“As we move into 2023, the Syrian people remain trapped in a profound humanitarian, political, military, security, economic and human rights crisis of great complexity and almost unimaginable scale,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. Outlining recent developments, he reiterated his previous calls for calm on the ground, good faith engagement...
Ambassadors unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the renewal of the cross-border mechanism, a day before it was set to expire. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has taken note of the development, his Spokesperson said in a statement, which described the humanitarian operation as an “indispensable lifeline” for some 4.1 million people...
Rosemary DiCarlo reiterated the view of the Secretary-General, in reminding that Russia’s invasion of 24 February, was a violation of the UN Charter and international law. “It has created a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe, traumatized a generation of children, and accelerated the global food and energy crises”, she told...
Addressing a private meeting of the Council, Roza Otunbayeva reiterated to ambassadors that Taliban decisions including the ban on girls attending high school, preventing women from going to university, and barring them from doing humanitarian work, are all “grave violations of fundamental rights”, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. He told...
In her briefing, Giovanie Biha, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge of the UN Office for the region, UNOWAS, urged ambassadors to continue to support a strategy centred on building resilience, promoting good governance, and strengthening peace and security. Ms. Biha presented the latest UNOWAS report covering trends...
The joint statement was issued by the heads of the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN refugee agency (UNHCR). If the Council fails to extend resolution 2642, “the...
Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, acknowledged as “notable” that the Council crafted and advanced a draft that managed to avoid a veto, but “with all due respect”, said that the resolution adopted yesterday was not enough. “‘Demanding that certain actions be taken without any...
Since his briefing last month, Mr. Bathily has continued working to advance the political process and revive the electoral track. In Türkiye, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Tunisia, he told ambassadors he had been seeking coordinated support for the UN Mission, UNSMIL, to help political leaders overcome their differences,...
Pointing to the Our Common Agenda report – a blueprint for global cooperation and reinvigorated multilateralism – he attested that strengthening multilateralism has been his “highest priority”. “During the darkest periods of the Cold War, collective decision-making and continuous dialogue in the Security Council maintained a functioning, if imperfect, system...
Briefing reportedly at the request of Russia on “supplies of lethal weapons to Ukraine and their consequences”, Izumi Nakamitsu reminded ambassadors that she had already addressed the issue in September. Risk of diversion The UN Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) chief repeated what she had said then, that a large-scale influx of weapons...
“Over the past weeks, the security situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated dramatically”, said Special Representative Bintou Keita, noting that since October, the M23 rebel group had resumed hostilities and extended its control in North Kivu province. Bolstering support In response, MONUSCO has continued to provide operational, logistical, and...
Amidst ongoing humanitarian operations, Martin Griffiths told ambassadors he had come to brief them in New York on “the widespread death, destruction, displacement, and suffering” taking place since the invasion of 24 February, and the challenges that the continuing violence and winter weather were exacerbating. “Over 14 million people remain...