Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. On this occasion, the Secretary-General said that indigenous peoples face a wide range of challenges including systematic discrimination, denial of their land and territorial rights and inadequate access to essential services.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General condemns the terrorist bombing today at the Civil Hospital in Quetta, Pakistan. The targeting of mourners at a civilian hospital makes the attack particularly appalling. He urges the Government to do its utmost to ensure safety of the population and bring to justice the perpetrators of the attack.
The UN refugee agency reported today that aid convoys have reached conflict-affected populations in the non-government controlled area of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine – the first delivery in five months for thousands of people who had their homes damaged or destroyed during the conflict.
A report published today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights states the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) killed large numbers of civilians, raped women and destroyed property during fighting in the country in July, and appears to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights called on all parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine to prioritize the protection of civilians and to take urgent steps to de-escalate the increasingly tense situation. He urged all sides to respect the ceasefire provisions, to remove combatants and weapons from civilian areas.
The Secretary-General today addressed the Security Council on children and armed conflict, telling Council members that in places such as Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, children suffer through a living hell, and in many cases, it is getting even worse. He said that even wars have rules.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today said that he was concerned that innocent people have been — and may continue to be — executed in Iraq in reaction to the 3 July bombing in Baghdad. He said it is “all too easy to permit such atrocities to stoke the fires of vengeance. But, vengeance is not justice."
The Secretary-General today called for a worldwide cessation of hostilities in observance of the Olympic Truce during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “While such an ambitious vision may seem impossible to realize, the Olympic spirit calls on us to rise to the challenge,” he said.
The Secretary-General appeals to the Government of Indonesia to stop the reportedly imminent execution of a number of prisoners for alleged drug-related crimes. He urges President Joko Widodo to consider declaring a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in the country and to move towards its abolition.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) continues to receive deeply disturbing reports of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, by soldiers in uniform and in plain clothes against civilians, including minors. Since the start of the current violence, the Mission has documented at least 120 such cases.