Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Today in Geneva, the 2018-2019 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan concerning Syria was launched - an interagency, $4.4 billion plan designed to support over five million refugees from Syria and the vulnerable communities hosting them in the neighbouring countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan dispatched a patrol to Abier, Cuei-Cok and Abiriu, in the northwest of Lakes region, on 9 December following an attack by armed youth last week in which more than 60 people were killed and 70 injured.  During the patrol, the Mission interviewed witnesses, visited the wounded and cautioned against retaliatory attacks.

Amid the security challenges arising from the ballistic missile and nuclear testing activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, it was critical to address the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in that country as well, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.

At the annual Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Pledging Conference, the Secretary-General called for a $1 billion CERF to help bolster contingency financing, noting that, since 2005, humanitarian needs have increased from $5.2 billion to over $24 billion today, with more people than ever on the brink of disaster.

The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), in order to dispel any potential misunderstandings about the Security Council sanctions regime on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and better facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, wishes to recall the relevant provisions contained in resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), 2321 (2016), 2356 (2017), 2371 (2017) and 2375 (2017).

The Secretary-General, in a message to the United Nations Environment Assembly opening in Nairobi today, said that solutions to prevent, mitigate and manage pollution existed, and that beating pollution would help reduce poverty, improve health, create decent jobs, address climate change and protect life on earth and sea.

United Nations humanitarian flights to Yemen resumed on 25 November, with two commercial vessels having arrived in Hodaidah carrying 35,020 metric tons of wheat and flour.  Three vessels carrying nearly 65,000 metric tons of food have been cleared by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism and are awaiting permission from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to enter the port.

Speakers in the Security Council called today for urgent measures to head off the threat posed by the escalation of tensions following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:

The United Nations Environment Programme’s new Emission Gaps Report, which was released today, found that the national pledges made by countries in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change represent only one third of the action needed to meet climate targets and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.