The Secretary-General is departing New York this afternoon for a visit to the Russian Federation and to Ukraine as part of his diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully. He has consistently called for a solution guided by the United Nations Charter.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefing the Security Council today on the Middle East, said the fragile status quo between Israelis and Palestinians is not sustainable. On Syria, he said the situation in the Golan remains volatile, with heavy clashes between Syrian armed forces and armed opposition.
The Secretary-General continues to closely follow the situation in Ukraine. He is deeply disappointed and concerned that the Crimea referendum will only exacerbate this situation. He encourages all parties to work for a solution guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter, and condemns the violence which occurred over the weekend in eastern Ukraine and which resulted in injuries and loss of life on all sides.
Lakhdar Brahimi, the Joint Special Representative for Syria, briefed the Security Council in consultations this morning on the diplomatic efforts involving the Syrian parties. Tomorrow morning, the Secretary-General and Mr. Brahimi will speak to Member States in an informal plenary of the General Assembly.
In a statement we issued this morning, with the conflict in Syria now entering its fourth year, the Secretary-General appealed to all to reflect upon the long and growing list of horrors taking place in Syria every day. Syria is now the biggest humanitarian and peace and security crisis facing the world, with violence reaching unthinkable levels. Syria’s neighbours are bearing the increasingly unbearable humanitarian, security, political and socioeconomic effects of this conflict.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, briefed the Security Council this morning. He said Somalis desperately need improved security. He also stressed the need to conclude the constitutional process and said that legislation needs to be set in motion for the constitutional and electoral processes.
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović is continuing his visit in Ukraine. The Secretary-General had asked him to travel to Ukraine urgently to mark the continued high-level engagement of the United Nations with Ukraine, to assess the human rights situation, and to develop recommendations for further action.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, spoke to the press in Geneva today and said that the situation in the Central African Republic is extremely grave and that urgent action is required by everyone to prevent further bloodshed. She said that the violence has led to a total breakdown of the State.
The Security Council will hold consultations this afternoon to receive an update on the situation in Ukraine by the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, who will talk to the Council by video teleconference from Kyiv. The Deputy Secretary-General has been rejoined by Robert Serry and the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, is arriving there today.
The Secretary-General is in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he is about to take part in the ceremony marking the closing of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the country. Earlier today, the Secretary-General had meetings with the staff from the UN office in the country, and as the UN presence in the country will now focus on development.