Noon Briefings

The Commission of Inquiry for Eritrea says that the situation there can no longer be ignored. The body’s reportdescribes a State that rules through fear and a vast security network that reaches into every level of society.  It urges the Human Rights Council to scrutinize violations, which may be crimes against humanity.

In Geneva, the Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria told the Human Rights Council that the war in that country had mutated into a multi-sided and highly fluid war of attrition.  Surges and setbacks have fuelled the illusion that a military victory is still possible.

The Secretary-General today appointed an external independent panel to review the United Nations response to allegations of sexual abuse of children by foreign military forces that are not under the Organization’s command in the Central African Republic.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, said that he has seen several positive signs in his separate talks with the Yemeni parties in Geneva in recent days, and believes a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces can be reached following further consultations.

The Secretary-General welcomed the papal encyclical released today.  He said that he and Pope Francis agree that climate change is a moral issue that requires collective action.  It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics.

Ending a visit to Syria, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura called for a strong condemnation of the heavy bombings by Government forces last night on Douma.  No context justifies the indiscriminate targeting of civilians or collective punishment by a Government.  He urged greater aid access to besieged areas.

The Secretary-General received the report of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations today and said his office would lead implementation of the report’s recommendations, with the close participation of all key departments.

The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from Geneva, where earlier today he met with representatives of the Government of Yemen.  He said that the other parties to consultations on Yemen were on their way to Geneva and warned that the country’s very existence hangs in the balance.

The Secretary-General is in Uzbekistan, where he met today with President Islam Karimov and where he told reporters that the United Nations stands ready to assist the country in promoting fundamental freedoms and providing opportunities for public participation.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa Abdoulaye Bathily briefed the Security Council on the situation in Central Africa, saying that while it remained marked by pre-electoral tensions, worsening economic conditions and the activities of Boko Haram and the Lord’s Resistance Army, it was necessary to start looking ahead to the stabilization phase to secure military gains.