The Secretary-General said today that, by and large, the cessation of hostilities is holding in Syria, although there have been some scattered incidents. He expressed his sincere hope that the cessation of hostilities will continue and will allow the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General is following with great concern the increasing number of border restrictions along the Balkan land route that are not in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention and is calling on all countries to keep their borders open and to act in a spirit of responsibility, sharing and solidarity.
The Secretary-General announced the allocation of $21 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for South Sudan out of $1.3 billion that is currently needed for United Nations humanitarian work in the country. He also called for support for the Humanitarian Response Plan, which is only 3 per cent funded.
The humanitarian office says that authorities in Fiji have confirmed that 36 people have died and at least two remain missing in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston. Moreover, about 97 schools have been damaged or destroyed, and 100 per cent of crops are reported destroyed in the worst-affected areas.
Convoys in Syria are bringing life-saving food and medical supplies to 20,000 people in need in Moadamiyeh and 10,000 people in Kafr Batna following the delivery of aid to five besieged towns last week as the humanitarian community continues to call for access to the 4.6 million people in hard-to-reach towns.
The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the people and Government of Fiji who have been affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that according to national authorities, 21 people have been confirmed dead and four people are currently missing.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that the situation in its protection of civilians site in Malakal is now calm following violent clashes Wednesday evening between Shilluk and Dinka youth and shooting outside the site reportedly by armed men in Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) uniforms.
The Secretary-General condemned the deadly explosion that took place in Ankara on 17 February. He hopes the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be swiftly brought to justice, and said the United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Turkey.
The Secretary-General today briefed Member States on the high-level signature ceremony for the Paris Agreement on climate change, which will take place on 22 April in New York. He urged Member States to ensure that the legal requirements for their leaders to have full powers to sign are in place by that date.
The Secretary-General was saddened to learn of the death of his predecessor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Noting that the Egyptian diplomat piloted the United Nations through one of the most challenging periods in its history, he called him a memorable leader who rendered invaluable services to world peace.