Colombia

The United Nations welcomed the decision by the Government of Colombia to grant nationality to Venezuelan refugee children born in the country to Venezuelan parents.  The measure will benefit more than 24,000 children born since August 2015 who were at risk of statelessness.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Karla Gabriela Samayoa Recari of Guatemala as his Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia.

The United Nations Children’s Fund announced a partnership to build a first-of-its-kind factory to convert plastic waste in Côte d’Ivoire into modular plastic bricks, which will be used to build classrooms.  Côte d’Ivoire needs 15,000 classrooms; 500 will be constructed through the partnership in the next two years.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Gustavo Meza-Cuadra (Peru):

The people of Colombia must focus on what unites them rather than what divides them, as they follow the path of peace and reconciliation under the 2016 peace agreement that ended the country’s civil conflict dating back to the mid-1960s, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.

Government officials, former rebel combatants, community leaders and other stakeholders all demonstrated their commitment to implementing the 2016 peace agreement that ended five decades of conflict in Colombia, the heads of a recent Security Council visiting mission to the South American country reported today.

World Health Organization experts arrived in Pakistan following an HIV outbreak in Sindh province, where some 600 cases —  more than half of them children under age five — have been identified.  The outbreak was first reported on 25 April, with a major HIV screening programme having started three days later.

UNICEF reports that 894 children — including 106 girls — were released today from the ranks of the Civilian Joint Task Force, a local militia that helps the Nigerian security forces in the fight against insurgency in the country’s north‑east.  UNICEF says more than 3,500 children were recruited between 2013 and 2017.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Christoph Heusgen (Germany):

The Secretary-General is shocked at today’s attack in Quetta, in Pakistan.  He strongly condemns this cowardly act and extends his condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Pakistan.