Noon Briefings

The Secretary-General condemned the terrorist attacks in north Sinai, which killed dozens of people, including civilians, and injured scores of others.  Conveying his condolences to the families of the victims, he expressed his solidarity with the people of Egypt.

The Secretary-General will launch an inquiry, in cooperation with the Mali Government and all parties on the ground, to determine the facts of the events that left three protesters dead and several more injured during a demonstration in front of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) base in Gao.

At a ceremony marking the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Secretary-General spoke about his 2013 visit to Auschwitz, where he saw for himself the full machinery of murder.  He said that even today — after all that has been witnessed and done — the world faces widespread challenges to its common humanity.

The Secretary-General condemned Saturday’s rocket attack on the city of Mariupol, Ukraine.  He also further denounced the unilateral withdrawal from the ceasefire by rebel leadership, and particularly their provocative statements about claiming further territory.

The Secretary-General, at a plenary meeting of the World Economic Summit, said this is the first generation that can end poverty and the last that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Future generations, he added, “will judge us harshly if we fail in upholding our moral and historical responsibilities”.

The General Assembly held an informal meeting today to discuss concerns about the rise in anti-Semitism worldwide.  Speaking to Member States by video message, the Secretary-General said that a United Nations that wants to be true to its founding aims and ideals has a duty to speak out against anti-Semitism.

Presenting Ebola response requirements in Davos today, senior United Nations officials said the needs for the first six months of 2015 amount to $1.5 billion. With almost $500 million already available, the appeal is now to fund the gap of $1 billion. Resources spent in 2014 contributed to a decline in new cases.

The Secretary-General deplores the heavy fighting between Ansarallah armed groups and Yemeni presidential guards throughout Sana’a, and calls on all sides to cease hostilities, exercise maximum restraint and take the steps needed to restore full authority to the legitimate Government institutions.

The Secretary-General, noting that 2015 is a year of action on sustainable development, told the Security Council that development that excludes part of the population can be socially corrosive, contribute to crime and create a sense of hopelessnesss and alienation - conditions that breed extremism.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that an upsurge in fighting in Libya since the start of the year across several towns and cities in the east has led to more displacement.  An estimated 400,000 people remain displaced across the country.