Countries around the world need to develop and implement plans to deal with coronavirus outbreaks as new cases and outbreaks of the disease continue to be reported, the World Health Organization said this week. The WHO has promised to send experts to Algeria, where the country's first case was confirmed this week, to support health teams.

Members of the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to issue a statement reiterating UN support for a "negotiated two-state solution, recalling previous relevant U.N. resolutions, and in accordance with international law, where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders." The statement urged all parties to avoid actions that would undermine peace in the region.

The number of people in Africa facing poverty or hunger has been increasing since 2013 and governments must commit to greater action to improve the lives of their citizens, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said this week at a forum on sustainable development. The deputy UN chief also voiced concerns about gender and income inequality and youth unemployment.

Global progress made on women's rights and gender equality faces real threats from the resurgence of discrimination, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned the Human Rights Council this week. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed Bachelet's warning, noting an increase in femicides, growing aggression toward women's rights defenders and the persistence of laws that exclude and subjugate women.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has increased the amount of aid it is seeking to support operations to combat locust swarms across eastern Africa, upping the figure it says is needed from $76 million to $138 million. A swarm of the insects has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country already reeling from violent conflict and an Ebola outbreak, for the first time in 75 years.

The United Nations is appealing to all parties to halt attacks on or near refugee camps and civilian infrastructure in Syria and seeking $500 million to provide badly-needed aid to 1.1 million displaced Syrians. Approximately 148,000 civilians in Syria's Idlib have been displaced in the last six days, bringing the total displaced so far this year to nearly two million, response coordinators say.

You might have noticed we have updated our newsletter template. Please let us know what you think by taking this two-minute survey.

"The Only Nuclear Arms Treaty Between Russia and the U.S., 'New START,' is Expiring"

The ocean provides 80% of Tunisia's economy + 90% of its tourism. But #climatechange is devouring its coastlines. @UNDPinTUNISIA is working w/ the local govt to protect disappearing coasts + fish: ow.ly/vqG930irDiO #Biodiversity2020

@UNDP