Syria

Stephen O’Brien, Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefing the Security Council on Syria today, voiced his concern about the situation in eastern Ghouta where the United Nations has been unable to get access to some 400,000 people since last October.  He called for a pause in fighting to allow for the delivery of aid.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Edmond Mulet of Guatemala as the Head of the independent three-member panel to lead the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism established by Security Council resolution 2235 (2015) on the use of chemicals as weapons in Syria.

Condemning the latest attacks on civilians in Syria today, the United Nations humanitarian chief told the Security Council that real progress was needed to “stymie the tide of death” in that country.

UNICEF said today that it procured 2.5 billion doses of vaccines for children in nearly 100 countries in 2016, reaching almost half the world’s children under the age of 5.  The figures, released during World Immunization Week, make UNICEF the largest buyer of vaccines for children in the world.

More than 25 million children between 6 and 15 years old, or 22 per cent of children in that age group, are missing out on school in conflict zones across 22 countries, according to a UNICEF report issued today.  South Sudan has the highest rate at almost 72 per cent, followed by Chad and Afghanistan.

The World Food Programme airlifted life-saving food supplies to drought-stricken Somalia today, for the most vulnerable people, particularly children.  A Boeing 747 arrived in Mogadishu carrying 47 metric tons of high-energy biscuits, as well as critical medical supplies on behalf of the World Health Organization.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nikki Haley (United States):

Twelve of the 17 staff members previously barred from returning have arrived in Laayoune, and an additional one is expected today, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) reports.  Administrative procedures for the return, reassignment or retirement of the remaining four are under way.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would have condemned the reported chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun and expressed its determination to hold the perpetrators accountable.