A new report by the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says defence and security forces used excessive, disproportionate and lethal force to prevent and contain last December’s demonstrations, in which at least 40 people were killed.
Concluding its annual session today, the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the Organization adopted its 2017 draft report and forwarded its recommendations to the General Assembly.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals was not an option, but an imperative for a safe and security future of prosperity, opportunity and human rights for all, Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said today as the Economic and Social Council opened its 2017 operational activities segment.
The Secretary-General’s briefing on his participation in the African Union Summit was among the highlights of a February densely packed with meetings and discussions, Security Council President Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine) told fellow members during an end-of-month “wrap up” meeting today.
Following the casting of vetoes by two of its five permanent members, the Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution today that would have imposed sanctions on entities and individuals deemed to be involved in the production or use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed's remarks to the 2017 Economic and Social Council segment on operational activities for development, in New York today:
The Secretary-General today swore in Amina Mohammed, his new Deputy Secretary-General. Ms. Mohammed said that she will focus primarily on helping the Secretary-General to reposition sustainable development at the heart of the United Nations.
Heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo had reduced the space for political dialogue, a process that was as fragile as it was essential, the senior United Nations official in the Balkans region told the Security Council today.
Extremely concerned for the safety and protection of more than 400,000 people who remain besieged in eastern Ghoutah in Syria, the United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure unimpeded, sustained and unconditional access to all those in need.
Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Dag Halvor Nylander of Norway as his Personal Representative on the Border Controversy between Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
