The Secretary-General welcomes the opening today of the trial of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, nearly nine years after the heinous terrorist attack which killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 21 others. He stresses the vital importance of combating impunity for the long-term stability and security of Lebanon.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
Commitments made at the Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait City today amounted to $2.4 billion. The Secretary-General called on all concerned to respond to today’s generosity by letting relief aid reach all besieged areas and to step up efforts to bring the parties together.
The Secretary-General is in Kuwait City, where he will chair the second High-level Pledging Conference for Syria tomorrow. He was in Iraq this morning, where he visited a camp for Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan region. He met with a refugee family and was briefed on the situation in the camp.
The Secretary-General arrived in Baghdad this morning. He met with the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and discussed the security and political situation in that country, as well as the situation in Syria. To the press, he said it was important for all political leaders to unit in their stance against terrorism.
Next week, the Secretary-General will travel to Kuwait to chair the second Pledging Conference for Syria on 15 January. The gathering aims to mobilize the required financial resources to enable the United Nations and its partners to meet urgent humanitarian needs and to harness solidarity for the Syrian people.
Sigrid Kaag, the Special Coordinator heading the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations working in Syria, briefed the Security Council this morning in closed consultations. She then updated reporters at the Council stakeout.
The UN Children’s Fund and the UN refugee agency, together with its partners, have launched a $1 billion public engagement campaign to prevent a lost generation of Syrian children and lift them out of misery, isolation and trauma. UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said that now is the time for the world to step up and provide Syrian children with fresh hope and confidence for their future.
The UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, says that there have been signs of mobilization over the weekend of both pro- and anti-Government troops in many locations in the country, and reports of military clashes. The resupply of the UNMISS Bor base, presently protecting some 9,000 civilians, is becoming critical.
The UN Mission in South Sudan says that 246 officers from two formed police units have been deployed to assist civilians seeking refuge inside its bases; a medical team from the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire has arrived in Juba; and the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is supporting air operations.
The UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, reports that extrajudicial killings of civilians and captured soldiers have occurred in various parts of the country as evidenced by the discovery of large numbers of bodies in Juba, as well as the Upper Nile and Jonglei state capitals of Malakal and Bor, respectively.