Thu Sep 19 07:27:57 UTC 2024: ## UN Calls for Release of Detained Staff in Yemen, While Typhoon Yagi Devastates Southeast Asia

**Sana’a, Yemen/Geneva, Switzerland -** Regional directors from six UN agencies and three NGOs have issued a joint statement demanding the immediate and unconditional release of over 50 colleagues detained in Yemen by Houthi authorities. The detentions, which have lasted for 100 days, violate international law and hinder humanitarian efforts in the war-torn country.

The statement, signed by representatives from CARE, Oxfam, Save the Children, the UN human rights office (OHCHR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), emphasizes that attacks on humanitarian workers are unacceptable. They also call for the safe treatment of detainees, ensuring they can contact families and legal representatives.

**Meanwhile, Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit Asia this year, has left millions of children in Southeast Asia vulnerable.** The storm has triggered floods and landslides in Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, affecting nearly six million children, according to UNICEF. The agency reports that essential services like clean water, education, healthcare, food and shelter have been severely disrupted, pushing vulnerable communities deeper into crisis.

**In other news, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has urged an end to the arbitrary detention of asylum-seekers around the world.** The agency cites numerous cases where asylum-seekers and refugees are detained without the possibility of challenging their situation, violating their fundamental right to seek protection.

**Finally, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has committed $9.5 million to support the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s response to the ongoing mpox outbreak.** The funding will focus on strengthening disease surveillance, laboratory systems, community mobilization, primary care, and infection prevention and control measures in six of the highest transmission provinces and Kinshasa.

**The DRC is facing the largest mpox epidemic globally, with over 5,160 confirmed cases and 25 deaths.** The Global Fund’s contribution aims to bolster the DRC’s capacity to combat the disease, particularly in areas facing conflict and crisis, where access to health services is limited.

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