Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus announced today the clearance of nine suspected hazardous areas on both sides of the island, amounting to a total area of 210 square meters.  This confidence-building measure was agreed upon by both leaders on 26 February as part of their commitment towards a mine-free Cyprus.

The Secretary-General is very concerned about developments on the Korean Peninsula, including the 28 November firing of two projectiles that marked the thirteenth launch of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2019, a senior Secretariat official told the Security Council today.

Some 450 non-State combatants have been disarmed and demobilized in western Central African Republic since the signing of the peace agreement in February, according to the United Nations mission in that country, including elements of the Front Démocratique du Peuple Centraficain and the Union des Forces Républicaines.

More than 1.4 million refugees in over 60 host countries will need resettlement in 2020, the High Commissioner for Refugees finds in its report, “Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2020”.  Those most at risk include refugees from Syria (40 per cent), South Sudan (14 per cent) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11 per cent).

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the meetings in Panmunjom involving the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea and the United States, particularly the announcement that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States will resume working-level dialogue.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, highlighting a “survivor-centred approach”.  The Secretary-General’s message stressed that survivors are mostly women and girls, but also men and boys, calling for support to access life-saving health services, justice and reparation.

A recent spike in clashes in north-western Nigeria has forced some 20,000 people to flee to neighbouring Niger since April, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today.  UNHCR is working closely with authorities in Niger to provide basic assistance and register these people.

In Libya, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ghassan Salamé, continues his outreach to interlocutors, meeting with Government officials, a group of elders and tribal leaders to offer the United Nations full support to help thousands of civilians affected by heavy fighting in southern Tripoli.

The Security Council extended today, until 24 April 2020, the mandate of the panel of experts that assists the dedicated committee overseeing sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The United Nations today released the 2019 Needs and Priority Plan for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which calls for $120 million to urgently provide life-saving aid to 3.8 million people.