Noon Briefings

The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations briefed the Security Council on the situation in Mali. He noted the general insecurity in northern Mali and said there had been little progress towards a real, substantive dialogue. He added that this had led to the sharp deterioration of the security situation in Kidal, where armed groups had now assumed effective control of the town.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan strongly condemned today the continued targeted killings of election workers in the wake of the second round of the presidential election. Victims include two employees of the Independent Election Commission in the southern province of Helmand. Eight Commission workers were also killed by a remote-controlled improvised explosive device.

The Secretary-General congratulated the Afghan people for exercising their right to vote in the Presidential run-off. He added that, moving forward, it is critical that Afghanistan preserves the unity, optimism and spirit of inclusiveness reflected in Saturday’s vote.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has expressed extreme alarm at the dramatic deterioration of the situation in Iraq, including reports of summary executions and extrajudicial killings, and the UN Refugee Agency is concerned about the shortage of shelter as the displacement numbers increase.

The Secretary-General condemned the upsurge in violence in Iraq at the hands of terrorist groups. He said that terrorism must not be allowed to succeed in undoing the path towards democracy, and urged the international community to unite in showing solidarity with Iraq as it confronts this serious security challenge.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, thousands have fled Mosul, Iraq, with an estimated 100,000 people entering Erbil and another 200,000 in Dohuk. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says resources are extremely limited, with only 10 per cent of the required $103 million in donor funding received.

The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the serious deterioration of the security situation in Mosul, Iraq, where thousands of civilians have been displaced in the recent violence. He urges all political leaders to show national unity against the threats facing Iraq, which can only be addressed on the basis of the Constitution and within the democratic political process.

The Secretary-General today, speaking at the General Assembly event on human rights and rule of law in the post-2015 development agenda, said they are central to eradicate extreme poverty and close social and economic gaps — both as a means and an end. He said all human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says a ceasefire in the northern Amran Governorate is reportedly holding. Humanitarian organizations are concerned about the new displacement of as many as 20,000 people in Amran, due to recent heavy fighting between Government forces and armed rebels.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the first case of polio in Somalia this year was confirmed on 4 June in the north-central region of Mudug. A polio response team from Nairobi is expected to assess the case. The polio vaccination campaign of 2013, which targeted 4 million people, was hailed as an example of providing health services in otherwise inaccessible areas.