The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Ahmet Uzumcu, announced today the creation of an OPCW mission to establish facts surrounding the allegations of the use of chlorine in Syria. The Syrian Government, which has agreed to accept this mission, has undertaken to provide security in areas under its control.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General, attending an event celebrating the power of sport for development and peace, noted that sport can be used to bridge cultural, religious, ethnic and social divides. He also announced the appointment of former International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge as Special Envoy on Youth Refugees and Sport.
The Secretary-General has asked the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide to travel to South Sudan this weekend to follow up on the recent brutal attacks against civilians in Bentiu, Unity State, and in Bor, Jonglei State, as well as to follow up on the use of radio to disseminate hate speech.
This morning the Secretary-General is making a round of phone calls to Heads of State or Government of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to express his support for their efforts in bringing President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and opposition leader Riek Machar to the negotiating table. He feels the two need to be warned strongly of the consequences of their actions before the country descends into yet further violence.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Mali, Bert Koenders, told the Security Council this morning that the country had made significant strides and that the international community has been critical in that regard. He added that the difficulties of the road ahead should not be underestimated, noting that political dialogue remained the first priority.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia condemned the second killing in less than 48 hours of a Member of that country’s Federal Parliament. Both killings have been claimed by Al-Shabaab. A media worker for Radio Dalsan was also killed and the Special Representative called for such personnel to be able to carry out their work without fear of attack.
Human rights investigators from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan confirmed targeted killings of civilians by the Sudan People's Liberation Army in the town of Bentiu on 15 and 16 April. Calling for those responsible to be held accountable, the Mission also extracted hundreds of civilians being threatened with violence in Bentiu and Rubkona and is currently protecting over 12,000 civilians in its base.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns today’s attack on civilians and United Nations peacekeepers in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan protection-of-civilians site in Bor, in the capital of Jonglei State, in South Sudan. And UNMISS says that assailants came to the base under the guise of peaceful demonstrators intending to present a petition to UNMISS.
The Secretary-General condemns the shocking mass abduction of schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April and calls for their immediate release and safe return to their families.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued its report on Ukraine today, saying that misinformation, propaganda and incitement to hatred need to be urgently countered in the country to avoid the further escalation of tension.