From 25 November 25 to 3 December, EUCAP Somalia organised a high-level Search and Rescue course which focused on management and governance. Organised with support from UNTMIS, the training saw 13 par...

From the start of its mandate, UNTMIS will undertake a phased transition of functions to Somali institutions, the United Nations Country Team, and other stakeholders

Mogadishu – Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, led a high-level meeting on the transition of the United Nations Transition Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS), bringing toge...

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: Secretary-General / South Sudan South Sudan / Peacekeeping South Sudan / Humanitarian Southeast Asia Earthquake Democratic Republic of the Congo Central African Republic Occupied Palestinian Territory Lebanon International Day of Zero Waste Senior Personnel Appointment – UNTMIS Financial Contribution Briefing SECRETARY-GENERAL / SOUTH SUDAN In remarks to the press today on the unfolding situation in South Sudan, the Secretary-General urged the leaders to end the politics of confrontation, to release detained military and civilian officials now and fully restore the Government of National Unity. Mr. Guterres also urged the guarantors of the peace agreement from the regional and international community to speak with one voice and to support the peace process. Mr. Guterres reiterated that we will work in close cooperation with the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, otherwise known as IGAD. The Secretary-General also called for dialogue and de-escalation for the sake of the long-suffering people of South Sudan. Three out of four South Sudanese need assistance, he sounded the alarm, that’s 9.3 million human beings in total. This is a humanitarian nightmare, he said. SOUTH SUDAN / PEACEKEEPING The Special Representative in South Sudan and Head of the peacekeeping mission there, Nicholas Haysom, just finished a meeting with President Salva Kiir. Mr. Haysom shared the Secretary-General’s concerns with the President that the country risks slipping into widespread conflict due to the recent political and security developments. Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that the President, in response, reiterated his previous public message that he is steadfast in his commitment not to take the country to war. Mr. Haysom offered our full support to help de-escalate the tensions and encouraged the President to exercise leadership and take the necessary steps to give all South Sudanese confidence that peace will prevail in their country SOUTH SUDAN / HUMANITARIAN We can’t stress enough how deeply worried we are about the risk of the situation there worsening for the people of South Sudan. This humanitarian crisis is being driven by violence, by food insecurity, by political instability, by climate shocks, by disease outbreaks as well as the spillover from the conflict in neighbouring Sudan. Dozens of casualties have been reported due to the ongoing violence in the country in recent weeks, with up to 120,000 men, women and children having been forced to fleee their homes. The levels of acute hunger remain high, with some 7.7 million people who are severely food insecure and 650,000 children under the age of five at risk of severe acute malnutrition. Regarding disease outbreaks – a cholera outbreak in South Sudan is yet to be contained, with more than 42,000 cases reported and nearly 800 deaths. Once again, we call on the parties to put their weapons down and put all the people of South Sudan first. And at this critical juncture, we also appeal to Member States to swiftly supply the resources we need to stem the growing humanitarian crisis in the country, particularly in the face of funding cuts, So far, we’ve received just over 10 per cent of the $1.7 billion needed to reach 5.4 million people in South Sudan this year – which means we only about $174 million in our bank. SOUTHEAST ASIA EARTHQUAKE The Secretary-General expressed his condolences to the governments and people of Southeast Asia who were impacted by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that hit earlier today. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Myanmar and the de-facto authorities there have called for international assistance and we are mobilizing teams and support. We are gathering information on the number of people impacted, damage to infrastructure and immediate humanitarian needs, in order to guide our response in the best way possible. We will share more updates and information as it becomes available. our Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has made an initial allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund of $5 million to support life-saving assistance in support of the operations of recovery following the earthquake. Meanwhile, Julie Bishop, the Special Envoy for Myanmar, said on social media that the earthquake is heartbreaking for the people of Myanmar and added that her thoughts are with all those affected across the region. The earthquake will compound an already dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar, where nearly 20 million people need assistance across the country, including more than 3.5 million people displaced from their homes. Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20March%202025