The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 21,000 suspected cases of the viral disease, including more than 5,000 confirmed cases and 700 deaths.
Over the past week, UNICEF received its first shipments of vaccines totaling 215,000 doses, with more expected to arrive soon.
Supplies and training
In the meantime, the children's agency is supporting the rollout with supplies and logistics, as well as training health workers to transport, store and administer the vaccines to patients.
In recent months, UNICEF has enhanced community surveillance by training more than 200 health workers, 100 hygienists and 200 community engagement teams.
Some 6,000 community workers have been deployed and more than 30 local radio stations are broadcasting public health messages.
Community Engagement Teams have so far reached 46 million people across the Democratic Republic of Congo with mpox messages via mass media, face-to-face interaction and text messages.
Efforts will now focus on the efficacy and safety of vaccines while countering misinformation, the agency said.
Sudan: UNESCO warns of looting of museums and loss of priceless heritage
The UN cultural affairs agency UNESCO on Thursday expressed deep concern over reports of looting and damage to museums and heritage sites in Sudan as rival militaries battle for supremacy amid accusations of war crimes on all sides.
The armed groups' targets reportedly include the National Museum.
UNESCO is now calling on the international community to do everything possible to protect Sudan's heritage from destruction and illegal trafficking.
Since the beginning of the fighting in April 2023, UNESCO has been closely monitoring the impact of this crisis on Sudan's heritage, cultural institutions and artists, which appears to have reached an “unprecedented level”.
Attacks on private collections and looting of museums and archaeological sites have also been reported.
Legal obligations
All combatants are obliged to comply with international humanitarian law by refraining from damaging, looting or using cultural property for any military purpose, UNESCO said.
There have been reports of significant collections stolen from the Khalifa House Museum and Nyala Museum. The agency says it is verifying these reports to determine the extent of the damage.
UNESCO reiterated its call to the international art market and the general public to refrain from acquiring or participating in the import, export or transfer of ownership of any cultural property from Sudan.
Any illegal sale or removal of these cultural objects would lead to the disappearance of part of Sudan's cultural identity and jeopardise the country's recovery, the agency said.
Cambodia: UN experts call for suspension of new charter for 'professional journalism'
Independent UN human rights experts on Thursday called for the suspension of Cambodia's newly-issued Charter for Professional Journalism and urged a thorough review to reform it.
The Ministry of Information made the letter public on July 24, but no extensive consultations were conducted while it was being drafted and some stakeholders were given only nine days to submit comments.
Just four days after the deadline, it was enacted without further discussion.
The defense of the public interest is ignored
“The Charter does not incorporate an overriding public interest” or establish remedies when factual errors are made, such as rights of correction and reply, the experts said.
The charter includes provisions emphasizing the dissemination of only accurate information, combating “fake news” and disinformation, rather than taking reasonable steps to verify information before publication, they added.
They said any media code must be inclusive, participatory and developed in a transparent manner and led by journalists themselves, not the government.
Any proposed oversight or monitoring mechanism should be independent of the authorities, but the Charter provides no such guarantee.
The Human Rights Council-appointed experts – who are not UN employees and do not receive salaries – called on Cambodia to protect and promote independent, free and pluralistic media as a vital pillar of democracy and to reform laws, policies and practices, including the Charter, that impede freedom of expression.
