Cameroon

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen told the Security Council today that the situation in the country remains extremely grave, with the conflict intensifying daily and the tragic humanitarian situation continuing to worsen.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) reports extensive damage in western Mosul, Iraq, with more than 1,000 homes destroyed.  Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande says the damage in western Mosul is already far greater than that in the east, even before the battle to retake the Old City begins.

The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly’s meeting this morning commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  He expressed concern that migrants have become convenient scapegoats and that, far too often, hate speech, stereotyping and stigmatization are becoming normalized.

UNICEF says that a year after the Balkan border closures and the European Union-Turkey Statement meant to stop mass migration flows, refugee and migrant children face greater risks of deportation, detention, exploitation and deprivation.  More of them are embarking on even more dangerous and irregular routes with smugglers.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine):