15 participants each from the Government of Syria, the Syrian Negotiations Commission and Civil Society delegations (also known as the “middle third”), who are meeting at UN Geneva in line with a key part of Security Council resolution 2254 (from 2015), which called for setting a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution. A larger group of 150 delegates is also part of the process, but only the smaller group is meeting in Geneva as of Monday.
Beirut blast exposed widespread corruption and accountability deficit in Lebanon, says UNDP. The explosion at the port of Beirut on the 4th of August has resulted in deep human suffering and massive destruction to the Lebanese capital, but it has also revealed a deeper and more devastating problem the country, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): widespread and systemic corruption.
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing UNOG-NEWS Beirut Humanitarian Response 11AUG2020: As extent of blast damage and people’s needs become clear in Beirut, UN humanitarian agencies bring immediate aid and appeal for support
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing Lebanon Blast Reax 07AUG2020
Breastfeeding link to COVID-19 is negligible, says World Health Organization. The risk of COVID-19 infection from breastfeeding is negligible and has never been documented, the UN health agency said on Tuesday, while warning that not using mother’s milk is linked to more than 820,000 child deaths a year, at a cost to the global economy of some $300 billion.
Thousands suffer extreme rights abuses journeying to Africa’s Mediterranean coast: UNHCR, IOM
COVID-19 is not seasonal, says WHO, urges greater respect for physical distancing
Dramatic Arctic fires and sea ice melt, reminders of need for urgent climate action, says WMO
COVID-19 scapegoating triggers fresh displacement in Yemen, warns migration agency