Speaking at a Headquarters press conference today, the Security Council President for November noted that 17 open sessions and 13 closed consultations had been held to consider 20 agenda items, including the Middle East, Iran, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the work of the sanctions committees.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had started operating a cash-for-work emergency employment scheme in the typhoon-hit Philippines to bridge two phases — humanitarian relief and reconstruction, a regional head of that agency said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General has been closely following events in Ukraine. He appeals to all parties to act with restraint, avoid any further violence and to uphold the democratic principles of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He encourages dialogue in pursuit of agreement on the country’s path forward.

In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo today, the UN Mission there launched its unarmed unmanned aerial vehicles. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said it was the first time that the United Nations deployed such an advanced technological tool in peacekeeping operations.

The Security Council’s priorities for December focused on the complex situations in the Central African Republic and Syria, as well as on peace and security in Africa’s volatile Sahel region, the Permanent Representative of France, Gérard Araud, said today at a Headquarters press conference as he assumed the 15-nation body’s presidency.

This afternoon, Sigrid Kaag, Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission of the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, will update Security Council members on the Mission’s work in Syria. Afterwards, Ms. Kaag intends to speak to reporters at the Security Council stakeout.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan needed continued global attention and support, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said today at a Headquarters news conference following her visit to the world’s youngest country.

The Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attacks against Yemen’s Ministry of Defence, calling on all stakeholders to cooperate with the investigation into the matter. He stressed that the only path to a stable, prosperous and democratic country was through the ongoing peaceful and all-inclusive National Dialogue Conference.

Speaking at the Summit for Peace and Security in Africa, the Secretary-General said that the recent violence in the Central African Republic is another reminder that we must act now. He also said that the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela, whose profound legacy will continue to guide the United Nations.

The upcoming World Urban Forum would address the question of equity in development, the head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat) said at a Headquarters news conference today.