The United Nations’ mission is to find ways to give humanitarian aid around the world where ever it is needed and to bring peace and at times justice to the people who are been wronged. One the of things they do as an organization is to bridge talks so the conflicts can be ended and people can learn to live with either in harmony. Harmony is based on opinion and at times we see those opinions collide. We still have a difference in attitude between East and West and at times we see that colonialism presides over the peace. We still have human beings that believe they are superior and refuse the idea of equality.
Press Update of the UN Work
Burundi
the Secretary-General arrived in Bujumbura, Burundi, to take part in the eleventh high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region.
This is his first visit to the country as Secretary-General.
As we speak, the Secretary-General is meeting President Évariste Ndayishimiye. We expect him to speak to the press shortly and will share with you his remarks as soon as he’s delivered them.
Tomorrow, he will speak at the opening of the meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism, along with leaders from the Great Lakes region, who will take stock of progress and challenges in the implementation of the agreement signed in Addis Ababa ten years ago. They will discuss the implementation of the Luanda and Nairobi agreements.
Spain
On Monday, 9 May, the Secretary-General will meet in Madrid with the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón.
On Tuesday, he will be presented with the Carlos V European Award at a ceremony at the Royal Monastery of Yuste, presided over by the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
Afghanistan
the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reiterates its commitment to stay and deliver on behalf of the men, women and children of Afghanistan and appeals to our donors to keep funding the assistance people need. To achieve this efficiently and effectively, the UN needs all its personnel, women and men, to work in communities and UN offices unimpeded.
FAO Food Index Report
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 127.2 points in April 2023, up 0.6 percent from March.
At that level, the Index was 19.7 percent below its level in April 2022, but still 5.2 percent higher than in April 2021.
The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 17.6 percent from March, reaching its highest level since October 2011, due to reduced productions expectations and outcomes in India, China, Thailand and the European Union caused by dry weather conditions as well as to a slow start of the sugarcane crop harvest in Brazil, along with higher international crude oil prices, which can increase demand for sugarcane -based ethanol.
The FAO Meat Price Index rose 1.3 percent during the month, driven primarily by higher pig meat quotations, followed by poultry prices, which increased amid Asian import demand and production curbs spurred by animal health issues. International bovine meat prices also increased due to a decline in cattle supplies for slaughter, especially in the United States of America.
In the meantime, price indices for other major food commodity categories, with the exception of rice, continued their declining trend.
The FAO Cereal Price Index dipped 1.7 percent from March and averaged 19.8 percent below its April 2022 value. International wheat prices declined by 2.3 percent, due mostly to large exportable availabilities in Australia and the Russian Federation. World maize prices fell 3.2 percent as supplies in South America seasonally increased with ongoing harvests. On the other hand, against a backdrop of reduced harvests caused by higher input costs and adverse weather, especially outside of Asia, sales to Asian buyers sustained an increase in international rice prices.
“It is important that we continue to track very closely the evolution of prices and the reasons for increases in prices. As economies recover from significant slowdowns, demand will increase, exerting upward pressure on food prices,” said FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero. “At the same time, the increase in rice prices is extremely worrisome and it is essential that the Black Sea initiative is renewed to avoid any other spikes in wheat and maize,” he added.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 1.3 percent in the month, registering its fifth consecutive monthly decline. World palm oil prices were stable, while quotations for soy, rapeseed and sunflower oils declined in step with seasonal harvest pressure from a potentially record soybean crop in Brazil.
The FAO Dairy Price Index dropped by 1.7 percent, impacted by the persistent slack global import demand for milk powders and higher cheese export availabilities in Western Europe.
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