The United Nations is warning that six million people are without safe water and five million face starvation in Zimbabwe, as the country struggles to move out of the economic crisis that has provoked disease and severe food shortages. In the 12 months from August 2008 to July 2009 cholera took the lives of 4,288 people, with nearly 100,000 people ill from the disease. The figures and comments were given by Agostinho Zacarias, UN Development Programme representative, at a World Humanitarian Day conference in Zimbabwe. AllAfrica, CNN
© 2009 OCHA
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Geneva observes the first world humanitarian day today 19 August to coincide with the death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s top official in Iraq who died in 2003 along with 21 others in a bomb explosion at UN headquarters in Baghdad. As headquarters of the UN in Europe, Geneva is holding an event in the Parc des Bastions this afternoon at 17:00 which includes officials from the UN and the city and canton of Geneva. Many organizations involved in humanitarian work have set up stands to demonstrate their work, and there will be concerts of classical and jazz music.
