The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the humanitarian community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is concerned about the impact of violence on civilians in Katanga Province. It reports that there are now 400,000 displaced people in the province, up from 50,000 three months ago. Since October 2013, more than 700 houses in 20 villages have been attacked.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The joint mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations reported a further shipment of chemical weapons materials from Syria. The weapons were verified by joint mission personnel before being loaded in Lattakia port onto Danish and Norwegian cargo vessels.
The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement on cessation of hostilities signed yesterday in Addis Ababa by the Government of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in opposition. He congratulates the Intergovernmental Authoriy on Development on the successful mediation of this agreement and underscores the necessity to continue a national political dialogue to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees [in the Near East] is leading a three-day social media campaign, reaching tens of millions of people around the world to demand that the parties to the Syria conflict allow aid to flow to Yarmouk, the besieged Damascus key area hosting Palestine refugees in Syria.
Jamal Benomar, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Yemen, congratulated the Yemeni people for concluding the National Dialogue Conference today, which he called a historic moment for Yemen. He also strongly condemned the assassination of Ahmed Sharafuddine, the Ansar Allah delegate to the Conference, today in Sana’a.
The Secretary-General is dismayed by developments regarding participation in the Geneva Conference on Syria, set to begin Wednesday. Some key participants have conditioned their acceptance on the inclusion or exclusion of other delegations. Iran, despite assurances, has made a disappointing public statement that suggests it does not accept the basis for the conference.
On Monday, 20 January, the Secretary-General will depart New York for Montreux, where he will convene the Geneva Conference on Syria. He views the Conference as a unique opportunity for ending the violence. He also hopes that the transition foreseen in the Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012 can be implemented in a way that fully meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.
The Secretary-General welcomes the opening today of the trial of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, nearly nine years after the heinous terrorist attack which killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 21 others. He stresses the vital importance of combating impunity for the long-term stability and security of Lebanon.
Commitments made at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait City today amounted to $2.4 billion. The Secretary-General called on all concerned to respond to today’s generosity by letting relief aid reach all besieged areas and to step up efforts to bring the parties together.
The Secretary-General is in Kuwait City, where he will chair the second High-level Pledging Conference for Syria tomorrow. He was in Iraq this morning, where he visited a camp for Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan region. He met with a refugee family and was briefed on the situation in the camp.