Secretary-General-designate, António Guterres appointed Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as Deputy Secretary-General and Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as Chef de Cabinet. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea was also appointed to the newly created position of Special Adviser on Policy.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The United Nations was deeply concerned by reports of fighting in Aleppo today, despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement last night. The High Commissioner for Human Rights said any evacuation of the civilians must be carried out in compliance with international law.
The Deputy Secretary-General spoke today at the Security Council meeting on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, noting that in 2014, a Commission of Inquiry concluded that crimes against humanity have been committed there — and rightly called for accountability.
The United Nations is concerned about civilians in Aleppo as fighting continues in the entire city. According to local partners, more than 40,000 people have left besieged areas for Kudish-held Sheikh Magsoud, among other areas. The United Nations has called urgently for a pause in the fighting.
The Acting Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa told the Security Council today that the Government had made progress engaging with armed groups through a formal framework, and that Lake Chad Basin countries had achieved substantial military and security successes against Boko Haram.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to halve food rations for some 434,000 refugees in Kenya’s Dadaab and Kakuma camps and in the new Kalobeyei settlement amid a severe funding shortage. Supplies are expected to last only until the end of February unless WFP receives more funding quickly.
In Geneva today, Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien launched the highest consolidated humanitarian appeal for $22.2 billion. With humanitarian crises greater than at any time since the United Nations was founded, the funding would support vital operations for nearly 93 million vulnerable people in 33 countries.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Aleppo City, where an estimated 31,500 people are displaced from areas in eastern Aleppo retaken by the Government of Syria. The UN and partners are scaling up their humanitarian response in Aleppo and responding to the needs of the newly displaced.
The United Nations Mission in Colombia today welcomed the ratification of the Peace Agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) by that country’s upper and lower houses of Parliament, opening the way for a comprehensive agreement and a new era of peace.
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Security Council, saying scores of people were killed in a single airstrike in Aleppo today, with some 20,000 people being displaced in recent days. He said thousands more were expected to flee if fighting further spread and intensified over the coming days.