In his message for International Women’s Day, the Secretary-General said that we can only address gender inequality by empowering women as agents of change. He called on the world to devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political will to achieving gender equality around the world.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, strongly condemned the terrorist bombing yesterday in the city of Hilla, in southern Iraq, which caused scores of casualties. He calls on Iraqis not to be cowed by the terrorists’ murderous campaign which seeks to undermine the country’s unity.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that in February alone at least 168 civilians were killed and 193 injured in Yemen, around two thirds of them by Coalition airstrikes. In all, the Human Rights Office has documented 3,081 civilians killed and 5,733 injured since 26 March 2015.
The Secretary-General met with Burkina Faso’s President in Ouagadougou, the nation’s capital, this morning and said he was able to see remarkable progress in his third visit to the country, but remained deeply concerned about terrorist attacks across the region.
The Secretary-General welcomes the Security Council’s adoption today of resolution 2270 (2016) in response to the recent nuclear test and launch using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and urges the country to abide by it.
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, today announced that intra-Syrian peace talks will resume on 9 March, two days after the original target date, in order to allow adequate time to address logistical and practical matters.
The Secretary-General said today that, by and large, the cessation of hostilities is holding in Syria, although there have been some scattered incidents. He expressed his sincere hope that the cessation of hostilities will continue and will allow the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid.
The Secretary-General is following with great concern the increasing number of border restrictions along the Balkan land route that are not in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention and is calling on all countries to keep their borders open and to act in a spirit of responsibility, sharing and solidarity.
The Secretary-General announced the allocation of $21 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for South Sudan out of $1.3 billion that is currently needed for United Nations humanitarian work in the country. He also called for support for the Humanitarian Response Plan, which is only 3 per cent funded.
The humanitarian office says that authorities in Fiji have confirmed that 36 people have died and at least two remain missing in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston. Moreover, about 97 schools have been damaged or destroyed, and 100 per cent of crops are reported destroyed in the worst-affected areas.