In progress at UNHQ

Noon Briefings


The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by reports received of threats and harassment against some civil society members who met with the Security Council delegation during a visit to Juba last week, saying the actions are in violation of the rights of fundamental freedoms.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is concerned about the displacement of 100,000 people in Syria’s Hama governorate due to fighting. The United Nations and partners, including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, have sent food, water and supplies for 15,000 people on an inter-agency convoy to Hama.

The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said the people of Darayya must be protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily.  He strongly appeals to the Co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group and co-sponsors of the cessation of hostilities to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.

The Secretary-General expressed his deepest condolences to the President and to the people of Italy for the loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquake that occurred yesterday, and which led to hundreds of victims.  He assured him of the readiness of the United Nations to provide assistance, if requested.

The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that the situation in Juba remains calm but tense.  Peacekeepers maintain a proactive posture to re-establish a secure environment outside of the Protection of Civilians sites in the capital, following fighting last month. Tensions persist in Yei, in Central Equatoria region.

The Secretary-General this morning addressed a Security Council meeting on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  He called on all States to focus on what he called one overriding truth:  the only way to prevent the human, environmental and existential destruction these weapons can cause is by eradicating them once and for all.

The Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Security Council today on Syria.  He said that what was happening in Aleppo and throughout Syria was “an outrage against every moral fiber in our being as human beings” and called on Council members to put differences aside and stop this “humanitarian shame”.