Syria

Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed grave concern today that thousands of civilians remain stranded in conflict-affected areas of Tripoli.  She stressed in a statement the urgent need to create safe humanitarian corridors for trapped civilians, for an immediate ceasefire and for resumed talks.

Briefing the Security Council on a range of priorities today, Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen detailed efforts to build trust among warring parties, facilitate the creation of a constitutional committee and clarify the fate of persons missing since the start of the conflict, now in its eighth year.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is deeply concerned about the fate of at least 21 Venezuelans missing after their boat sank yesterday morning on the way to Trinidad and Tobago.  It was carrying at least 25 people, and the Trinidad and Tobago authorities said four were rescued.

This week is World Immunization Week, and UNICEF is highlighting the dangers of the global rise in measles cases.  Executive Director Henrietta Fore said today:  “If we are serious about averting the spread of this dangerous but preventable disease, we need to vaccinate every child, in rich and poor countries alike.”

Among those suffering most from “a litany of horrors” in Syria are persons with disabilities, who are often excluded and face specific protection and psychosocial challenges, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs told the Security Council today, as she described deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the country.

The World Health Organization today welcomed the launch of the world’s first malaria vaccine.  It will be made available in Malawi, followed by Ghana and Kenya, through a pilot programme aimed at reaching 360,000 children under the age of 2 every year.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that thousands of civilians in Libya remain trapped in conflict-affected areas on the southern outskirts of Tripoli.  United Nations political and humanitarian teams continue to operate there, providing urgent humanitarian assistance.

The Secretary-General is shocked at today’s attack in Quetta, in Pakistan.  He strongly condemns this cowardly act and extends his condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Pakistan.

Two jailed Reuters journalists from Myanmar will share the 2019 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s press freedom prize.  Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone were reporting on alleged human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State when they were arrested in December 2017.

With Bangladesh expecting its first monsoon of the year in the coming weeks, the United Nations refugee agency is ramping up emergency preparations and training of Rohingya refugees as first responders.  Last year, more than 740,000 refugees fleeing Myanmar into Bangladesh experienced their first monsoon.