On a scale of 1 to 10, the fact-finding mission in Syria had achieved 8.7, the chief of the mission charged with verifying the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The Secretary-General spoke with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan, expressing his concern about the reports of fighting in Juba and reports that members of certain communities were being targeted. He said that up to 13,000 civilians have sought refuge at the UN compounds in Juba.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda), held an end-of-year press conference today at Headquarters in which he discussed highlights from the past year and outlined expected activities for 2014 and beyond, including the long-standing issue of Security Council reform.

The global economy had recuperated, but continued to be subdued, according to a United Nations report, entitled World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014, launched today at Headquarters.

Welcoming reports that South Sudan President Salva Kiir would be willing to enter talks with the political opposition, the Secretary-General called upon the Government to support the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, which is continuing to support civilians in its two compounds in Juba, now numbering close to 20,000 people, as well as several hundred in Jonglei.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Central African Republic, Babacar Gaye, said today the situation is improving, but remains fragile and unpredictable. In an interview with UN Radio, he also said there is no longer fighting in the capital, Bangui, and the disarmament of armed groups is ongoing. He said this improvement has to be consolidated.

The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack by 2,000 armed youth on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan base in Akobo, which had been sheltering civilians seeking refuge. Offering condolences to the families of the two fallen peacekeepers, as well as least 11 civilians, the Secretary-General urged top leaders to demonstrate compromise and resolve differences through dialogue.

With the crisis in South Sudan continuing into its second week, the United Nations mission in that country was awaiting delivery of critical assets from other peacekeeping operations over the next 48 hours to bolster the protection of more than 50,000 civilians seeking refuge in its premises, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The UN Mission in South Sudan conducted aerial reconnaissance yesterday and identified some armed groups north-east of Bor, but it cannot confirm their size or precise location. On the humanitarian front, aid agencies have reached some 106,000 displaced people, but are $166 million short of a $209 million appeal.

The UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, reports that extrajudicial killings of civilians and captured soldiers have occurred in various parts of the country as evidenced by the discovery of large numbers of bodies in Juba, as well as the Upper Nile and Jonglei state capitals of Malakal and Bor, respectively.