Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General

Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

• Categories: Media / Press Conferences
• Video Length: 00:25:06
• Production Date: 15 January 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Subject Topical: ARMED GROUPS; BUDGET; DROUGHT; EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE; EMERGENCY RELIEF; REFUGEES; SECRETARY-GENERAL; SECURITY COUNCIL WORK; SEXUAL VIOLENCE; STAFFING
• Geographic Subject: BURUNDI; CYPRUS; ETHIOPIA; MALAWI; MOZAMBIQUE; SAUDI ARABIA; SIERRA LEONE; SOMALIA; SYRIA; YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 1547961
• Parent Id: 1547782

Description

This morning, the Secretary-General briefed the General Assembly on his Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, calling for a new global partnership to confront this menace.

In a statement, the Secretary-General condemns the terrorist attack perpetrated by Al Shabaab this morning against an AMISOM base in the town of El Adde, Gedo region in Somalia. Details of casualties are still being verified.

This morning, the Security Council held consultations on Cyprus, and was briefed by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Espen Barth Eide, and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Lisa Buttenheim.

On Syria, regarding the aid that has gone into the Syrian towns of Madaya, Foah and Kafraya over the past day, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirms that cases of severe malnutrition were found among children in Madaya following its participation in the second joint humanitarian mission to the area on Thursday. The people met in Madaya were exhausted and extremely frail. The UNICEF team that went to Madaya was particularly saddened and shocked to have witnessed the death of a young man named Ali, who was severely malnourished and who passed away in front of their very eyes, in the town’s clinic.

Yesterday afternoon, in a statement, the Secretary-General welcomed the release of two Saudi citizens who had been held in Yemen since March 2015. He is greatly relieved that they were released in apparent good health.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned today that deeply worrying new trends are emerging in Burundi, including cases of sexual violence by security forces and a sharp increase in enforced disappearances and torture cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed a new case of Ebola in Sierra Leone, reflecting the ongoing risk of new flare-ups of the virus in affected countries.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) presented today a $50 million emergency plan as Ethiopia faces the worst drought in 30 years.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that the number of people fleeing Mozambique and seeking asylum in Malawi has increased significantly over the last few weeks.

Major General Hassen Ebrahim Mussa of Ethiopia has been appointed as Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Armenia, Haiti, Hungary, Kyrgyz Republic, Senegal, South Sudan and Ukraine have paid their UN dues in full.