Haiti

The United Nations refugee agency and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called upon European countries and regional organizations today to take urgent action to ensure no child is born, or remains, stateless in Europe.  In 2017, some 2,100 children were registered as “stateless”, a four-fold increase over 2010.

The Government of the Philippines declared a major outbreak of measles last week in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, which has now expanded to other areas, according to humanitarian affairs officials.  More than 4,300 suspected cases of measles have been reported since January, with at least 70 deaths.

The Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations briefed the Security Council on Mali today.  Despite noting progress to implement the 2015 peace agreement, she however added that the security situation remains of concern, with attacks targeting peacekeepers, national and international forces, and civilians.

Close collaboration with the Government of Haiti and its partners will be essential to the successful transition to a non-peacekeeping United Nations presence in that country, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) told the Security Council today.

The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report reveals that in 2017, there were about 219 million cases, compared with 217 million in 2016.  About 70 per cent of all cases occurred in 10 African countries and India.  To boost prevention and treatment, WHO and partners launched a new country-led response.

Civilians continue to suffer high casualties, with the combined use of suicide and non-suicide improvised explosive devices by non-government fighters remaining the leading cause, according to the latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The Secretary-General extended his condolences on Sunday to the Government of Haiti and the families of the victims of the earthquake that struck north of Port-de-Paix.  The United Nations and its partners are helping the Government assess the needs of the population impacted by the quake.

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

As the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) prepares for the transition to a non-peacekeeping presence, beginning in October 2019, challenges, including the recent protest against planned fuel price hikes, continue to impede progress made, exposing the fragility of that country’s security and socioeconomic situation and demonstrating the need for strong rule of law legislation, a senior official told the Security Council today.

The United Nations peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan reports that a military court handed down lengthy sentences today after finding 10 Government soldiers guilty of violence against civilians at the Terrain Hotel in the capital, Juba, in July 2016.  In a statement, the Mission notes that the trial’s outcome sends a powerful message that other would-be offenders will be prosecuted and punished.