In progress at UNHQ

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

A new report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, warns that armed groups in that country, including those affiliated with the State, hold thousands of people in prolonged arbitrary and unlawful detention, submitting them to torture and other rights violations.

Successful Elections in Democratic Republic of Congo Crucial to Wider Great Lakes Region’s Peace, Stability, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

SC/13286

Credible and inclusive elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by a peaceful transfer of power, would have a positive effect on peace, stability and development in the wider Great Lakes region of Central Africa, speakers said today as the Security Council debated regional developments that also included humanitarian concerns and the activities of armed groups.

Adopting Resolution 2410 (2018), Security Council Extends Mandate of Mission for Justice Support in Haiti until 15 April 2019, Draws Down Police Units

SC/13285

The Security Council today decided to extend for one year the mandate of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), while also laying out a staggered decrease in its uniformed personnel and requesting periodic progress assessments on the Secretary-General’s proposed drawdown and exit strategy.

In Emergency Meeting, Security Council Speakers Voice Grave Concern over Alleged Chemical Weapons Use in Syria, as Versions of Recent Attacks Sharply Differ

SC/13284

In an emergency meeting following claims of chemical weapons attacks against civilians in Douma, Syria, both Security Council members and officials briefing them voiced grave concern that the use of such weapons risked being normalized — and could contribute to rapidly escalating tensions between world Powers — for the first time since the end of the cold war.

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Forces from the Central African Republic and the United Nations Mission in the country launched a joint disarmament and arrest operation targeting criminal groups in the PK5 neighborhood in Bangui, resulting in arrests and the seizure of arms, ammunition and drugs.  The joint efforts will continue until the criminal groups are dismantled.

Population and Development Commission Opens Session amid Calls to Unleash Huge Growth Potential of Urban Areas, Especially for World’s 1 Billion Migrants

POP/1072

Rapid urbanization presented some of today’s greatest modern development challenges, yet if effectively harnessed — especially by the world’s 1 billion migrants — it could unleash tremendous growth opportunities, speakers said today as the Commission on Population and Development opened its fifty‑first session.

Deputy Secretary-General, Opening Population and Development Commission, Calls for Tolerant Migration Policies, Stresses ‘Human Story Is a Mobile One’

DSG/SM/1155-POP/1073

Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the opening of the fifty-first session on the Commission on Population and Development in New York today: