The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist bombings today in Brussels. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and expresses his solidarity with the people and Government of Belgium.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General addressed the Security Council today on the Great Lakes region, saying that the last several years had seen progress in stabilizing the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Nonetheless, he said, major peace and security challenges persist and require our continued attention.
The World Health Organization has dispatched a team of specialists to the southern prefecture of Nzérékoré in Guinea after two new cases of Ebola were detected and confirmed in a rural village. The new infections were confirmed the same day that WHO declared the end of the last flare-up of the virus in Sierra Leone.
The Secretary-General condemns the double suicide attacks on 16 March in Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria, by suspected Boko Haram elements, which left 20 people dead and many injured. He reiterates the United Nations support to Nigeria’s Government to fight terrorism.
The Secretary-General congratulates U Htin Kyaw for being elected the first civilian President of Myanmar in more than five decades as a significant achievement towards advancing the democratic reforms begun by the outgoing Government.
Marking the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, the Secretary-General appeals to the stakeholders and the Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities and help make the United Nations-mediated peace negotiations a success.
Our colleagues at the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) issued a weekend press release saying that a peacekeeper in the Tessalit camp fired at three of his colleagues on Saturday night. Two peacekeepers were killed and the other injured. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.
A new report on South Sudan published today by the United Nations Human Rights Office describes a multitude of violations, including a Government-operated scorched earth policy, and deliberate targeting of civilians for killing, rape and pillage.
A new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) says the region continued to be the world’s most disaster-prone in 2015, suffering more than half the 344 disasters worldwide, which resulted in more than 16,000 deaths and some 59 million affected.
A total of 34 countries, including 27 in Africa, are currently in need of external assistance for food due to drought, flooding and civil conflicts, according to a new edition of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, which is available online.