In a Security Council open debate today, the Secretary-General stressed that sexual violence in conflict was used as a deliberate strategy to shred the fabric of society. He urged the international community to continue speaking up for the women, girls, men and boys whose bodies for too long were considered the spoils of war.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Outraged by yesterday’s terrorist attacks in Gao, Mali, against the United Nations, where preliminary reports state one peacekeeper from China was killed and a dozen personnel injured, the Secretary-General reiterated that such acts of terrorism against those working to restore stability and peace to Mali was inexcusable.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the execution of three men by authorities in Gaza today. They were carried out without the approval of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as required under Palestinian law, effectively denying these men the right to seek pardon or commute their sentence.
The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has begun delivering emergency relief aid to families who recently escaped the besieged Iraqi city of Falluja. The first of five UNHCR airlifts of emergency items arrived today from Jordan to support up to 50,000 people.
A joint United Nations-International Committee of the Red Cross-Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy delivered much-needed humanitarian assistance to the hard-to-reach area of Houle in Homs, Syria, where 71,000 people received food, nutrition, hygiene kits and educational materials.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan has strongly condemned the killing of a Slovakian nun and medical doctor on 15 May while on a humanitarian mission. Similarly, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic condemned the killing of a Médecins Sans Frontières staff member on 18 April.
The United Nations Independent Investigation in Burundi has completed the deployment of a team of human rights monitors on the ground set up by the Human Rights Council to investigate human rights violations in the country since April 2015.
The United Nations Environment Programme released today a new report that says environmental degradation and pollution are estimated to cause up to 234 times as many premature deaths as occur in conflicts annually. Environmental impacts are also responsible for the deaths of over a quarter of children under five, it says.
Deeply saddened by the crash of EgyptAir’s flight MS804 yesterday, the Secretary-General sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Egyptian Government and all people affected by the tragedy.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, welcomed the decision by Pfizer to prevent the use of its drugs for executions. He said it is heartening to see companies helping to further the trend towards ending use of the death penalty, and urged States not to seek the drugs from questionable sources.