During the Security Council’s open debate on the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa, United Nations high-level officials say experience shows that actively engaging them and civil society in early diplomatic initiatives improves the chances of helping to prevent and resolve conflicts.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General says the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia’s ruling today of former Serbian President Radovan Karadžić, who has been convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, sends a strong signal that all those in positions of responsibility will be held to account.
Thirteen trucks of badly needed emergency relief items from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reached south-western Yemen, marking the first time a UNHCR convoy made it all the way from Aden to Tiazz governorate. Distribution is starting this week for 500 displaced people, returnees and local families.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist bombings today in Brussels. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and expresses his solidarity with the people and Government of Belgium.
The Secretary-General addressed the Security Council today on the Great Lakes region, saying that the last several years had seen progress in stabilizing the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Nonetheless, he said, major peace and security challenges persist and require our continued attention.
The World Health Organization has dispatched a team of specialists to the southern prefecture of Nzérékoré in Guinea after two new cases of Ebola were detected and confirmed in a rural village. The new infections were confirmed the same day that WHO declared the end of the last flare-up of the virus in Sierra Leone.
The Secretary-General condemns the double suicide attacks on 16 March in Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria, by suspected Boko Haram elements, which left 20 people dead and many injured. He reiterates the United Nations support to Nigeria’s Government to fight terrorism.
The Secretary-General congratulates U Htin Kyaw for being elected the first civilian President of Myanmar in more than five decades as a significant achievement towards advancing the democratic reforms begun by the outgoing Government.
Marking the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, the Secretary-General appeals to the stakeholders and the Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities and help make the United Nations-mediated peace negotiations a success.
Our colleagues at the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) issued a weekend press release saying that a peacekeeper in the Tessalit camp fired at three of his colleagues on Saturday night. Two peacekeepers were killed and the other injured. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.