Noon Briefings

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has reported that refugees fleeing militia violence in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arriving in Zambia have crossed the 12,000 mark, with 80 per cent of them women and children, driven out by extreme brutality of rampaging militias.

UNICEF released a report today that calls on world leaders to include specific commitments to protect uprooted children when drafting global migration policies.  The call precedes the preparatory meeting on the Global Compact for Migration, to be held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from 4 to 6 December.  The report is available online.

United Nations humanitarian flights to Yemen resumed on 25 November, with two commercial vessels having arrived in Hodaidah carrying 35,020 metric tons of wheat and flour.  Three vessels carrying nearly 65,000 metric tons of food have been cleared by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism and are awaiting permission from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to enter the port.

Speakers in the Security Council called today for urgent measures to head off the threat posed by the escalation of tensions following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Newly released data from the International Organization for Migration show that almost half of all identified child trafficking cases begin with the involvement of a family member.  According to the data, the extent of such involvement is up to four times higher than in cases of adult trafficking.

The Secretary-General is meeting for the first time with his High-level Advisory Board on Mediation, established to help his efforts to build stronger partnerships in preventing and resolving crises.  The Secretary-General emphasized in his remarks the experience and knowledge of Board members and the critical role they could play in preventive diplomacy.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today convicted Ratko Mladiæ on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, giving him a life sentence.  Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said the judgment was a milestone in the Tribunal’s history and international criminal justice.

The United Nations stands ready to support repair of Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouses hit by two mortar shells in Quneitra, in southern Syria, and replenish the destroyed aid.  Some 13.1 million people in Syria require assistance, according to the 2018 humanitarian needs assessment released today.  

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the number of Rohingya refugees having fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since 25 August has now reached 621,000.  As of this morning, the Rohingya Refugee Crisis Response Plan has received nearly $140 million, or 32 per cent of requirements.  Donors had pledged $360 million for the October response.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights report having noted an increase in murders and threats against human rights defenders and community leaders in the country’s Pacific Coast region.  In most cases, the victims are from indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.