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Briefing by Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The Secretary-General will speak today at the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries, which opened in Riyadh. In his remarks, he will underline the long history of beneficial contact and exchange between the two regions, saying that this inter-regional cooperation offers broad scope for mutual learning and sharing of experience as the regions strive to promote peace, development, social inclusion and human rights.
Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, will brief the Security Council this afternoon on the latest developments concerning Syria. He just completed visits to Moscow and Washington, D.C., where he discussed follow-up to the Vienna meeting of 30 October. He also discussed preparations for the next meeting and the urgent need for de-escalation of violence and ceasefires.
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, reports that the situation in Bambari deteriorated yesterday following the killing of three Muslims by suspected anti-Balaka individuals and the subsequent retaliatory killing of one Christian. The clashes were contained following the deployment of a MINUSCA Quick Reaction Force team and a meeting with community representatives.
Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, informed the Security Council on Monday afternoon that Burundi finds itself in a deep political crisis and rapid escalation of violence that has serious implications for stability and ethnic harmony in Burundi, as well as peace and security in the region. He warned that in the capital, the situation is currently very tense. Several neighborhoods, especially those perceived to have opposed President Nkurunziza’s third term, experience nightly exchanges of gunshots and grenade explosions Traumatized residents frequently discover mutilated bodies, victims of executions.
The Secretary-General has announced the appointment of Jamal Benomar of the United Kingdom as his Special Adviser, at the level of Under-Secretary-General.
Mr. Benomar is a veteran United Nations senior leader who brings to this position a deep understanding of political dialogue processes and international peacebuilding efforts. He most recently served as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Yemen where he facilitated the positive conclusions of the National Dialogue Conference in 2014 and other agreements.
Our humanitarian colleagues report that five people have been killed by Cyclone Megh, which hit Yemen on Monday. Sixteen people, including a number of fishermen, are reported missing and 60 people have been injured.
The Special Representative dealing with sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, today welcomed steps by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA) in Opposition to end conflict-related sexual violence.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says that the number of Malian refugees in Niger has reached its highest level since conflict erupted there in 2012, with thousands of people fleeing eastern Mali in recent weeks. The signing of the Algiers Accord has brought significant steps towards peace in parts of Mali, but it has not stemmed the flow into Niger and this is a concern and unexpected development that is putting a strain on UNHCR’s operation in Niger.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today welcomed the announcement by the Government of Canada to take in an additional 25,000 Syrian refugees through humanitarian admission programmes by the end of this year.
UN agencies and humanitarian partners have warned that that the El Niño global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s summer rains, and has led to further food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country.
Today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the International Year of Pulses.
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it is expanding its schools meals programme in Guinea. As schools reopen across the country this week, the programme will allow more than 240,000 children receive school meals this academic year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that an affordable and effective vaccine is helping to bring the meningitis A epidemic in Africa close to elimination.
On 8 and 9 November, UN Agencies, Ministers from countries affected by the Syria crisis and development and humanitarian practitioners gathered in Jordan for the Resilience Development Forum, convened by the United Nations Development Programme and hosted by the Government of Jordan. The objective of the Forum was to build momentum towards a better-integrated response to the Syria crisis.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today launched its Science Report, marking World Science Day.
In response to questions about the situation in Nepal, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the obstruction of essential supplies on the Nepal-India border. Acute shortages in fuel supplies continue to impede planned deliveries to earthquake-affected villages in Nepal. Humanitarian organisations urgently require fuel to maintain operations and deliver food, warm clothing and shelter materials to high altitude areas that will soon be cut off by harsh winter conditions.
In response to earlier questions, the Spokesman clarified that the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is an independent entity created by General Assembly Resolution 3251(XXIX), to support cooperation among developing countries.
