Press Conference

The Secretary-General, the United Nations and its Member States must do more to persuade the Government of Myanmar to stem the tide of violence against Muslims in that country, representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The World Food Programme (WFP) needed $27 million every week to feed 7 million Syrians who were going hungry because of the civil war, according to the head of the Agency’s operations in the area.

Following is a transcript of UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s press conference held in New York, 3 July:

The Security Council’s work for July included a ministerial-level debate on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region, Acting Permanent Representative of the United States, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, said today at Headquarters as she assumed the 15-nation body’s presidency.

This week’s Security Council debate on sexual violence in conflict confirmed the importance of that issue and reaffirmed the decision to put it “front and centre” of the United Kingdom’s presidency, that country’s Permanent Representative said at Headquarters today.

Despite the fragile situation in southern Lebanon, both sides were respecting resolution 1701 (2006) — which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Hizbullah and Israel — the Commander of United Nations troops in the area said at a Headquarters press conference today.

The international community and civil society at large must partner with the United Nations to support initiatives aimed at highlighting the important role of oceans in the sustainable development goals.

With World Health Organization statistics showing that more than one in three women would encounter physical or sexual violence during their lives, the international community must make the fight against sexual violence a priority, France’s Minister for Women’s Rights and Government Spokesperson said at Headquarters today.

Making a rare appearance at a Headquarters news conference today, a senior diplomat of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea called for the dismantling of the United States-led command in its southern neighbouring State.

Bolder action was needed on the part of the international community — and the Security Council in particular — to end political and ethnic violence that had been on the rise in Sudan since the South declared independence nearly two years ago, said representatives of several non-governmental organizations as they introduced their reports on the matter at a Headquarters press conference today.