Yemen

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen today said the situation in Hodeidah has deteriorated over recent days and that families are terrified by the bombardment, shelling and air strikes.  More than 25 per cent of children are malnourished; 900,000 people are desperate for food; and 90,000 pregnant women are at risk.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, marking the United Nations Day for South‑South Cooperation, said that developing countries have become key actors to implement the Sustainable Development Agenda and that their leadership, practices and experiences have played a major part in global transformation.

Amid escalating violence and lack of participation by one party in Yemen’s recently relaunched peace talks, the international community must commit to supporting dialogue, protecting civilians and preventing the country’s further decline into chaos, the senior United Nations official tasked with shepherding the negotiations stressed today as he briefed the Security Council.

In Bangkok, the Climate Change Conference ended on 9 September with an urgent call for accelerated climate action.  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary said that the Conference had resulted in “uneven progress” on the guidelines to implement the Paris Agreement.

The United Nations peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan reports that a military court handed down lengthy sentences today after finding 10 Government soldiers guilty of violence against civilians at the Terrain Hotel in the capital, Juba, in July 2016.  In a statement, the Mission notes that the trial’s outcome sends a powerful message that other would-be offenders will be prosecuted and punished.

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

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.

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 2018 Department of Public Information/NGO Conference got under way today under the theme “We the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems”.  It will focus on the value of multilateralism in solving global problems, and on opportunities for closer partnership between the United Nations and civil society in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On 10 August 2018, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) held informal consultations to consider the midterm update of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, submitted in accordance with paragraph 6 of resolution 2402 (2018).