Press Conferences
Yemen, Ukraine, Ethiopia & other topics- Daily Press Briefing
Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy for Yemen, just announced that the parties to the conflict have responded positively to a United Nations proposal for a two-month Truce which comes into effect tomorrow 2 April at 19:00 hrs.
On Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that more than 1.4 million people have now been reached across the country with assistance and protection services by humanitarian partners since 24 February. This is more than half a million people more than last week.
Some more good news, this time from Ethiopia. This morning, a convoy transporting 500 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies was moving into Tigray. This is the first time that the UN and partners have been able to move aid into Tigray by road since mid-December.
Some 10,000 people have sought refuge in Uganda’s Kisoro district, following violent clashes that began on Monday in the Rutshuru territory. The UN Refugee Agency is working alongside the Government of Uganda as well as humanitarian partners to provide assistance to them.
In South Sudan, members of our Peacekeeping mission and partners met with the country’s President, Salva Kiir, First Vice President, Riek Machar and other political leaders to appeal for calm and renewed efforts to implement the peace deal.
The Special Envoy for the Secretary-General on Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, was in Cambodia over the past couple of days where she met with the Cambodian Prime Minister and Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Hun Sen, as well as the ASEAN Special Envoy, Prak Sokhonn and other senior officials.
In Kazakhstan, our team led by Resident Coordinator Michaela Friberg-Storey, continues to support the pandemic response. To address the impacts of COVID-19 on education, our team has provided 20,000 children in rural schools with broadband internet access; targeted over 3 million people through campaigns to prevent violence against children and opened centres for women's entrepreneurship.
In a video message today, the Secretary-General sends his warmest wishes as millions of Muslims around the world begin the holy month of Ramadan.
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that in its pledge to leave no one behind, the 2030 Agenda represents a commitment to reducing inequality through social, economic and political inclusion for all people, including persons with disabilities.
The briefing by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of April that had been scheduled for today at 1:00 p.m. will instead take place on Monday, 4 April at 1:00 p.m.
I’d like to thank our friends in San Marino for their full payment to this year’s regular budget. Their cheque takes us to 81 fully paid-up Member States.
The North Delegates’ Lounge and Terrace will reopen on Monday, 4 April, and will be open each weekday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General