On 13 November 2017, the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo briefed the members of the Committee on his trip, from 16 to 19 October, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and the United Arab Emirates.
In progress at UNHQ
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Secretary-General António Guterres called for continued calm in Zimbabwe. Closely following developments, he underlined the importance of resolving political differences through peaceful means, including through dialogue and in conformity with the country’s Constitution.
A total of 925,000 suspected cholera cases in Yemen included more than 2,200 associated deaths, as of 12 November, aid agencies reported. Fuel to run hospital generators and pump clean water would run out in weeks and the blockade continued to prevent air and sea humanitarian supply deliveries.
Among today’s highlights from the Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, were a pledge by HSBC Bank to mobilize $100 billion in sustainable financing and investment in support of the transition to a low-carbon economy and green growth around the world, and the release of a report by the European Union saying it is on track to meet its 2020 emissions-reduction target.
The Security Council today reiterated the need for the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fully investigate the killing of two members of the Group of Experts on that country and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the full return of the Gaza crossings to the control of the Palestinian Authority. He said the return was a landmark development in the implementation of the intra-Palestinian agreement, signed in Cairo on 12 October.
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Kim Bolduc of Canada as his Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), where she will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President François Delattre (France):
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is increasingly concerned by escalating displacement in several key regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 3.9 million people are internally displaced and the challenges of getting aid to people in need are growing fast.
It will take more than 100 years to end child marriage in West and Central Africa at current rates of reduction, UNICEF reported today. The new projections, released during a high-level meeting on ending child marriage in Dakar, Senegal, this week, aim to bring the spotlight on the region where girls face the highest risk of marrying in childhood.