The World Food Programme has reached 60,000 people affected by flooding in Cambodia with food assistance. It aims to reach 150,000 people — first with emergency supplies, and then eventually with food-for-work and other schemes in a recovery phase.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that the death toll in Syria now exceeds 3,500. High Commissioner Navi Pillay is deeply concerned about the situation and by the Syrian Government's failure to take heed of international and regional calls for an end to the bloodshed.

Despite damage to thousands of homes and the closure of hundreds of schools, roads and health facilities amid a rising incidence of water-borne diseases, news of the severe flooding suffered by countries in Central America had not made international headlines, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg said at Headquarters today.

The Secretary-General today told the Security Council that protection of civilians in armed conflict situations requires: compliance with humanitarian law; compliance by non-State actors; appropriately resourced peacekeepers; better humanitarian access to those affected; and stronger accountability.

The Secretary-General, reporting to the General Assembly on the G-20 Summit in Cannes, said that the repercussions of the Greek crisis and the threat of contagion to other Eurozone economies had dominated the event. His message to leaders was nonetheless consistent: Do not overlook the most vulnerable people.

This morning, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council on his recent trip to Sudan and South Sudan. He stressed that the only course of action available is to recommit to a peaceful negotiated settlement of outstanding issues and to an immediate de-escalation of tensions.

The Secretary-General arrived in Bangladesh yesterday evening. This morning, he met with the Foreign Minister and senior Government officials before opening the Climate Vulnerable Forum with the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. He told participants that climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution.

A statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General expressed deep concern over the escalation of rhetoric between the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, particularly in regard to cross-border support of rebel groups and incursions into one another’s territory.

In Bangkok today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Prime Minister that the United Nations stands ready to do everything possible to help Thailand respond to and recover from the heavy floods. Mr. Ban saw first-hand the impact of the floods by helicopter and met with people who were evacuated from inundated areas.

The wave of democratic reforms sweeping the Middle East was a positive development, but the United States was not embracing those changes in a constructive way, a leading Iranian academic and politician said during a Headquarters news conference today.