Roger Meece, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, briefed the Security Council this morning on recent developments there, and he noted the continuing deterioration in the eastern Congo, as well as worrying developments in north Katanga.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
In November 2011, a claim for compensation was brought against the United Nations on behalf of victims of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Today, the United Nations advised that the claims are not receivable, pursuant to Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly’s launch of the International Year of Quinoa today, noting that quinoa is highly nutritious and adaptable. He said that it can be grown in many different ecological and climatic conditions, which is important in a warming world, with desertification and land degradation.
At a humanitarian forum on Syria taking place in Geneva today, Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said the violence is causing widespread destruction and having a devastating impact on ordinary Syrians; some 70,000 have been killed, and the number in need has quadrupled since last June.
The World Food Programme said today that the recent crisis in the Central African Republic could trigger a food crisis. According to the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, the cost of food has increased by 40 per cent in the area under the control of the armed forces. Some zones under the control of the Seleka rebel coalition are experiencing food deficits due to price increases.
The Secretary-General, prior to meeting with United States Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, D.C., told reporters there was much to discuss, including Syria. He was calling on the Security Council and Syrian Government for a positive response to the offer by the National Coalition leader to open talks.
At today’s Security Council meeting on protecting civilians in armed conflict, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the nuclear weapons test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He said it is absolutely essential that the Council act and speak with one voice and engage the Government in a unified manner.
The Secretary-General strongly condemned the mortar attack that took place on Saturday on Camp Liberty, which killed a number of residents and injured other residents and Iraqi police officers. Camp Liberty is the temporary transit facility near Baghdad for former residents of Camp Ashraf. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is in close contact with the Government of Iraq on the response to the incident.
The Secretary-General chaired a meeting of the UN system High-level Task Force on Global Food Security this morning. The heads of 23 UN and Bretton Woods institutions committed to urgent action for coordinated, comprehensive efforts to achieve the Zero Hunger Challenge, with attainment of the Millennium Development Goal on poverty and hunger as the first step.
Last night, the Secretary-General welcomed the Joint Statement issued by Myanmar's Peacemaking Committee and the delegation of the Kachin Independence Organization, in which they agreed to work on an overall framework to de-escalate the violent conflict in Kachin. He urged the parties to continue their efforts towards sustainable peace and expressed hope that the latest developments would result in a silencing of the guns in Myanmar for the first time since its independence.