Despite progress being made, not only was the international community’s confidence in Syria’s full elimination of its chemical weapons programme dependent upon the United Nations being able to close outstanding issues, but the lack of an accountability mechanism was a missing step in taking to task those responsible for using chemical weapons, a senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today.
Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, will be conducting her first-ever mission in South Sudan between 4 and 8 September. She intends to take stock of progress and challenges in the implementation of action plans to end and prevent grave violations against children.
The Special Envoy for Syria warned of what he called a possible “perfect storm” in Idlib due to the potential military escalation in the area. He stressed that 2.9 million lives are at stake in Idlib, which is the largest of the so‑called de‑escalation areas.
A new report released today by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says that 4 million refugee children do not attend school. The report shows that enrolment of refugee children in school is failing to keep pace with the growing refugee population.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:
Escalating military clashes and renewed air strikes in north‑west Syria — especially Idlib Governorate, covered under an international “de‑escalation zone” agreement — represent a worrying trend, threatening some 3 million residents as well as the already fragile delivery of aid, a senior United Nations humanitarian official told the Security Council today.
The United Nations Children’s Fund is taking measures to ensure a safe start to the school year in Ebola-affected regions of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including training of principals and 1,750 teachers about the virus, setting up procedures for early detection, isolation and referral to health services for children who may have Ebola‑like symptoms.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory called on donors to immediately provide funding for emergency fuel to prevent emergency services in the Gaza Strip from shutting down. To ensure that a minimum level of essential services continues through the end of the year, $4.5 million is required.
The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is providing logistical support and the World Health Organization is sending medical supplies and expertise to the Ministry of Health and its partners to facilitate ground operations in response to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu Province.
The Food and Agriculture Organization today warned that Fall Armyworm could threaten the livelihoods of millions of small‑scale farmers in Asia — where it’s been found for the first time — as this invasive pest is highly likely to spread further from India.
