The Secretary-General congratulates the people of Nepal on the Constituent Assembly election. The turnout shows their determination to further the peace process. The Constituent Assembly will have the historic responsibility to complete a new constitution, building upon the impressive gains made so far.

It was imperative to deploy more female police officers in both United Nations peacekeeping and its special political missions to enhance conflict resolution and peacebuilding, Stefan Feller, United Nations Police Adviser, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today.

United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos ended a three-day visit to the Philippines today. The Government estimates that 13.25 million people have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan, including some 5.4 million children. Funding for the humanitarian appeal launched last week is at nearly 43 per cent, or $129 million.

Education and interfaith dialogues were as crucial as criminal justice and law enforcement mechanisms in the fight against terrorism, a top official of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General, in his latest report on the Central African Republic, says that there is an urgent and growing need to address the crisis before it spirals out of control. He is particularly concerned that inter-communal tensions might lead to uncontrollable sectarian violence with untold consequences.

Food, clean water and shelter remained top priorities for relief efforts in the Philippine regions devastated by super-typhoon Haiyan, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said at a Headquarters press conference today following her recent visit to the affected areas.

The Secretary-General announced this morning that the Geneva Conference on Syria will take place on Wednesday, 22 January. He said all parties must begin now to take steps to help it succeed, including the cessation of violence, humanitarian access, the release of tetainees and the return of Syrian refugees to their homes.

Political will and adequate resources were critical to ending violence against women and girls across the world, the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) said at Headquarters today.

As we enter the third week of the emergency response to Typhoon Haiyan, the World Food Programme is extending its reach to those in need. In the past two weeks, the World Food Programme has dispatched more than 4,000 tons of rice and more than 100 tons of high energy biscuits for distribution by partners.

Despite progress in the past year by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national army to end the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, armed groups in that country were still gravely violating children’s rights, a top United Nations official said at a Headquarters press conference today.