Noon Briefings

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman briefed the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine, saying that while it remained tenuous in the east, there were grounds for hope, including that the ceasefire continued to largely hold, the number and pace of casualties had slowed and that the process was under way to set up measures to implement the Minsk Agreements.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria met today, in Istanbul, with the President and members of the political committee of the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, with both parties agreeing on the urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict and of an immediate halt of the killing and targeting of civilians.

In light of recent allegations of sexual abuse against children in the Central African Republic by foreign troops not under the authority of the United Nations, the Secretary-General will set up an external independent review to examine the UN system's handling of these allegations.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that some 2.8 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of the earthquake in Nepal.  The Nepal Flash Appeal, revised down to $422 million, is currently underfunded with only $120 million having been received so far.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) reports that a total of 1,031 Iraqis were killed and another 1,684 were wounded during the month of May.  The Head of the Mission there says for any military gains to be sustainable, the Government must adopt a set of confidence-building measures towards disaffected communities.

The Secretary-General has appointed Eugene Owusu of Ghana as his Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), who will also serve as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.

On Iraq, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that more than 85,000 internally displaced persons have fled Ramadi District, bringing the total to 180,000 families displaced since 8 April.  The United Nations and its partners are providing shelter, water and sanitation, and food.

In Brussels today, the Secretary-General addressed the European Parliament where, among other things, he spoke of the challenges posed by migration and expressed hope that the European Commission’s proposal for the relocation of 40,000 asylum-seekers would be accepted by the European Union member States.

The Secretary-General wrapped up his visit to Ireland, where he received the Tipperary International Peace Prize before traveling today to Brussels, where he plans to meet with European Union development ministers this evening.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, reports that an investigation team has been deployed in the town of Tin-Hamma to establish the facts following reports of serious human rights violations, including alleged executions of civilians following clashes between armed groups.