Trip Announcement, Secretary-General/Ukraine,…

On Saturday, the Secretary-General will begin a Ramadan solidarity visit to Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, during which he will also highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent.      The Secretary-General left Kyiv earlier today, and we shared yesterday afternoon the transcript of the press encounter he had with President Zelenskyy following their meeting.  In his press remarks, the Secretary-General told the Ukrainian people that "the world sees you, hears you, and is in awe of your resilience and resolve." He added that words of solidarity are not enough, and that he was in Ukraine to zero in on needs on the ground and scale up operations.    The Secretary-General spoke by phone today to H.E. Mr. Ayman Safadi, the Foreign Minister of Jordan. They discussed the situation in Jerusalem, recognizing that it had improved.  Also on Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration today appealed for $514 million to support its continued response to the humanitarian needs of war-affected people in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.  The United Nations in Afghanistan condemned in the strongest terms today's deadly attack in a Sufi Mosque in the Darulaman area of Kabul, which reportedly resulted in scores dead and wounded. Our colleagues from the UN peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic report that combatants from two armed groups, the UPC and FRPC attacked members of the central African armed forces in Nzacko in the Mbomou prefecture. The attack resulted in the killing and wounding of several soldiers and also caused the displacement of civilians. In Northern Ethiopia, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that assistance continues to be delivered to people impacted by the conflict. Since 1 April, 142 trucks of food aid, and 10 fuel tankers, have arrived in Tigray in three convoys via the road from Semera in Afar.  The Security Council has been meeting this morning on the question of Syria's reported chemical weapons programme. Members were briefed by Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.  The UN Refugee Agency today said that more than 3,000 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Central and Western Mediterranean and Atlantic last year to Europe.  Our UN team in China, led by Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee, is contributing to the country's COVID-19 response. The World Health Organization is implementing a joint vaccination campaign with authorities, with the UN team boosting outreach on prevention and vaccination, guidance on mental health and physical activity during the pandemic and parenting tips during lockdowns.  A new report from the UN Environment Programme and partners found that the glacier-capped mountains of South Asia, which provide billions of people with drinking water, are warming at an alarming rate.  Monday is Eid al-Fitr, and the UN will be closed.    And to round out the week, we have had a payment to the regular budget from the Philippines. Salamat po. Thanks to that we have reached 94 fully paid-up Member States.