Said Djinnit, the Secretary-General’s high-level representative tasked to discuss the fate of the abducted girls, met with UN officials and members of the diplomatic community yesterday upon his arrival in Abuja. Discussions focused on ways in which the United Nations can support efforts to safely return the girls to their families and facilitate their reintegration.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The UN Mission in South Sudan reports incidents of fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and opposition forces over the weekend. The UN Mission condemns the fighting and asks the parties to implement the commitments that they have signed into action on the ground.
The Secretary-General has asked his Special Representative for West Africa, Said Djinnit, to travel to Abuja as his high-level representative to Nigeria. Mr. Djinnit will offer the help of the United Nations in supporting authorities’ efforts to safely return the kidnapped girls to their families.
The Security Council adopted a resolution deciding to create “the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage”, to be awarded to military, police, civilian United Nations personnel and associated personnel who demonstrate exceptional courage, in the face of extreme danger, while fulfilling their missions or functions, in the service of humanity and the United Nations.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict says she is deeply concerned over the fate of the more than 200 girls abducted from their school in Nigeria’s Borno State last month. Leila Zerrougui said that reports of additional abductions of girls in the country’s north-east are extremely worrying.
The Secretary-General has just recently wrapped up his visit to South Sudan, where he met with President Salva Kiir and spoke by phone with former Vice-President Riek Machar. He commended President Kiir for expressing his intention to meet shortly in Addis Ababa with Riek Machar. And before leaving, he said that Riek Machar informed him that he will be in Addis Ababa for meetings with President Kiir on 9 May — that’s Friday.
At the “Abu Dhabi Ascent” opening plenary, the Secretary-General urged world leaders to lead boldly on climate solutions. Following his remarks, he told the press that the September Climate Summit at the United Nations would not be a “talk shop”, but a meeting focused on action that would encourage Governments to look beyond national boundaries when fighting climate change.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that the suffering of Clayton Lockett during his execution on 29 April may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment according to international human rights law. The UN Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture have both previously called on the United States to review its execution methods in order to prevent severe pain and suffering.
The Secretary-General spoke at an event commemorating World Press Freedom Day, which falls on Saturday. He said that journalists are singled out for speaking or writing uncomfortable truths — kidnapped, detained, beaten and sometimes murdered — and noted that such treatment is completely unacceptable in a world ever more reliant on global news outlets and the journalists who serve them.
The Secretary-General condemns acts of terror against innocent civilians in Syria. He appeals to all parties to the terrible conflict to live up to their responsibility under humanitarian law and stop targeting civilian areas.