanistan,” she warned. © UNICEF/Frank Dejo Young girls work on a robotics project in Afghanistan. A mandate to participate Peacebuilding in Afghanistan has been intrusive, externally driven, top‑down and technocratic for two decades, as powerful countries exploited the process for their own ends, she said. Given those conditions, UNAMA must have an explicit mandate to support the full, safe, equal and meaningful participation of women across all processes, she added. Source: Continue reading...

“A decade after the killing of the two journalists, there is still no justice as a result of an appalling and pervasive culture of impunity in Bangladesh,” the five UN Special Rapporteurs said in a statement. Mr.Sarowar and Ms. Runi, who were married, were stabbed to death in their home in the capital, Dhaka, in front of their five-year-old son on 12 February 2012. The experts said it is widely believed they were targeted because of their investigative reporting on corruption in Bangladesh’s energy sector which they were about to publish. Crimes go unpunished Bangladesh’s High Court tasked the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the country’s elite police unit, to investigate the case. Last November, the Court demanded for the 84th time that RAB should submit its findings, which still has not happened. “When crimes against journalists go unpunished, they embolden the perpetrators and encourage more attacks, threats and killings with the intention of intimidating the media into silence. We see those deeply worrying signs in Bangladesh,” the statement said. Bring perpetrators to justice At least 15 journalists have been killed in Bangladesh over the past decade, according to the UN experts. “We urge the government to conduct and complete prompt, thorough, independent and effective investigations and bring perpetrators to justice for the murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi and other killings of journalists and human rights defenders in Bangladesh,” their statement said. The UN experts have received numerous reports of journalists, activists, and members of civil society groups being arbitrarily detained, attacked, abducted, threatened, and subjected to judicial harassment. These incidents appear to be rarely investigated or prosecuted, and in some cases local authorities are thought to be directly implicated in the attacks. Journalism under attack “Journalism should not carry the inherent risk of being attacked, intimidated or killed with impunity but unfortunately that is the current reality for many journalists, human rights defenders and other members of civil society in Bangladesh,” they said. The experts have brought allegations to the attention of the Government which often have gone unanswered. Although they wrote to the authorities in 2012 following the murder of Mr. Sarowar and Ms. Runi, they never received a response. They further expressed concern over repeated delays surrounding the trial into the fatal shooting of journalist and human rights defender Abdul Hakim Shimul in February 2017, allegedly by the then mayor of Shahzadpur. The case has been placed on a stay order by the High Court, with all the accused on bail. They also recalled the death in custody last February of dissident writer Mushtaq Ahmed, who spent nine months in pre-trial detention on charges under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for publishing an article that criticised the government’s pandemic response. They said the authorities failed to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into his death, despite his family’s concerns that Mr. Ahmed had been tortured while in police custody, and that there was a three-hour delay in admitting him to hospital once he fell sick. An internal committee established by the Home Ministry concluded Mr. Ahmed’s death was natural, without investigating his family’s claims. UN experts raised their concerns with the government when they raised their concerns about his death in custody. Role of Rapporteurs The five Special Rapporteurs who signed the statement monitor violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and issues such as torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. They are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and operate in their individual capacity. They are not UN staff or do they receive a salary from the Organization. Source: Continue reading...

The many families on the island nation of Tonga who rely solely on the ocean for their food and income, are struggling to recover from last month’s volcanic eruption and tsunami. The natural disasters were a major blow to 74-year-old Fangupō Lātū, from the village of Pātangata. His fishing boat was sunk and destroyed during the tsunami, leaving him unable to make a living. However, he is also worried about how the crisis is affecting his community. “My village’s main source of income and livelihood come from the ocean, but the waves damaged the majority of our boats” he says. “We sold seafood daily, but now there’s none. Anyone whose boat was not destroyed no long goes fishing, due to toxicity warnings”, he adds, referring to fears associated with the ash fall that blanketed Tonga’s islands following the volcanic eruption. UN Tonga/Sia Angilau Fangupō Lātū at his Pātangata home. Food supply concerns Recovery and food security are the main medium and long-term challenges facing Tonga. As clean-up efforts continue, schools will reopen in Tonga but, when they do, many families will not be able to afford to pay required fees. Given these specific needs, the United Nations teams on the ground in Tonga and Fiji are working with the Tongan Government, Ministry of Fisheries, and National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) to ensure the needs of people like Mr. Lātū are met. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) and Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, are identifying how and where they can assist, to accurately address Tonga’s additional food requirements, and ensure a coordinated response. A total of around $354,000 in funding from the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) has been allocated to Tonga, through the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Additionally, and in the immediate aftermath, Tonga’s National Emergency Management Committee approved funding to support a decrease in the cost of deep sea fishing permits to five Tongan pa’anga (the local currency) per kilogram (USD$2.20 per kg), for a month. © Konionia Mafileo Tonga’s volcanic eruption and tsunami highlights the vulnerability of small islands and developing States (SIDS). Rehabilitating aquaculture The rehabilitation of farming aquaculture is also underway in Tonga, especially for Mokohonu (sea cucumber) and Kanahe (fish), and the Ministry of Fisheries has implemented their Immediate Response Plan until the end of this month. This includes ensuring sufficient fish from safe sources (longline tuna and deep-water snapper fisheries) are available to the public, for consumption. The Fisheries Ministry is working closely with FAO to target priority areas for immediate support. “We are gradually getting a clearer picture of the effects which this disaster has had on the vital fisheries and agricultural sectors on which so many Tongans depend – whether it’s in terms of damage to coral reefs or from the ash cover in parts of the islands,” notes FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific, Ms. Xiangjun Yao. “Under the One-UN approach, we are gearing up to provide support so that people can get back on their feet as quickly and safely as possible.” Source: Continue reading...

Jolina, 23, is eight months pregnant and lives in Burgos on the island of Siargao, which suffered some of the worst fallout of the typhoon. Her nearest health centre was completely destroyed and she will likely have to travel some 50 kilometres to give birth, she told the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, which is busy providing service on the ground. The situation is no better for Adelina, 43, from Dinagat, who is pregnant with her sixth child and has yet to have her first ultrasound. The nearest medical unit was badly damaged and was only providing emergency prenatal services, so she faces a gruelling two hours by boat, to give birth in Surigao city. A UNFPA staff member explained that women “in critical conditions are travelling for hours over broken roads or in damaged boats to get to the nearest functioning health centre – some have capsized on the way. “The lives of patients and health staff are at great risk while they are just trying to provide or seek help.” © UNFPA Philippines An expecting mother talks to a UNFPA staff member among the wreckage of her home after Typhoon Rai tore through the Philippines in in mid-December 2021. Trail of despair The third-strongest storm ever recorded in the northern hemisphere, Typhoon Rai left a trail of despair in its wake, particularly in the hardest-hit provinces of Caraga, Mindanao, Surigao and the Visayas. The full death toll and number of injured is not yet known, but more than nine million people are currently estimated to have been affected, of whom over 2.3 million women are of reproductive age, and more than 91,000 pregnant women. Most of the affected areas had limited maternal, sexual or reproductive health services even before the disaster – now there is mounting fear that unintended pregnancies could soar, including among adolescents, due to the complete suspension of family planning services. UNFPA and partners were on the ground within days of the disaster, and have so far distributed 2,500 hygiene kits, 2,000 dignity kits, 1,200 reproductive health kits and 800 maternity packs, along with family planning commodities including oral contraceptives and condoms. Two emergency maternity tents and women’s safe spaces have also been set up to help those most at risk and with the least support services. Women and girls bear the brunt More than a month on, there are still widespread food and water shortages and electricity could take up to six months to be restored in some areas. As looming lockdowns from a COVID-19 surge, and the shutdown of basic social services trap survivors of domestic violence at home with their abusers, the avenues for escape are dwindling. Over 217,000 people are still displaced, among whom are some 1,700 pregnant women. Families who have lost their homes are crowded into makeshift displacement sites with little privacy and scarce health or sanitation facilities. Women and children are especially vulnerable to gender-based violence and sexual exploitation in the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters, particularly in cramped evacuation centres and camps with little electricity and scarce water sources, as they must venture long distances in the dark to get water. Hospitals and health centres have been severely damaged, including most of the traditional Barangay health units, which are crucial suppliers of family planning support for many women. Jolina, a 23-year-old pregnant woman from Siargao Island, must travel some 50 kilometres to give birth at the only remaining functional birthing facility., by © UNFPA Philippines More than 30 protection centres for women and children are no longer functioning, dealing a harsh blow to efforts to protect the most at risk from human trafficking and gender-based violence. Women in labour have reported being turned away from hospitals, due not only to the damage wrought by Typhoon Rai but also overcrowding from COVID-19 patients (there were an estimated 275,000 active cases as of 2 February 2022). This leaves many, especially those with high-risk pregnancies and survivors of domestic violence, without critical safe spaces to seek medical help and refuge. As possible closures and lockdowns loom, more and more women in need will be cut off from essential health and protection support, placing them and their unborn children in great danger. UNFPA on the ground Despite inaccessible roads and strict pandemic counter measures, UNFPA is on the ground working with affected communities and local and government partners to respond to the urgent needs of women and girls. With generous support from the Australian government, supplies of emergency maternity tents, dignity kits, maternity packs, solar radios, and reproductive health kits were distributed just days after the cyclone made landfall. Staff were immediately deployed to assess the extent of the damage and the needs in terms of gender-based violence protection and prevention and maternal, sexual and reproductive health services. It is critical that this life-saving support be allowed to continue or be swiftly reinstated where interrupted. Death during childbirth rising In 2020 there was already an estimated 30 per cent increase in mothers in the Philippines dying during childbirth, mainly due to disrupted services at maternal and antenatal facilities, difficulty in accessing health centres, and a fear of contracting COVID-19. UNFPA urgently needs $12 million over the next six months to ensure millions of the most vulnerable women and girls are not left behind. “We need to act quickly and together to ensure women and girls experience safe pregnancy and childbirth, have continued access to sexual and reproductive health services, and are protected from gender-based violence during this COVID-19 surge and throughout the Typhoon Rai relief efforts,” urged UNFPA Philippine Country Representative, Dr. Leila Joudane. Source: Continue reading...

Humanitarians are scaling up assistance in the Philippines to assist hundreds of thousands still impacted by Typhoon Rai which struck the islands seven weeks ago, the UN said on Wednesday, launching a $169 million revised appeal to meet the urgent and growing needs. The revised Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan (HNP) targets 840,000 people over six months, up from 530,000 in the initial $107 million HNP, released on 24 December. A new understanding “The revised HNP reflects our new understanding based on over 70 field assessments, that despite the massive rapid response by the Government and civil society organizations, humanitarian needs remain very high,” said Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines. Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, struck the Philippines on 16 December, sweeping through 11 of 17 provinces, including some of the poorest parts of the country. The area affected is as large as Austria, according to Brenda Barton, Country Director for the World Food Programme (WFP). 10 million affected The typhoon brought torrential rains, violent winds, floods and storm surges, and the damage has affected nearly 10 million people overall. Roughly 144,000 Filipinos are still displaced. Some 1.7 million houses, 16,000 schools, and 330 health clinics were damaged or destroyed. Over 10 million hectares of crops were impacted, and 80 municipalities are still experiencing power outages or disruptions. Ms. Barton travelled to one of the affected areas shortly after the typhoon hit. She described the scene to journalists attending the daily briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. “I have been working for WFP for 30 years. I have worked a lot in Africa, a lot in crisis zones, and I have really never seen anything like that,” she said, speaking from Manila. “It was really an image of sort of a combination between a typhon and tornado, and things just literally being ripped up from the ground and twisted.” Humanitarians have listed shelter and food among the top priorities, along with clean water, as well as access to medicines and sanitation facilities. Education is also a pressing need as planned re-openings of some schools have now come to a halt, while hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in fishing and farming communities, have lost their livelihoods. © UNOCHA/Iris Lapid A man collects a sheet-metal from a beach that has been ravaged by the Typhoon Rai, in Philippines. Pushed to the brink WFP had originally sought $25 million to help with food provision, but also logistics and telecommunications, but needs have jumped by another $12 million. Ms. Barton said Typhoon Rai hit a country where so many people were already chronically malnourished, with one in three children stunted, while some affected areas had food insecurity levels over 50 per cent, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with most of the globe, the Philippines has had to implement lockdowns and other measures over the past two years to contain coronavirus spread, which have devastated the economy. “It’s pushed people to the edge,” said Ms. Barton. “They don’t have the incomes that they had before, they don’t have the remittances from the Filipino workers abroad, and so people are very much – and children especially – living on the edge.” ‘A crisis within a crisis’ Humanitarians said the typhoon has only aggravated a situation that was already fragile due to the pandemic, generating “a crisis within a crisis”, as it hit just as the Philippines was experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases. Mr. Gonzalez warned that hard-won development gains could be lost. “Swift and generous support from donors is vital to protect these important development progress from back-sliding. By supporting the HNP we are backing the work of more than 70 national and international organizations to save lives, protect the most vulnerable and lay the groundwork for recovery and reconstruction.”

The UN human rights office OHCHR, has said it is very alarmed over the continued disappearance of six people who were abducted in the Afghan capital Kabul, in connection with recent women’s rights protests. “We are gravely concerned for their well-being and safety”, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva. Despite the de facto authorities’ announcement on Saturday of an investigation into the disappearance two weeks ago of these individuals, “there is still no confirmed information on their whereabouts”, she added. Climate of uncertainty In the early evening of 19 January, Parwana Ibrahim Khil and her brother-in-law were abducted while travelling in Kabul. Later that same evening, Tamana Paryani and her three sisters were taken from a house in the city. On 16 January, both Ms. Khil and Ms. Paryani had taken part in peaceful demonstrations calling for the rights of women to be respected by the Taliban, who swept back into power last August. Since then, there have been reports coming in of house searches of other women who participated in protests. “The lack of clear information on the location and well-being of these and other individuals, perpetuates a climate of fear and uncertainty”, stressed Ms. Shamdasani. Worrying pattern These reports have also brought into focus what appears to be “a pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions”, as well as torture and ill-treatment of civil society activists, journalists, and media workers, as well as former Government and security forces personnel in Afghanistan, she said. Moreover, as control over dissent appears to be tightening, OHCHR continues to receive credible allegations of other gross human rights violations. “We call on the de facto authorities to publicly report on the findings of their investigation into the abduction and disappearance of these women activists and their relatives, to take all possible measures to ensure their safe and immediate release, and to hold those responsible to account”, said Ms. Shamdasani. Hold those responsible accountable She also urged Taliban officials to “guarantee that all reports of this nature” are investigated promptly and effectively, and that those responsible for abductions and arbitrary arrests be held accountable, in line with international human rights law. “All those who may be arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights must be promptly released”, she spelled out. “We also urge the Taliban leadership to send clear messages to their rank-and-file that there must be no reprisals against people who demonstrate peacefully and exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.

Scenes of relatives desperately trying to find oxygen supplies for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India last year, alerted the world to an acute, deadly problem. Yet that was not this first time the country’s hospitals have been hit by a shortage of the life-saving gas, prompting the question of whether there will be enough supplies, when the next major health crisis hits. In May 2021, India’s hospitals were at breaking point. The country found itself at the epicentre of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the biggest challenges was providing enough medical oxygen for the sickest patients, unable to breathe unaided, as demand rose ten-fold. By the end of April, there were just under 18 million confirmed cases, and over 200,000 deaths. ‘Out of stock’ Some hospitals posted “oxygen out of stock” signs, whilst others asked patients to search for treatment elsewhere. As news organizations published stories about patients dying from a lack of oxygen, family members decided to take matters into their own hands, hunting for canisters that might save the lives of their loved ones. To many observers, the crisis seemed to indicate a lack of planning on behalf of the authorities, not least because this was far from the first time that medical oxygen had been scarce during a health crisis, even during the present pandemic. Just a few months earlier, in September 2020, the country had already found itself in a similar situation: as case numbers soared, medical oxygen production failed to keep pace, amid an exponential growth in demand. And many people remembered that 70 children had died at a government-run hospital in Uttar Pradesh due to a lack of oxygen in 2017, when a supplier stopped delivering canisters, after complaining of unpaid bills. India’s huge size, and the way its oxygen production industry is set up, were also identified as key factors. Only a small number of India’s hospitals have the facilities to produce the gas in-house, and the rest depend on deliveries from private companies. Oxygen production plants are concentrated in the industrial belt of eastern India, meaning that cryogenic trucks, specially designed to carry liquid oxygen, have to travel long distances to reach regional suppliers, which transfer the gas into smaller containers for delivery to hospitals. © UNICEF/Ronak Rami Two workers set up the oxygen cylinders for treating patients with respiratory diseases, in India. Emergency measures The Indian Government, the UN and other humanitarian organizations, responded to the emergency in a variety of ways. Additional tankers were airlifted from abroad, tankers used for liquid argon and nitrogen were converted to carry oxygen, and the railways innovated to introduce special “Oxygen Express” trains. Industrial oxygen was diverted from steel plants to hospitals and the procurement and distribution of oxygen concentrators was stepped up. The UN focused on getting hold of essential equipment such as concentrators, ventilators, and oxygen-generating plants, as well as implementing other measures to reduce the rate of serious case numbers, speeding up the rollout of vaccination programmes, and improving testing facilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) deployed over 2,600 public health specialists working on other diseases to tackle the epidemic in India, and around 820 staff members from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) helped the authorities to monitor over 175,000 COVID-19 centres across the country. Maintaining a steady flow But how should India prepare for the next oxygen emergency, given the unpredictable nature of demand for the gas, in a country where the cost of producing, storing and transporting it, is higher than the cost of the product itself? And how can better distribution be ensured, so that oxygen is available wherever it is needed, at all times, and no one is deprived of this life-saving product? These questions were tackled in January by Ramana Gandham, Rajaji Meshram, and Andrew Sunil Rajkumar, a trio of health specialists, in a blog published by the World Bank. Following technical assistance from the international financial institution in four Indian states – Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and West Bengal – as well as with the central Government authorities, the experts set out a series of options to strengthen the country’s medical oxygen policy. © UNICEF/Vineeta Misra A patient who may have COVID-19 waits for medical assistance at a facility in the Goregaon area of Mumbai, India. Hike in production They recommended a significant hike in the production of medical oxygen, a process that has already begun: more than a thousand new plants are being funded by the Government, producing 1,750 metric tons of oxygen every day, and more plants have been set up with regional and private sector backing. The specialists recommend supporting hospitals that want to build their own plants, on site, which would reduce the problem of distribution. In some areas, such as Bihar state, companies are offered incentives, such as subsidized land or utilities, and low-interest finance, to set up plants. Once they’re up and running, it’s important that the plants are maintained, something that has not always been the case, due to a lack of resources. The same goes for all storage tanks and delivery systems, such as specialized trucks. Trained people are needed to run the plants, and India has launched an initiative to train 8,000 technicians capable of operating and maintaining them. The experts found that, during the May 2021 crisis, the issue was not so much a shortage of medical oxygen, but rather the concentration of medical oxygen in eastern India, and the inability of the distribution network to ramp up to meet the ten-fold surge in demand. ‘Buffer storage’ One solution to this issue is the creation of “buffer storage” facilities, at strategic locations, so that oxygen can be delivered far more quickly during emergencies. Since the last wave, the Indian Government, technical partners, and private agencies have worked closely to estimate India’s future demand for oxygen. Many forecasting and modelling techniques have been used to develop a deeper understanding of production, demand and storage requirements. Digital tracking systems have now been set up, to allow India’s states to ensure the delivery of oxygen at different points along the supply chain, monitor consumption and forecast demand. In Uttarakhand, 30,000 Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags have been distributed to medical oxygen suppliers and hospitals, to be affixed on oxygen cylinders. Delhi, whose hospitals were badly affected by a lack of supply during the May 2021 COVID wave, is also making use of tracking technology. It is hoped that, by putting these measures in place, the country will be able to swiftly and effectively respond to the next health emergency, minimise deaths, and avoid a repeat of the distressing, chaotic scenes witnessed less than a year ago. World Bank support for India To date, the World Bank Group has provided over $3 billion in support of India’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this, Bank projects at the national and state level are working with India to address critical gaps in its oxygen supply systems. At the peak of the second wave, the Bank Group worked closely with global suppliers to facilitate the rapid purchase and delivery of 29,600 high quality oxygen concentrators for the country. The Bank also assisted with the sourcing of other oxygen-related commodities within India, such as oxygen cylinders. In partnership with the NGO PATH, the Bank provided targeted technical assistance to four states – Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and West Bengal – to strengthen their oxygen systems and build capacities. It also supported the central Government on key transport and logistics issues related to medical oxygen in India.

A Tongan family’s trip to visit relatives on Mango island earlier this month turned into a nightmare, when the country was devastated by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano, and subsequent tsunami. Pauline Vaiangina, her husband, and their four young children, who live in Tongatapu, Tonga’s main island, were visiting their grandmother on the tiny remote island, when Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai erupted. Sudden explosions “It was a Saturday like any other”, says Pauline. We had just finished eating fish for dinner and I was washing the plates, when the dogs barked non-stop as if trying to warn us of something … they were persistent.” Suddenly they heard explosions from the volcano that were so loud and so intense that they could be heard and felt over 800 kilometres away in Fiji. After the second, louder explosion boomed, Pauline noticed an unfamiliar change in the movement of the tide. “It went out and came back in. Each time the tide went out, the beach was left drier and drier, and the sea level rose higher. © UNICEF/Malani Wolfgramm A destroyed home in Kolomotu’a village on Tonga’s main island Tongatapu, seven days after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano eruption and tsunami in Tonga. ‘Run to the mountain!’ That’s when I yelled, ‘Run to the mountain!’ We shouted to all the neighbours to flee to high ground – the waves and the volcano were so loud.” As Pauline had guessed, a tsunami was about to hit Mango Island. Like the volcano, the effects of the tsunami spread well beyond Tonga, with impacts felt as far away as Peru, and California in the United States. Pauline’s husband carried all four of their children up the mountain, returning to carry her 80-year-old grandmother as well. As they sat under a coconut tree, watching ash and rock fall from the sky, and huge waves crash over the island, practically every structure was destroyed, leaving the inhabitants homeless. Singing hymns. Sheltered only by small tarpaulins and mats, everyone who followed Pauline and her family up the mountain huddled together through the night and sang hymns as the volcano roared; lightning lit up the sky. “We didn’t leave the mountain until Monday morning”, recounted Pauline. “We came down to an island that was completely wiped out. We bathed in the sea, looked for any remaining clothes. At this point, we are just grateful to be alive.” © UNICEF/Malani Wolfgramm A family dry their belongings outside their home after it was damaged in the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano eruption and tsunami. ‘Entire population of Tonga impacted’ The Government of Tonga and humanitarian partners reported on Wednesday that the entire population of Tonga (approximately 105,000 people) have been impacted by the ash and the tsunami. At least 62 people originally from Mango Island were initially evacuated to Nomuka Island and, on 21 January, to Tongatapu. The low fatality numbers are being attributed to a well-functioning early warning system and successful preparedness activities. At the height of the crisis, some 3,000 people had to seek shelter on higher grounds, either with relatives and friends or in evacuation centres, but the vast majority have been able to return home. The Government of Tonga and humanitarian partners (the Tongan Red Cross Societies, INGOs, donors and UN agencies) are carrying out initial damage assessments and providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to people in need. 26 UN staff on the ground continue to support the Tongan Government’s recovery efforts in-country, and UN teams across the Pacific region have mobilized immediate relief supplies, including, crucially, access to clean water, access to communication (internet and international phone lines, satellite phones), WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) kits, and shelter.

As news coverage of the eruption and tsunami that hit Tonga starts to fade away, the United Nations Coordination Specialist in the country has a message to the outside world: Tonga’s people are going to need sustained support responding to a disaster of this scale. “The resources that we have in the ground are not enough”, Sione Hufanga explained, in an interview on Saturday morning local time, with UN News. “We ought to always look at the situation and ask, have we done enough, for this very small country, isolated in the Pacific islands?” The underwater volcano eruption of a week ago, is believed to be the largest volcanic event to occur for 30 years. The huge, 20 km high mushroom cloud of smoke and ash, and the tsunami that followed, affected 84,000 people, more than 80 per cent of the population of the South Pacific country. In the last few days, the Kingdom has started receiving ships with humanitarian aid, and, with the runway now cleared of thick volcanic ash, the international airport is now open to flights with assistance. Despite the positive signs of recovery, Mr. Hufanga warns that “the people of Tonga are still overwhelmed with the magnitude of the disaster.” Only three people – so far – have lost their lives, but the specialist believes that number provides a somewhat misleading sense of security. “Sometimes you can feel that it’s not as bad as it is, based on the fatalities, but that number represents the resilience of the Tongan community in such a disaster”, he said. Immediate needs Speaking by cellphone, with most communications with the outside world still suspended, he explained that “most of the focus now is to serve the people who have been severely affected and need help with their essential needs in the next few days.” The UN is working with the Government to finalize a needs assessment, that should be completed next week and will guide the immediate response and relief efforts. “Water, sanitation, hygiene, schools, are among the things that will allow life to return to normal as soon as possible, but there is still a lot of ash that needs to be removed from those premises”, Mr. Hufanga informed. UN agencies are in the field distributing dignity kits to the most affected people, food support, and trying to restart the agricultural sector. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Minister of Health providing medical teams to Ha’apai, one of the most affected islands, and other agencies, like the World Food Programme (WFP), are cooperating to help restore communication services. Long-term impacts For the UN specialist, the complete magnitude of the problems is still unknown. He points to damages to the agricultural sector or the marine resources as examples. Around 60 to 70 per cent of livestock-rearing households have seen their animals perish, grazing land damaged, or water supplies contaminated. And, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the agricultural sector represents over 65 per cent of the country exports. Fisheries have been significantly affected as well. The Government has advised against fishing amidst the ongoing contamination, or consuming fish. “These are mid to long-term impacts that are yet to be understood”, Mr. Hufanga said. Because of this, the specialist believes Tongans might have to rely on imported food for some time, something they have “never experienced before” “Tonga never expected that such a disaster could put us in this very, very difficult situation”, he says. © UNICEF/Consulate of the Kingdom of Tonga Damage caused in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, by the volcano eruption and subsequent tsunami on 15 January 2022.

When a tsunami swept over much of Tonga last weekend, Joseph Sikulu, a Tongan national, was in Sydney, Australia, exiled from home by strict COVID-19 travel restrictions. For three days, with most communications lines severed, his family and friends were cut off from the outside world, and Mr. Sikulu feared the worst. “I grew up here in Australia, but I spent my last few years living in Tonga as Pacific Director for climate action group 350.org. I came back to Australia at the beginning of the pandemic, and I have not been able to go home since because the borders have been completely shut off to the rest of the world. COVID-free The great thing about that is that COVID has not reached the shores of Tonga: one case made it through, but they caught it while the person was still in quarantine, and it wasn’t transmitted to the community. So, they’ve been really strict on who they let in and how people come in. They want to make sure that everybody is vaccinated before they think about opening. Actually, the first repatriation flight was scheduled to come in on 20 January, but after the tsunami on the weekend, it was cancelled. There are quite a few people from Tonga stuck here in Sydney waiting to go back home. I’m glad that, being in Sydney I have been able to send support back home, but it’s also very difficult being separated from everybody at the times families usually gather together, like Christmas; but particularly now, when people at home are facing hardship and there’s not much we can do from here. ‘The water was doing funny things’ We were watching TV last weekend, and saw news about Tonga. Then we just started scrolling through Facebook, and seeing all of these stories about an eruption that had happened, and saw people actually going live on Facebook because the water was doing funny things and nobody knew what was going on. People were live streaming from the coast, just trying to figure out what was happening, and then we watched them running from the tsunami, and screaming, before communications were completely cut. We weren’t able to talk to anybody from Saturday up until about Wednesday. Actually, on Saturday we had been rejoicing with my family that Cyclone Cody had just swept past Tonga last week, without caused any kind of damage. We thought that we had escaped the worst, but we didn’t realize that the actual worst was just coming up. ADB/Eric Sales A beach in Tonga, before the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai ‘Everyone was crying’ Natural disasters aren’t a new thing in the Pacific, and systems are in place so that everyone knows what they have to do in the case of a cyclone, but a tsunami is a totally different kind of disaster because it’s unpredictable. We didn’t know how big it was or how far it had affected, because communications had been cut. We just had no idea of the magnitude of the volcanic eruption, and it turned into this huge thing with everybody saying that it was a once-in-a-thousand-years type of event. Through all of Sunday, all of Monday, all of Tuesday, every day until we heard from people, we feared the worst. Some people had access to satellite phone and internet and were able get tiny bits of communication out that gave us glimmers of hope. But we were worried. One person would start crying, then everyone else was crying. It was just so difficult to be disconnected from home, not knowing what’s going on. I’m just really thankful now that we’ve been able to speak to everybody at home, and find out that everyone’s doing okay. Resilience of the Tongan people The thing I’m not concerned about is the resilience of my family and my people. The smaller islands close to the volcano took so much damage: the waves swept right over them, and we are hearing now from people there who survived by climbing the coconut trees. The government have come in and evacuated people already because it’s complete decimation: there’s nothing left on some of these islands. At the moment, the death toll is still three, which we’re thankful for, but we know, as the Tongan Navy gets through to all the smaller islands, there’s a possibility that figure will rise: so many people in the Ha’apei islands have sustained injuries trying to escape from the Tsunami. Agriculture is the main way to survive, and knowing the effect the ash fall has had on the land is going be really important, it will determine how long it’s going take completely to recover. Initial reports said that the ash fall has affected all of the crops within Tonga this year. People were being told not to go near them, not to touch them. But the great thing about the Tongan community is that there’s a lot of support coming in for overseas. There are more Tongans outside the country than those who live on the islands, and everybody’s mobilized to make sure our families have everything they need. They’ll make it through this. It’s just going to take a really long time for them to recover.”

In total, about 84,000 people, more than 80 per cent of the population of the South Pacific Kingdom, have been affected by the disaster. Besides the three fatalities reported earlier in the week, no further deaths have been confirmed. In an update released on Thursday, OCHA confirms that the whole economically vital agricultural sector, including crops, livestock and fisheries, have suffered substantially. The agency is particularly concerned with the effect of ashfall on crops along with saltwater intrusion, and the potential of acid rain. Around 60 to 70 per cent of livestock-rearing households have seen their animals perish, grazing land damaged, or water supplies contaminated. Fisheries operating across the more than 170 islands that make up the archipelago, have also been significantly affected and the Government has advised against fishing amidst the ongoing contamination, or consuming fish. Assessment Initial Damage Assessments (IDAs) are underway on the main island, Tongatapu, as well as on islands of the Ha’apai group, by Tonga’s National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) and partners. Most parts of the country, including remote and isolated islands, have also been visited by assessment teams, said OCHA. So far, five communities in Tongatapu have been identified as having suffered significant damage to households in coastal areas. Around 31 houses are completely damaged, 72 severely, 46 moderately, and 23 suffered minor damage. According to OCHA, there are still serious concerns about access to safe water and the quality of groundwater. The capital’s water supply is safe to drink but most people are now relying on bottled water. Authorities have advised residents against drinking rainwater, until more information is available. Response ongoing Local and international partners are working hard to address these issues, shipping water, purification units and desalination equipment. Another main issue going forward, according to OCHA, is monitoring the risk of infectious diseases. There are also reports of a fuel shortage, but petrol supplies are coming as part of regular shipment and with some additional Australian Government support. As regards to public health concerns, the hospital and the national pharmacy in the capital are intact and fully functioning. There are some reports, OCHA noted, of damage to some health centres in Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai. Communications update In terms of international connectivity, it is still limited, but the situation is gradually improving, the humanitarian coordination agency said. Among other initiatives, a ship is on its way to fix the badly damaged underwater communication cable – the country’s sole fixed link to the outside world – but that work might take several weeks to be completed. Communication with outer islands remains very limited. Through the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, the World Food Programme (WFP) is helping the process of re-establishing communications, particularly telephone and internet services. Damage caused in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, by the volcano eruption and subsequent tsunami on 15 January 2022. , by © UNICEF/Consulate of the Kingdom of Tonga As explained to UN News, the agency is also supporting the food security and logistics clusters, working on assessing needs, priorities and other logistics aspects of the humanitarian response. WFP has also activated its Donate Responsibly campaign to raise awareness on how people can donate in a responsible manner. Airports open After being closed for several days due to ash on the runway, the debris at Fua’amotu International Airport has reportedly been cleared thanks to the tireless efforts of Tongan authorities, and it is now operational. Relief flights from New Zealand and Australia arrived on Thursday, and a domestic flight departed for Ha’apai, confirming that the airport there was also operational. Oil spill in Peru The effects of the eruption and tsunami have also been felt across the Pacific, in Peru, where the UN country team is following the impacts of a tragic oil spill that resulted from the disaster, thousands of miles to the west. According to authorities, the spill is impacting two natural reserves in the South American country, affecting livelihoods as well as life under and above water. The UN’s Resident Coordinator, Igor Garafulic, met with authorities on Thursday morning and committed the full UN team’s support to address the ecological disaster. The volcanic eruption was the largest recorded in thirty years. A huge, 20 km high mushroom cloud of smoke and ash was followed by a tsunami, and the eruption was heard as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Waves as high as 1.2 metres hit the capital, Nuku’alofa, whose inhabitants fled to high ground, leaving behinds flooded houses, whilst rocks and ash rained from the sky.

At least three people have died in Tonga following the massive volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami wave that hit over the weekend. Homes and other buildings across the archipelago have suffered major damage. Islands covered in ash, dozens of homes destroyed According to a Tongan Government press release on Tuesday, the three fatalities are a British national, and two Tongan nationals. The UN World Health Organization, WHO, has reported that many people are still missing, whilst around 90 people headed to safety in evacuation centres on the island of Eua, and many others fled to the homes of friends and family. On the main island of Tongatapu, around 100 houses have been damaged, and 50 completely destroyed, according to the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, which updated journalists in Geneva on Tuesday. The agency pointed out that it is still in the process of collecting information about the scale of destruction, and it has not been possible to contact any of the islands of the Ha’apai et Vava’u chains. The Mango and Fonoi islands, which form part of the Ha’apai chain, are a particular cause for concern, said OCHA Spokeperson Jens Laerke, with surveillance flights showing widespread damage to buildings, and images from UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) show that, on the small island of Nomuka, one of the closest to the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano, 41 of 104 visible structures have been damaged, and almost all are covered by ash, although the Centre notes that this assessment remains to be verified by teams on the ground. WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, told journalists on Tuesday that Tongatapu is covered by around two centimetres of volcanic dust and ash, raising concerns of air, water and food pollution. There is some positive news, he added: all health facilities on the main island are fully operational, and clean-up operations have already begun. Biggest eruption in 3 decades The volcanic eruption was the largest recorded in thirty years. A huge, 20 km high mushroom cloud of smoke and ash was followed by a tsunami, and the eruption was heard as far away as Australia and New Zealand, causing tsunami warnings across the Pacific. Waves as high as 1.2 metres hit the capital, Nuku’alofa, whose inhabitants fled to high ground, leaving behinds flooded houses, whilst rocks and ash rained from the sky. The WHO reports that the Tongan Government reacted quickly to the crisis, deploying a warship to the Ha’api islands, with a team from the WHO-trained Tonga Emergency Medical Assistance Team on board, ready to help the injured. The Government is advising the Tongan population to stay inside, wear masks if they have to go outside, and drink bottled water to avoid health risks arising from the fallen ash. © New Zealand Defence Force An image on the Tonga Islands where the heavy ash fall from the recent volcanic eruption. The emergency relief effort is being coordinated by the Pacific Humanitarian Team (PHT), which brings together UN agencies, the Red Cross and international NGOs, to organize on the ground and remote support to the Tongan Government. The priorities for the team are to help re-establish communications, find ways to transport emergency aid, and provide technical advice on matters such as ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies, which have been seriously affected by volcanic ash. Early estimates of the scale of the crisis have been relayed by the WHO country liaison officer, Dr Yutaro Setoya, whose satellite phone is one of the few sources of information from the island nation. International phone and internet services are still unreliable, after a key underwater communication cable was severed during the eruption. It is estimated that it will take several weeks for the cable to be repaired. “Yuta has literally been standing outside from dawn until long into the night for the past few days to ensure that the phone can reach the satellite signal and he can pass along vital information,” said WHO’s Health Cluster Coordinator for the Pacific, Sean Casey. “All of us here at WHO, and in the broader UN family, are thinking of Tonga right now and doing what we can to support the government’s response efforts.” More to come on this developing story later.

Iran must halt the looming execution of juvenile offender Hossein Shahbazi, four experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Thursday. Mr. Shahbazi, now 20, was 17 when he was arrested for fatally stabbing a classmate during a fight involving four people. He was scheduled to be executed on 5 January, which was temporarily halted. Uphold international law The experts said the court had relied in part on confessions reportedly obtained under torture and ill treatment when Mr. Shahbazi was interrogated by police for 11 days. During this time, he was also denied access to a lawyer and his family. “We urge the Iranian authorities to immediately and permanently halt the execution of Hossein Shahbazi and annul his death sentence, in line with international human rights law,” the experts said in a statement. They added that Mr. Shahbazi’s execution had been scheduled to take place four times, causing irreversible psychological pain and suffering to him and his family. The UN experts had previously raised concerns about the death sentence and imminent execution with the Iranian authorities on 7 June 2021 and again the following month. The Government responded that a stay of execution had been granted to facilitate reconciliation for pardon. Moratorium “We underline again that reconciliation efforts do not replace the Government’s obligation to prohibit such executions,” the experts said. “International law unequivocally forbids the imposition of the death penalty on persons below 18 years of age. Iran must observe its international obligations by imposing de jure and de facto moratorium (this should really be moratoria, but since it’s a direct quote, they can take the grammatical rap) on the execution of juvenile offenders once and for all.” More than 85 juvenile offenders are currently on death row in Iran, according to the experts. Last November, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, condemned the execution of another juvenile offender, Arman Abdolali, 25, who was accused of murder when he was 17. OHCHR also deplored that Mr. Abdolali had been transferred to solitary confinement six times ahead of his scheduled execution, which was postponed each time before he was hanged on 24 November 2021.  Role of UN experts The experts who issued the statement are Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on human rights situation in Iran; Mikiko Otani, Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. They receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and are neither UN staff nor are they paid by the Organization.

Just two days ago, the United Nations launched its largest-ever humanitarian appeal for a single country, requiring more than $5 billion this year. Speaking to journalists in New York, the UN chief said the scale of the appeal “reflects the scale of the despair.” “Babies being sold to feed their siblings. Freezing health facilities overflowing with malnourished children. People burning their possessions to keep warm. Livelihoods across the country have been lost.” Currently, more than half the population of Afghanistan depends on life-saving assistance. Without a more concerted effort from the international community, Mr. Guterres argued, “virtually every man, woman and child in Afghanistan could face acute poverty.” ‘Amazing results’ According to the Secretary-General, when properly funded, the aid operation has the capacity to achieve “amazing results.” Last year, the UN and its humanitarian partners reached 18 million people across the country, over 60 per cent more than the year before. These workers now have access to areas and communities that have been off-limits for years, but humanitarian operations need more money and more flexibility. “Freezing temperatures and frozen assets are a lethal combination for the people of Afghanistan”, Mr. Guterres warned. The UN chief also pointed to rules and conditions that prevent money from being used to save lives and the economy, arguing that they shouldbe suspended. “International funding should be allowed to pay the salaries of public-sector workers, and to help Afghan institutions deliver healthcare, education and other vital services”, he said. ‘Creative arrangements’ Mr. Guterres also welcomed the Security Council‘s adoption of a humanitarian exception to the sanctions regime for the country, back in December. He believes the decision provides financial institutions and commercial actors with legal assurances to engage with humanitarian operators, without fear of breaching sanctions. To avoid economic collapse, the Secretary-General believes that the function of Afghanistan’s Central Bank must be preserved. On top of that, a path for conditional release of foreign currency reserves should be identified. According to him, the United Nations is taking steps to inject cash into the economy “through creative authorized arrangements”, but it is “a drop in the bucket.” The Secretary-General then highlighted one positive example, the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), created by the World Bank. Just last month, the institution transferred $280 million from that fund tofinance the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) operations. “I hope the remaining resources, more than $1.2 billion, will become available to help Afghanistan’s people survive the winter”, he said. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell Displaced families face a harsh winter and food shortages in Kabul, Afghanistan. Appeal As he appealed to the international community, the Secretary-General made an “equally urgent plea” to the Taliban leadership, asking them to recognize and protect the fundamental human rights of women and girls. “Across Afghanistan, women and girls are missing from offices and classrooms. A generation of girls is seeing its hopes and dreams shattered. Women scientists, lawyers and teachers are locked out, wasting skills and talents that will benefit the entire country and, indeed, the world.” “No country can thrive while denying the rights of half its population”, he concluded.

The UN and partners launched a more than $5 billion funding appeal for Afghanistan on Tuesday, in the hope of shoring up collapsing basic services there, which have left 22 million in need of assistance inside the country, and 5.7 million people requiring help beyond its borders. Speaking in Geneva, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that $4.4 billion was needed for the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan alone, “to pay direct” to health workers and others, not the de facto authorities. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for $623 million, to support refugees and host communities in five neighbouring countries, for the Afghanistan Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan. “Today we are launching an appeal for $4.4 billion for Afghanistan itself for 2022,” said Mr. Griffiths. “This is the largest ever appeal for a single country for humanitarian assistance and it is three times the amount needed, and actually fundraised in 2021.” Needs could double The scale of need is already enormous, both UN officials stressed, warning that if insufficient action is taken now to support the Afghanistan and regional response plans, “next year we’ll be asking for $10 billion”. Mr. Griffiths added: “This is a stop-gap, an absolutely essential stop-gap measure that we are putting in front of the international community today. Without this being funded, there won’t be a future, we need this to be done, otherwise there will be outflow, there will be suffering.” Rejecting questions that the funding would be used to support the Taliban’s grip on de facto government, Mr. Griffiths insisted that it would go directly into the pockets of “nurses and health officials in the field” so that these services can continue, not as support for State structures. UN aid agencies describe Afghanistan’s plight as one of the world’s most rapidly growing humanitarian crises. According to UN humanitarian coordination office OCHA, half the population now faces acute hunger, over nine million people have been displaced and millions of children are out of school. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell Displaced families face a harsh winter and food shortages in Kabul, Afghanistan. Youngsters’ plight Asked to describe what might happen if sufficient support was not forthcoming, the UN emergency relief chief replied that he was particularly concerned for one million children now facing severe acute malnutrition. “A million children – figures are so hard so grasp when they’re this kind of size – but a million children at risk of that kind of malnutrition if these things don’t happen, is a shocking one.” But humanitarian agencies and their partners who will receive the requested funding directly can only do so much, Mr. Griffiths explained, before reiterating his support for the 22 December UN Security Council resolution that cleared the way for aid to reach Afghans, while preventing funds from falling into the hands of the Taliban. “Humanitarian agencies inside Afghanistan can only operate if there’s cash in the economy which can be used to pay officials, salaries, costs, fuel and so-forth,” he said. “So, liquidity in its first phase is a humanitarian issue, it’s not just a bigger economic issue.” Stave off disease, hunger He added: “My message is urgent: don’t shut the door on the people of Afghanistan. Humanitarian partners are on the ground, and they are delivering, despite the challenges. Help us scale up and stave off wide-spread hunger, disease, malnutrition and ultimately death by supporting the humanitarian plans we are launching today.” Highlighting the need to avoid a wider regional crisis emanating from Afghanistan, UNHCR chief Grandi, insisted that what was needed most, was “to stabilize the situation inside Afghanistan, including that of displaced people who are displaced inside their country. Also, to prevent a larger refugee crisis, a larger crisis of external displacement.” Nonetheless, Afghanistan’s immediate neighbours had sheltered vulnerable Afghans for decades, Mr. Grandi explained, as he appealed for $623 million in funding for 40 organizations working in protection, health and nutrition, food security, shelter and non-food items, water and sanitation, livelihoods and resilience, education, and logistics and telecoms. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell Displaced families face a harsh winter and food shortages in Kabul, Afghanistan. Decades of shelter No-one should forget “that there is a regional dimension to this crisis, represented by the Afghan refugees but also Afghans with many other ‘stay’ arrangements in neighbouring countries in particular,” Mr. Grandi said, “especially in Pakistan and Iran that have hosted Afghans for more than 40 years, but also Central Asian States.” Since the Taliban takeover last August, women’s and girls’ rights have continued to come under attack, OCHA noted in a statement, “while farmers and herders are struggling amid the worst drought in decades and the economy is in freefall”. Rights reminder On the issue of protecting fundamental rights, Mr. Griffiths underlined the fact that UN humanitarians were continuing to hold “conversations” with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities at a national and sub-national level, on issues such as aid and education access for all. Echoing that message, UN refugee chief Mr. Grandi noted that humanitarians on the ground were well aware of the importance of stressing the need to protect the rights of minorities and other vulnerable Afghans. “Our colleagues are there every day, and that’s what they talk about every day; they certainly talk about access, and delivery and needs, but they also talk about women at work, women in school – girls in school – rights of minorities, but it’s that space that we need to preserve.”

Ten months since the military takeover in February 2021, food insecurity in Myanmar has risen sharply, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. According to the agency, the rise is driven by the ongoing political crisis, poverty, displacement, and the economic fallout from COVID-19. Needs are now widespread, from areas affected by conflict in border regions where humanitarian action has been focused for years, to impoverished urban areas where families have seen jobs vanish, incomes dry up, and destitution. Assistance In this context, WFP continued to deliver life-saving assistance, and ramped up its operations to assist 2.4 million people in 2021, up from 1 million in 2020. In 2022, the agency plans to double the size and scope of its programme, targeting 4 million people. The number is likely to increase as the year progresses. According to WFP, this is the most acute humanitarian crisis the country has faced since Cylone Nargis in 2008. Aid operations, however, remain critically underfunded. Donations covered two thirds of the needs arising in 2021, allowing the agency to reach 2.4 million people. But WFP needs $62.4 million in the coming six months. Economic crisis The World Bank predicts that the economy will contract by at least 18 per cent in the current fiscal year. The currency has lost over 50 per cent of its value, and the banking sector is limping. The cost of a basic food basket has increased by 30 per cent compared to last January, while fuel prices have increased by between 59 and 82 per cent. As they try to feed themselves, almost 90 per cent of households have resorted to negative coping strategies, such as borrowing money and spending savings to buy food. Displacement Displacement driven by conflict also continues across the country, including in areas that have previously seen few flee their homes. As an initial response, WFP’s life-saving food supplies have reached some 42,000 people displaced by recent violence in Bago and Magway regions, as well as Chin, Kayah, Shan, Kachin and Kayin states. Work continues to access displaced communities in other parts of the country including Sagaing and Tanintharyi.

Despite travel bans and other COVID-19 restrictions, the small team at Viet Nam’s wildlife forensic lab has been bolstering police efforts to crack down on illegal trafficking, with support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The limited research lab worked on almost 250 criminal cases last year, representing hundreds of individual samples from high-profile cases related to rhino horns, pangolin scales, elephant ivory, big cats, fish, bear parts, turtles and lion bones. Lab upgrade The facility is based at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), located in the capital, Hanoi, and has undergone a major transformation. It has now become a world-class wildlife forensic laboratory, through funding provided initially by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and, more recently, UNODC. Giovanni Broussard, Regional Coordinator for the UN agency’s Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, recently announced continued funding through September. “Despite the continuous challenges, the Viet Nam laboratory has continued to operate effectively and was given special permission to operate during lockdowns, clearly demonstrating the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to tackle the illegal wildlife trade,” he said. Supporting law enforcement The six dedicated forensic staff worked through pandemic restrictions, including local travel bans, to ensure criminal cases were processed and reported efficiently. The project funded by UNODC, and implemented by TRACE Wildlife Forensic Network, directly supported more than 70 criminal cases through a specialized quality management system. Last July, customs authorities at the port in Da Nang seized a cargo shipment sent from Durban, South Africa. The shipment had been declared as wood, but actually contained just over three tonnes of animal bones, including skulls and 52 horns. Bone samples Although staff were prevented from travelling to the crime scene due to COVID-19 restrictions, they provided a sampling guide so that customs officers could take one bone from each bag, and extract a sample of each horn, which were then sent back to the IEBR for analysis. Regional technical support specialist, Kelly Morgan from TRACE Wildlife Forensic Network, said “it’s been a challenging two years, but the transformation is incredible to witness.” The lab is currently undergoing an audit by the US-based Society of Wildlife Forensic Science to ensure that the work practices are consistent with international standards.