South Sudan

The Security Council met for its debate on Afghanistan this morning, during which it renewed the mandate for the United Nations Mission there (UNAMA).  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative highlighted the challenging security environment in the country, which in 2016 resulted in UNAMA recording the highest number of civilian casualties in a single year.

Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien travelled to Somalia today to assess the impact of the drought which has left the country on the brink of famine.  He met with humanitarian partners to discuss ways to scale up the response to save lives, and called on all parties to step up efforts to facilitate increased humanitarian access.

United Nations staff in Yemen report that the first humanitarian truck from Ibb since August 2016 arrived in Taizz City today with eight tonnes of medicines and medical equipment, after authorities blocked a visit by United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien to Taizz City on 28 February.

A new report by the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says defence and security forces used excessive, disproportionate and lethal force to prevent and contain last December’s demonstrations, in which at least 40 people were killed.

The Secretary-General today swore in Amina Mohammed, his new Deputy Secretary-General.  Ms. Mohammed said that she will focus primarily on helping the Secretary-General to reposition sustainable development at the heart of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General welcomes donor pledges made today at the conclusion of the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin, where 14 donors pledged $458 million for 2017.  The Conference also resulted in an agreement to address longer-term development needs and seek lasting solutions to the crisis.

The Acting Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic yesterday called on parties to the conflict in the Ouaka and Haute-Kotto provinces to respect international humanitarian law.  He also urged them to honour their commitment to protect civilians and to fulfil their human rights obligations.

The following is the full transcript of the joint press conference on the humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres; Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator; Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); Carla Mucavi, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in New York; and Justin Forsyth, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), held in New York today:

The Secretary-General spoke today at the Security Council’s debate on conflicts in Europe, saying that such conflicts are not only a tragedy for those directly involved, but they are also reversing development gains and preventing communities and societies from achieving their potential and contributing to regional and global prosperity.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, Special Envoy for Yemen, has put out a statement responding to the killing of six women and a girl, as well as the wounding of dozens of people as a result of an alleged air strike that hit a funeral in the Arhab District of Sana’a Governorate on Wednesday afternoon.