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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution this morning condemning the 9 September nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and adding to the sanctions previously imposed on that country.
Speaking at the Security Council, the Secretary-General welcomed the unanimous adoption of the new resolution, saying that maintaining such unity is crucial in tackling security challenges on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, just briefed the Security Council by videoconference on the situation in Aleppo. He said that over the past few days, thousands of civilians have fled from neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo, with numbers growing by the hour.
He said that there is evidence that a military logic is prevailing on both sides. But he said that there is no stable, permanent military solution and he stressed the need for a political solution to the crisis.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said that the parties to the conflict in Syria have shown time and again that they are willing to take any action or do any deed to secure military advantage even if it means killing, maiming or besieging civilians into submission in the process. There are no limits or red lines left to cross.
He said that in the last four days, numerous civilians have reportedly been killed. Just today, he said, we received a report that scores of people were killed in a single airstrike this morning. He said that some 20,000 people have been displaced in recent days and it is likely that thousands more people will flee should fighting further spread and intensify over the coming days.
Today the Secretary-General delivered remarks at an event as part of the UN’s World AIDS Day commemorations.
In his statement, he said that the international community was motivated to fight AIDS because we know that every child deserves care, every person deserves treatment, and all vulnerable groups deserve protection from stigma and abuse.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy for Yemen, said yesterday that the announcement by Ansar Allah and the General People’s Congress on the formation of a new government in Sana’a represents a new obstacle to the peace process and does not serve the interests of the people of Yemen in these difficult times. He said that such unilateral actions contradict the recent commitments provided by Ansar Allah and the General People’s Congress to the United Nations and to United States Secretary of State John Kerry in Muscat.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that current displacement in the context of the Mosul military operation in Iraq has risen to more than 76,000 people, an increase of over 2,500 people since yesterday, and the largest increase recorded for several days.
In response to a question, the Deputy Spokesman confirmed that the UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is currently working to deploy staff on a permanent basis in Tripoli.
In this context, UNSMIL is planning for the deployment of a United Nations Guard Unit to provide protection to UNSMIL staff and assets within the Mission’s premises.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu, said today he is deeply concerned by a recent series of bureaucratic impediments and access constraints that have negatively impacted humanitarian organizations’ ability to assist people in need.
91 humanitarian access incidents were recorded from 1 to 28 November. Of these, 70 per cent involved violence against humanitarian personnel or assets. Aid workers were also denied access to areas outside of Yei town in Central Equatoria and Wau town in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan said that more than half a million people in that country have been internally displaced by conflict so far in 2016, the highest number on record.
OCHA says the number represents a worrying trend of year-on-year increases of people internally displaced by conflict as well as a growing number of people living in prolonged displacement.
This year, internal displacement is four times more than in 2013.
Mark Bowden, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the country has expressed concern that these record figures show not just an alarming number of new IDPs, but a longer term crisis where increasing numbers of families in Afghanistan are facing prolonged displacement.
In Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, briefed the Human Rights Council on Colombia, Syria, Burundi and Myanmar.
He also explained that he has been struck by a recent erosion of consensus upholding many of the international institutions and laws such as the International Criminal Court and the increasingly worrying levels of incitement to racial or religious hatred and violence.
The Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour briefed about his recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He welcomed the clear commitment from the authorities and others to clamp down on flagrant acts of sexual violence and the recruitment of children.
Today, the Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Cristiana Paşca Palmer of Romania as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Ms. Paşca Palmer will succeed Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias of Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his continued commitment and contribution to the Convention on Biological Diversity in his capacity as Executive Secretary.
Yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, presented the new strategy on United Nations peace operations and the environment at Columbia University.
Mr. Khare set out the Department's vision for responsible missions that operate at maximum efficiency in their use of natural resources, and at minimum risk to people, societies and ecosystems; contributing to a positive impact wherever possible.
The Secretary-General will meet with Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey today.
The Secretary-General will take this opportunity to thank Governor Christie for the support accorded to the UN and its staff, many of whom live in New Jersey.
The United Republic of Tanzania has become the 137th United Nations Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full.
