Noon Briefings

The Special Envoy for Yemen is meeting in Paris with Government leaders and the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperative Council. He meets with Saudi leadership and other Yemeni officials in Riyad tomorrow, amid reports of intensified violence in several districts.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria said the first of a series of low-key Geneva-based meetings involving more than 40 Syrian groups, the Government and 20 regional and international actors begins today for an initial five to six weeks.  Despite challenges, said the Envoy, we do not have the luxury not to try.

The Secretary-General travels to Moscow for Victory Day on 9 May, where he will meet with President Vladimir Putin.  He stops on 7 May in Gdansk, Poland, for the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War.  On 8 May, he meets with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties in Yemen to ensure that humanitarian agencies and their partners have safe and reliable access to bring aid workers and supplies into the country and to deliver aid to millions of people in need.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, today to meet with Government officials, community leaders and families affected by the earthquake there.  Her office reports that the death toll now stands at nearly 5,600.

The Secretary-General condemned the shelling and aerial bombardment of the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus despite assurances from the Syrian Government that the camp would not be attacked while civilians remained inside.  He also called on the Government to immediately end any military operation endangering civilian lives in the camp.

This morning, in Rome, the Secretary-General delivered the opening remarks at the Vatican for a symposium on climate change organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which brought together faith leaders, civil society representatives and political leaders.

The Secretary-General transmitted today to the Security Council and other bodies the public summary of the Board of Inquiry regarding incidents affecting United Nations personnel, premises and operations in the Gaza Strip during the recent conflict.

This morning, UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos, the World Food Programme’s Ertharin Cousin as well as the High Commissioner for Refugees and his Special Envoy Actress Angelina Jolie [Pitt] briefed the Security Council on the Syria humanitarian crisis.  Ms. Amos stressed that there is no humanitarian solution to the crisis, adding that the only solution is through political dialogue.

The Secretary-General today spoke at the Security Council debate on the role of youth in countering vilent extremism and promoting peace.  He stressed that youth lay at the heart of international peace and security.