Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment…

This morning, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly of its historic Resolution recognizing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. 

In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary-General warmly welcomed the official inauguration of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul earlier in the day.

Further on Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues in the country are sounding the alarm about a new wave of shelling and airstrikes having a high impact on civilians across most of the country. 
 
We have two new Resident Coordinators to announce today, following approval by the respective host governments. In Ukraine, Denise Brown of Canada will take up her post as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator on 30 July. In Kyrgyzstan, Antje Grawe of Germany will lead our UN team on the ground, starting 31 July.

This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, departed for Bridgetown, Barbados at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, who is Chair of the Development Committee and a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocate. 

Turning to Yemen, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that torrential rains and heavy flooding have hit several areas across Yemen over the last two weeks, causing extensive damage to public infrastructure, shelters for displaced people and other private property.
 
We have an update from the Central African Republic where our peacekeeping mission continues to help build national capacity to protect civilians and promote security. Training on the “Central African model community policing” is currently underway in Bangui with support from the Mission and the UN Development Programme. 

Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Abdou Abarry of Niger as his Special Representative for Central Africa and Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). Mr. Abarry succeeds François Louncény Fall of Guinea.

We have an update now from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the situation remains tense and fragile as protestors continue to target UN peacekeeping bases, although to a lesser degree than in previous days.
  
Today is World Hepatitis Day, and this year’s theme is “Bringing Hepatitis Care Closer to You.”

The guest at the Noon Briefing was Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.