Middle East

In Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights welcomed the commitment by the Government to improve the human rights situation, but he also urged more action to end attacks on civilians, mainly by extremists, and the continued discrimination against Afghan women at all levels of society.

The Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $1.26 million for Gaza today to support the rapid procurement of essential medical supplies and their distribution to critical hospitals providing trauma care.

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

The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, reports that the situation in Bangui is calm following violence in the capital yesterday, but in a subsequent attack, two MINUSCA Military Staff Officers were wounded, one seriously, after a crowd pelted them with stones.

In Syria, our humanitarian colleagues are concerned for the safety and protection of tens of thousands of people as fighting continues to be reported in several areas of northern rural Homs Governorate.  The United Nations calls on all parties, and those with influence over them, to ensure protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need.

Amid escalating tensions, outside interference and growing risks of potentially explosive miscalculations, from Gaza to Syria to Yemen, everyone in the region must “step away from the brink”, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.

On Myanmar, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the situation in Rakhine State remains extremely concerning.  There are continued reports of departures from northern Rakhine, and some reports of threats and extortion against Muslim communities.

Drought hits the Sahel region hard, with more than 10 million people expected to need emergency food assistance, up from 7.1 million currently, if adequate assistance is not provided in time. Poor rains in 2017 are now deeply affecting parts of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced today that Chile had just acceded to the international conventions on statelessness.  The Office commended the country’s commitment to promote the fundamental right to nationality.

The current state of chaos in the Middle East, including the conflict in Syria, had become a threat to international peace and security, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council this morning, appealing to the 15‑member body to overcome divisions and prevent dangerous situations from spinning out of control.