On the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Spokesman said air travel restrictions are not warranted. The virus is not airborne, nor is it likely to spread through water or food, but rather through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sick person.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Continuing her mission to Ukraine, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said the humanitarian situation has deteriorated quite rapidly and that the United Nations needs to see how to support the authorities in reaching the nearly 200,000 people who have been uprooted.
In his remarks during the Security Council’s open debate on conflict prevention, the Secretary-General said that one of his priorities was improving the United Nations’ ability to act early and act preventively, emphasizing that when Member States joined forces, much could be achieved, as seen with the Council’s consensus on removing chemical weapons from Syria.
The Secretary-General condemned the horrific murder of journalist James Foley, stating that the abominable crime underscored the campaign of terror that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant continue to wage against the people of Iraq and Syria.
To mark World Humanitarian Day, the Secretary-General participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Headquarters to honour aid workers killed in the line of duty and delivered remarks at a high-level event in the Economic and Social Council. New figures published by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs show that 2013 set a new record for violence against aid groups.
Marking the remaining 500 days to the Millennium Development Goals’ conclusion, the Secretary-General met with Malala Yousafzai and 500 other young people in the Trusteeship Council where he highlighted the progress made over the past 15 years, including global poverty cut in half and more mothers surviving child birth.
The acting United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq continued assessment today of the humanitarian emergency and response in Dahuk Governorate, meeting with displaced people in Zakhow, the majority of whom are from Sinjar. Zakhow is currently hosting least 100,000 displaced people.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nickolay Mladenov, said that the United Nations “level-three emergency” declaration for Iraq – the Organization’s highest global humanitarian priority - will facilitate mobilization of additional resources to the humanitarian needs of communities affected by forced displacement.
Responding to atrocious reports of Yazidi, Christian, Turkomen and Shabak women, girls and boys being abducted, detained and raped by the “Islamic State”, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict condemned such barbaric acts and called for regional and international efforts to help release of those detained.
Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov welcomed President Masoum’s decision to accept Parliament’s nomination of Haider al-Abbadi as Prime Minister-designate. He also urged political leaders to work within the Constitution’s framework, and for the Iraqi Security Forces to refrain from actions that might interfere with the democratic transfer of political authority.