The Secretary-General said the more than $9 billion pledged at the Berlin Conference for the Green Climate Fund demonstrates Governments’ increasing understanding of both the benefits of climate action and the growing risks of delay. Such public finance is key to unlocking investments from private sources.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General told the Security Council’s open meeting this morning that the threat of foreign terrorist fighters and the scourge of violent extremism are security challenges that can also affect the stability and social fabric of communities, countries and regions. He called for a rights-centred approach to counter-terrorism. In a statement, the Security Council expressed concern that the threat of terrorism is expanding and intensifying.
The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, abhorred the attack this morning on a synagogue in West Jerusalem, for which there can be no justification. He reiterated the urgent call on all sides to do everything possible to avoid further escalation in the already very tense situation there.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities have declared the end of a separate Ebola outbreak in Equatorial Province. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Moustapha Soumaré, praised the national authorities for their rapid and coordinated response, and paid tribute to the bravery of aid teams.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq welcomed the agreement reached on 13 November between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government on the budget. He called it an important step towards a comprehensive, fair and constitutional solution to outstanding issues.
Before departing Myanmar today, the Secretary-General met with President U Thein Sein and commended him on his leadership in advancing the peace process between the Government and ethnic armed groups. He also underlined that all stakeholders need to take a “leap of faith” and move towards the signing of a nationwide ceasefire.
The Secretary‑General commended the joint announcement by China and the United States of their post-2020 action on climate change as an important contribution to the new climate agreement to be reached next year in Paris, and urged other countries to follow suit.
The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, spoke to reporters in Damascus today, one day after he met with President Bashar al-Assad. He discussed the UN proposal for a freeze, which he said is a new way to achieve a de-escalation of violence, starting with the city of Aleppo.
The Secretary‑General has established a United Nations Board of Inquiry to investigate several incidents in which death or injuries occurred at, and/or damage was done to, United Nations premises in Gaza between 8 July and 26 August. It will also review incidents in which weapons were found at those sites.
In Geneva, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed the impact of the Ebola crisis on essential health services in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. In the past three months, UNICEF has shipped almost 3,000 metric tonnes of life-saving supplies, including protective equipment and essential medicine.