The In Case You Missed It series highlights news articles from the United Nations that are relevant to the topics being simulated at AMUN 2017. This AMUN Accords post covers selected news from the week of 16 October.

The General Assembly Plenary will be discussing the Review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture. The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) condemned a horrific car bombing targeting civilians in Mogadishu, where more than 300 were killed in the worst terror attack in Somalian history. Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the establishment of the new UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) following the conclusion of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The General Assembly Second Committee will be discussing Sustainable development: Disaster risk reduction. UN Resident Coordinator Stephen O’Malley shared remarks with UN News, about the state of UN aid to storm-struck islands in the Caribbean and the promise of building back better.

The General Assembly Third Committee will be discussing The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is calling attention to the plight of more than 700 migrants in the “Calais Jungle” of France, where they’re in dire need of safe drinking water and they have access to only 10 water taps and 10 portable lavatories.

The General Assembly Third Committee will also be discussing Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons. UN agencies are rushing to address the dire needs of more than 14,000 refugees and migrants who had been held captive in Sabratha, Libya.

The General Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be discussing Sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. UN-WOMEN Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka delivered remarks on the International Day of Rural Women to highlight the tremendous impact that women have in the agriculture, where they account for more than 40 percent of the agricultural workforce worldwide.

The FAO announced that it is working with global partners to combat a virulent fungus that is threatening banana production worldwide, potentially impacting the more than 400 million people who depend on the world’s most popular fruit. FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva addressing a global meeting of mayors from more than 150 cities, stressed the important roles that urban centers play in combatting hunger and malnutrition, challenging them to actively engage in Zero Hunger Programs.

The World Summit on the Information Society +10 will discuss Human rights in the Information Society. Remarks by the Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, at Africa Week 2017, drew attention to the remarkable promise of Africa’s quickly growing youth population and the need to ensure that children, especially girls, have access to the technology and education they need to compete for modern jobs. Secretary-General António Guterres also drew attention to the promise of Africa’s youth saying, “We can help make the most of this demographic dividend through greater investments in education, especially in science and technology and by ensuring to enable youth participation in economic development. People need skills that match the needs of today and tomorrow.”

The ongoing Situation in the Bangladesh/Myanmar is a possible topic for the Contemporary Security Council. The ongoing crisis in Myanmar has seen more than a half a million refugees flee to Bangladesh with just over a month. IOM Director General William Swing warned that humanitarian aid alone will not be enough to address the root causes of the conflict in Myanmar. Secretary-General António Guterres announced that he’ll be travelling to the Central African Republic to draw attention to an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has received too little media attention.

Other UN News of note this week:

• Pope Francis addressed a UN event in Rome, Italy where he challenged the attendees to focus on combatting conflict and climate change, which he identified as key causes of hunger.
• The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released their State of World Population 2017 report that details the role gender inequality plays in amplifying economic, social and racial inequalities.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has started a 10-day campaign to bring yellow fever immunization to more than 870,000 people in the Nigerian states of Kwara and Kogi.
• UN-WOMEN Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka released an opinion piece drawing attention “pain and anger” of more than a million women who used the #MeToo hashtag to draw attention to their stories of sexual assault and violence.
• The OHCHR urged the Kenyan government to lift the ban on protest and “uphold its constitution” in the run-up to the Kenyan Presidential elections.

Check back in to the AMUN Accords in the future as we keep you up-to-date on UN News that affects the simulations at the 28th annual American Model United Nations Conference. If we missed some news of note, let us know on our Facebook page or Twitter feed and share the news with other Conference attendees.