Middle East

On the eve of the second round of the presidential election in Madagascar, the electoral observer missions and the members of the international community issued a statement calling on the two candidates to show restraint and to exhort their supporters to avoid any action that could compromise the electoral process.

The General Assembly today concluded its annual debate on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East by adopting six resolutions — including one calling for a final peace settlement to the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict — with some speakers warning against biased, one‑sided texts.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will hold a special meeting on 28 November to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in the Trusteeship Chamber from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Pierre Krähenbühl, praised the Agency’s donors in Amman today for collectively helping to reduce its $446 million budget shortfall to $21 million.   The Agency was able to open its 711 schools on time as a result.

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.

Against the backdrop of a tenuous calm, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process today warned the Security Council that the Gaza Strip remains on the brink of an armed conflict that holds catastrophic consequences for some two million impoverished Palestinians living there.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People recommended four draft resolutions for action by General Assembly today, with its Vice-Chair saying they will be presented on 29 November, during its general debate on the question of Palestine, and on 30 November, when voting is expected.

The United Nations refugee agency today called upon countries to take faster and more resolute action to help end statelessness.  High Commissioner Filippo Grandi urged politicians, Governments and legislators around the world to take and support decisive action to eliminate statelessness globally by 2024.

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

A new United Nations report has documented the immense suffering of civilians in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria region, where 900 people were abducted and 24,000 forced to flee their homes during a surge in violence between April and August of this year.