Türkiye

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

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres departed New York very early on Wednesday, 30 October, and arrived in Istanbul that afternoon.

In Somalia, Beletweyne district and other areas have been severely affected by unusually heavy rains and flooding.  Humanitarian needs are dire.  The World Food Programme is working with the Federal Government and with sister United Nations agencies to coordinate the response and reach the hardest-hit people.

The United High Commissioner for Human Rights today condemned this week’s protests in Venezuela and called for effective investigations into the violence that has led to several deaths and injuries.  She urged all sides to conduct immediate talks to defuse the increasingly incendiary atmosphere.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has reported that refugees fleeing militia violence in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and arriving in Zambia have crossed the 12,000 mark, with 80 per cent of them women and children, driven out by extreme brutality of rampaging militias.

The World Food Programme in Turkey says more than 850,000 refugees are now receiving cash assistance thanks to the European Union-funded Emergency Social Safety Net, which provides the most vulnerable refugee families with a debit card covering basic needs.  It also provides about $35 dollars per family every month.

The Secretary-General welcomed the return of calm in Côte d’Ivoire following the unacceptable acts of violence committed by soldiers of the Forces Armées de Côte d’Ivoire over the past few days.  He commends the Government of Côte d’Ivoire for its efforts to address the unrest and restore security.

The Security Council met for its debate on Afghanistan this morning, during which it renewed the mandate for the United Nations Mission there (UNAMA).  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative highlighted the challenging security environment in the country, which in 2016 resulted in UNAMA recording the highest number of civilian casualties in a single year.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres departed New York for Istanbul on Thursday, 9 February.

Humanitarian colleagues in Iraq report that more than 133,000 people have been displaced due to ongoing operations in Mosul, which began in October.  Some 87 per cent have sought shelter in camps for internally displaced people.  To date, available camp space is still keeping pace with the rate of displacement.