Category: Judicial

This Middle East and North Africa (MENA) report summarizes mobility restrictions at airports, land, and blue border crossing points resulting from the mitigation measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: International Organization for Migration

Key Figures

17.4 million* people of concern in the Middle East and North Africa *(2021 planning figures)

29,000 cases of COVID-19 reported among people of concern to UNHCR since March 2020, including fatalities

19 out of 19 countries in the MENA region have started COVID-19 vaccinations for refugees

Regional Developments

In 2021, UNHCR and partners continued to provide support and deliver protection and assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people (IDPs) across the MENA region. This included supporting access to health and education services, and providing shelter and cash assistance, which remained essential to people of concern; some 826,000 unique individuals were reached with emergency cash assistance for the COVID-19 response to the value of $43 million. Notably, UNHCR advocacy contributed to the inclusion of refugees in national COVID-19 responses across the region, including for testing and treatment, and in all countries for COVID-19 vaccination.

Throughout the year, UNHCR continued to support local COVID-19 health responses and sensitization activities through Risk Communication and Community Engagement, while vaccination campaigns were further reinforced by national health authorities, as booster shots were introduced by some to mitigate the spread of the virus.

In 2022, UNHCR’s COVID-19 response will continue to focus on advocating for the inclusion of people of concern to UNHCR in national public health systems and other national responses. Given that significant numbers of people of concern remain vulnerable and in hardship, exacerbated by the pandemic, UNHCR will continue to mitigate the negative socioeconomic and protection impacts of COVID-19, particularly through cash programming and community outreach. COVID-19 programming, including in the areas of protection, health, basic needs, WASH, shelter, and camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), are mainstreamed into annual planning and presented in the Global Appeal and an overview is available here.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The total of 1.5 million refugees represent a 14% increase from February 2021. Chad hosts the largest number or refugees with 67% from Sudan. Cameroon hosts the second largest number of refugees mainly from the Central African Republic (73%) and Nigeria (26%).

The number of internally displaced persons reported by 7 UNHCR operations rose to an estimated 7.5 million, up from 6.4 million at the end of February 2021 (17%). Nigeria hosts 42% of the IDP population in the region.

Central Sahel countries host 28% of PoC in the West & Central Africa with most of the forced displacements (87%) taking place within individual countries, rather than across national borders.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

PARIS— UN biodiversity negotiations began in Geneva on Monday to hammer out a global deal to better protect nature that is due for approval later this year.

Almost 200 countries are due to adopt a global framework this year to safeguard nature by mid-century from the destruction wrought by humanity, with a key milestone of 30 per cent protected by 2030.

“The world is clearly eager for urgent action to protect nature,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in a press release.

“And we have no time to spare. Together we must ultimately deliver a truly historic agreement that puts us firmly on the path to living in harmony with nature.”

Talks, which run from March 14 to March 29, will set the stage for a crucial United Nations COP 15 biodiversity summit, initially due to be held in Kunming, China in 2020 and postponed several times because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Geneva meeting will announce new dates for COP 15, which is currently slated for April to May but is expected to be delayed again.

According to several sources, the new dates envisaged are from the end of August to the beginning of September.

The CBD said the Geneva talks will play a crucial role in finalising an “ambitious transformative post-2020 framework” to be approved at COP15.

A draft of the document outlines some 20 targets for 2030, including the high-profile ambition to protect at least 30 percent of the Earth’s land and water habitats.

It also includes objectives on reducing the amount of fertilisers and pesticides discharged into the environment and cutting at least $500 billion per year of harmful subsidies.

In 2019, a report by UN biodiversity experts said one million species could disappear in the coming decades, raising fears the world is entering a sixth era of mass extinction in the last half-billion years.

Countries have failed to meet almost all the biodiversity targets set in 2010.

And now climate change is a growing threat that could compound all of these problems.

Last month, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that nine per cent of all the world’s species will likely be “at high risk” of extinction even if warming is capped at the ambitious Paris target of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

LONDON— Oil prices extended their rally on Thursday, with Brent rising above US$116 a barrel, as trade disruption and shipping issues from Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis sparked supply worries while US crude stocks fell to multiyear lows.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies including Russia have decided to maintain an increase in output by 400,000 barrels per day in March despite the price surge, ignoring the Ukraine crisis during their talks and snubbing calls from consumers for more crude.

Brent crude futures rallied to US$116.83 a barrel, the highest since August 2013. The contract was at US$116.60 a barrel, up US$3.67 by 1.12am GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at US$113.01 a barrel, up US$2.41 after touching a fresh 11-year high of US$113.31 a barrel.

“The White House ratcheted up pressure on Russia with the announcement that it will apply export controls targeting Russian oil refining,” ANZ analysts said in a note.

“This raises concerns that Russian oil supplies will continue to hit constraints.”

The market was reacting to the latest round of sanctions by Washington on Russia’s oil refining sector that raised concerns that Russian oil and gas exports could be targeted next.

So far, it has stopped short of targeting Russia’s oil and gas exports as the Biden administration weighs the impacts on global oil markets and US energy prices.

Russia is the world’s No 3 oil producer and the largest exporter of oil to global markets, according to the International Energy Agency. Russian crude and oil products exports reached 7.8 million barrels per day in December, the agency said.

Meanwhile, US oil inventories continued to decline. The key Cushing, Oklahoma crude hub’s tanks were at their lowest since 2018, while US strategic reserves dropped to a near 20-year low – and that was before another release announced by the White House on Tuesday in tandem with other industrialised nations.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK