Piecemeal measures to tackle Syria’s interlocking political, economic and humanitarian challenges cannot bring stability to the country and the region, the United Nations mediator for Syria told the Security Council today, calling for a new, comprehensive approach that addresses the full range of issues with the warring parties.
Following the official installation of the Transitional Presidential Council in Port-au-Prince today, the Secretary-General reiterated his call for the swift deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti to assist the Haitian National Police in addressing the dire security situation in the country.
More than seven years after it created a mechanism to analyse evidence of human rights abuses in Syria, the General Assembly today considered the work of this body and heard from its Head that additional funding is needed in order to continue assisting national investigations of these crimes, before adopting several draft texts recommended by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).
In Haiti, the United Nations and its partners continue to provide emergency assistance to people impacted by the crisis in Port-au-Prince. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) supplied more than 30,000 hot meals to displaced people in the capital.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
In Cameroon, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned today that vital food assistance to refugees in the country’s far north, Adamawa, and east and north regions is at risk of grinding to a halt due to funding shortfalls.
In the Gambia, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today raised concerns on the proposed repeal of the ban on female genital mutilation in the country, highlighting the proposal as a grave violation of human rights and significant setback in the global fight against gender-based violence.
As the conflict in Syria entered its fourteenth year, the “tragic reality” was that developments are going in the wrong direction across all fronts, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country warned the Security Council today, as members echoed his urgent calls on Damascus and other actors to unblock the persisting political impasse.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Mission (MONUSCO) continues their vital work protecting civilians in the country’s east. Earlier this week, MONUSCO deployed in Tche and Logo-Takpa, in Ituri Province, in support of the Congolese Armed Forces following a string of attacks by CODECO combatants.
In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs reports that an attack earlier today hit residential areas of Odesa, a city with a population of some 1 million people, causing destruction and multiple civilian casualties.
