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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is appalled and strongly condemns the killing of an aid worker from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in north-east Nigeria on Monday. The aid worker, Hauwa Mohammed Liman, had been held hostage since March 2018 and was killed by her captors.
The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ms. Liman and expresses his solidarity with the President and staff of the ICRC. Those responsible for the killing must be brought to justice.
The Secretary-General expresses his concern for the safety and well-being of the remaining hostages and calls for their immediate release.
The Secretary-General also emphasizes that all parties to the conflict must protect aid workers who provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the millions of people in need in north-east Nigeria.
The Secretary-General just got off the phone with the President of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, to express personal condolences on this horrific case.
The Secretary-General today spoke at the Security Council meeting on natural resources and conflict, and he said that the exploitation of natural resources, or competition over them, can and does lead to violent conflict. Preventing, managing and resolving such conflicts is one of the major and growing challenges of our time, he added.
The Secretary-General said UN studies show more than 40 percent of internal armed conflicts over the last 60 years have been linked to natural resources.
He said that more needs to be done to regulate the provenance, sale and trade of minerals through cooperative arrangements involving civil society, governments and regional and international organizations. A positive example of this is the Kimberley process, he added, which succeeded in reducing the trade in conflict diamonds.
At 3:30 p.m. the Secretary-General will speak at the launch of the UN System Workplace Mental Health and Well-being Strategy.
He will be highlighting the importance of ensuring the well-being of staff, many of whom work in increasingly dangerous environments, and will also stress the need to combat the stigma of talking about mental health issues in the workplace so that staff feel comfortable disclosing what they’re going through and can get the support they need.
The UN Country Team in Cameroon is expressing concern about hate speech focused on ethnicity following the October 7th presidential polls The UN received reports of individuals from opposing communities threatening to attack members of other communities, their properties in Yaoundé, businesses in Douala and other parts of the country, while others have been inciting hatred and violence along ethnic lines, using derogatory language.
The United Nations reiterates that all stakeholders must exercise restraint and ensure a peaceful process as Cameroonians await the final elections on October 22nd. The UN condemns all threats of violence or acts of intimidation and urges all actors to prevent risks [to] the electoral processes.
The United Nations continues to follow the situation in Cameroon and expresses concern about increasing violence in the North-West and South-West regions.
Our colleagues in UNHCR have expressed concern over a fast-developing humanitarian situation in the Kasai region of the DRC, sparked by mass returns from Angola over the last two weeks.
Congolese government officials estimate that some 200,000 nationals have arrived in the Kasai Province alone, with more arrivals reported in neighbouring Kasai Central Province. Their arrival follow an expulsion order by the authorities in Angola targeting migrants.
UNHCR is appealing to the governments of Angola and the DRC to work together to ensure the safe and orderly population movement.
Our humanitarian colleagues in Syria say the ongoing violence in Hajin in the eastern governorate of Deir Ezzour is having a devastating impact on civilians. Armed conflicts, both by air and ground, have reportedly resulted in the deaths and injuries of civilians.
The UN estimates that at least 10,000 civilians are exposed to hostilities in the Hajin area; while 7,000 civilians have been displaced to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controlled areas in the past month, the majority of whom are women and children and elderly. Many of the displaced are sheltering in the Gharanij town, while others are in makeshift settlements, where the humanitarian situation is reportedly dire.
While UN partners were able to provide a one-time delivery of food, nutrition and water, hygiene and sanitation assistance to some 5,000 displaced people, more assistance is needed to respond to the needs of displaced people and host communities.
Mr. de Mistura will be here tomorrow to brief the Council tomorrow. He will be here in person we have asked that he stop and speak to you at the stakeout right afterwards.
The UN Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund have allocated nearly $35 million to support 2.2 million people impacted by a severe drought in the country.
Toby Lanzer, the Humanitarian Coordinator, said the impact of the ongoing drought spans the north and west of the country, leaving communities in deep distress. He said that village elders in rural areas have told him that this is the worst drought in their lifetime, and that food, fodder and seeds are needed urgently.
A new report from the UN Migration Agency, the IOM, says that young girls sold in forced labour are the largest group of traffic victims in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps who have been identified.
IOM experts warn that, more than a year into the crisis that has seen the number of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar soar to nearly one million people, more desperate families are sending their young daughters off into dangerous work situations because most households have no other way to earn money in the camps.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, met with President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea today.
She said UNESCO wants to commit… is committed to supporting inter-Korean reconciliation through concrete and symbolic projects.
Today is World Food Day. This year’s theme is “Our actions are our future.” A Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible.”
In his message, the Secretary-General said that in a world of plenty, it is intolerable that one in nine people do not have enough to eat. He called on governments, businesses, institutions and individuals to join forces to achieve zero hunger and commit to a world in which every person has access to a healthy, nutritious diet.
And new research released today by the World Food Programme (WFP) shows that food is becoming less affordable in countries in conflict or subject to political instability. In dozens more countries, persistently high food costs are putting the hope of a nutritious meal beyond the reach of millions.
Yemen has paid its budget dues in full, bringing the total number of Member States who have paid their dues in full to 144.
