Central African Republic

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.

Escalating fighting pitting Government of Yemen and Coalition forces against Houthi and General People Congress combatants has reached Hudaydah Governorate, leading to the killing and displacement of civilians.  Survey results indicate the number of food-insecure people has reached 17 million, up 20 per cent since June.

The President of the Central African Republic briefed the Security Council today on the latest developments in his country, detailing a national reconciliation plan to expand his authority and move the nation towards rebuilding its security sector, restoring justice and reaching out to armed groups.

The Security Council is holding an open debate today on trafficking in persons in conflict situations.  Addressing the body, the Secretary-General noted that human trafficking is not a thing of the past, with trafficking networks having gone global and victims being found in more than 100 countries.

Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien travelled to Somalia today to assess the impact of the drought which has left the country on the brink of famine.  He met with humanitarian partners to discuss ways to scale up the response to save lives, and called on all parties to step up efforts to facilitate increased humanitarian access.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Najat Rochdi of Morocco as his new Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), where she will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a statement issued today, condemned the firing yesterday of a rocket from Gaza towards Israel. This is the third such incident in the past 30 days after a period of almost four months of quiet.  Such provocations seek only to undermine peace, he said.

A new report by the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says defence and security forces used excessive, disproportionate and lethal force to prevent and contain last December’s demonstrations, in which at least 40 people were killed.

Extremely concerned for the safety and protection of more than 400,000 people who remain besieged in eastern Ghoutah in Syria, the United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure unimpeded, sustained and unconditional access to all those in need.

On 17 February 2017, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic held informal consultations to consider the progress update of the Panel of Experts, submitted in pursuance of paragraph 23(d) of resolution 2262 (2016).