Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, told reporters today that the United Nations is very concerned at reports of escalation, including alleged air strikes, at a delicate moment in the Astana discussions, where proposals to de-escalate the conflict are under very serious consideration.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that the Central African Republic counts among the world’s most forgotten crises, receiving ever-shrinking humanitarian funding. With half its people needing humanitarian aid and more than 2 million hungry, WFP’s humanitarian response plan for 2017 is only 7 per cent financed.
A group of 36 Yazidi women, men and children have been rescued from slavery after being held for nearly three years by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh). The women and girls are under care at dedicated United Nations Population Fund service points supported by the Government of the Netherlands.
The United Nations human rights office today urged Cambodian authorities to release five human rights defenders who have been in pretrial detention for one year, and whose detention was just extended for an additional six months by the investigating judge.
Stephen O’Brien, Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefing the Security Council on Syria today, voiced his concern about the situation in eastern Ghouta where the United Nations has been unable to get access to some 400,000 people since last October. He called for a pause in fighting to allow for the delivery of aid.
UNICEF said today that it procured 2.5 billion doses of vaccines for children in nearly 100 countries in 2016, reaching almost half the world’s children under the age of 5. The figures, released during World Immunization Week, make UNICEF the largest buyer of vaccines for children in the world.
In Geneva, the Secretary-General called the pledging conference for Yemen a considerable success, with more than half of the $2.1 billion appeal for the year reached. Those pledges now needed to be translated into effective support for the people of Yemen. Three things would ensure that: access, access and access.
More than 25 million children between 6 and 15 years old, or 22 per cent of children in that age group, are missing out on school in conflict zones across 22 countries, according to a UNICEF report issued today. South Sudan has the highest rate at almost 72 per cent, followed by Chad and Afghanistan.
The World Food Programme airlifted life-saving food supplies to drought-stricken Somalia today, for the most vulnerable people, particularly children. A Boeing 747 arrived in Mogadishu carrying 47 metric tons of high-energy biscuits, as well as critical medical supplies on behalf of the World Health Organization.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya is following with great concern the tense situation in and around Tamanhint, where intermittent fighting continues to be reported. They are deeply worried about the impact of the heightened violence on the lives of people in the south of Libya.