Syria

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ briefing to the Security Council on Syria, in New York today:

On the heels of air strikes meant to hamper Syria’s ability to use chemical weapons, the Security Council today rejected a proposal by the Russian Federation to condemn such aggression by the United States and its allies over suspected chemical weapons use in the country, amid pressure from the Secretary-General to abide by the tenets of international law.

Donors in Geneva today pledged $528 million to support the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to millions of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The announcements were made at a humanitarian conference in co‑chaired by the United Nations, the European Union and the Netherlands.

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

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs launched its 2018 needs and priorities plan for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, seeking $111 million to assist 6 million of the most vulnerable people.  Undernutrition, a serious concern, continues to stunt more than one quarter of children in the country.

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

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that, in the last 48 hours, the largest United Nations medical shipment to have entered Gaza since the beginning of 2018 has provided hospitals there with lifesaving drugs and other supplies to meet urgent medical needs.  It will help respond to the needs of 100,000 children and mothers.

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

A new report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in cooperation with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, warns that armed groups in that country, including those affiliated with the State, hold thousands of people in prolonged arbitrary and unlawful detention, submitting them to torture and other rights violations.

The Security Council, voting today on three separate draft resolutions in response to recent allegations of a chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma, failed to rally the votes needed to launch an “independent mechanism of investigation” into the incident, as delegates voiced frustration over the continued paralysis and the expanding rifts between nations.