The United Nations peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan reports that a military court handed down lengthy sentences today after finding 10 Government soldiers guilty of violence against civilians at the Terrain Hotel in the capital, Juba, in July 2016. In a statement, the Mission notes that the trial’s outcome sends a powerful message that other would-be offenders will be prosecuted and punished.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Jamie McGoldrick, Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, called today for urgent funding to restore depleted supplies of emergency fuel for essential services in the Gaza Strip. Within a week, Al Aqsa Hospital in the Middle Area of the Gaza Strip may have to shut down, and, without fuel, some 300,000 people will potentially be affected by serious public health concerns.
Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will be conducting her first-ever mission in South Sudan between 4 and 8 September. She intends to take stock of progress and challenges in the implementation of action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children.
In Gaza, Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick informed donors that the United Nations emergency fuel programme has run out of money. New funds are needed immediately to prevent a potentially catastrophic breakdown in service delivery at health centres, sewage treatment plants, water and sanitation facilities.
The Special Envoy for Syria warned of what he called a possible “perfect storm” in Idlib due to the potential military escalation in the area. He stressed that 2.9 million lives are at stake in Idlib, which is the largest of the so‑called de‑escalation areas.
A new report released today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that 4 million refugee children do not attend school. The report shows that enrolment of refugee children in school is failing to keep pace with the growing refugee population.
The United Nations Children’s Fund is taking measures to ensure a safe start to the school year in Ebola-affected regions of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including training of principals and 1,750 teachers about the virus, setting up procedures for early detection, isolation and referral to health services for children who may have Ebola‑like symptoms.
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, established by the Human Rights Council, issued a report today in which it called for the country’s military leaders to be investigated for crimes committed in north Rakhine State, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a joint United Nations‑Ministry of Health team is taking action to combat the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu Province, which has killed 61 people as of 21 August. Since 8 August, more than 2,000 people have been vaccinated.
The 2018 Department of Public Information/NGO Conference got under way today under the theme “We the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems”. It will focus on the value of multilateralism in solving global problems, and on opportunities for closer partnership between the United Nations and civil society in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.