DPRK, Ukraine & other topics - Daily Press Briefing…

In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of yet another ballistic missile of intercontinental range by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., there will be a Security Council meeting on Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine. Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, is expected to brief Council members byvideoconference.

The UN team on the ground today said that another humanitarian convoy reached the front-line community of Beryslav in the southern region of Kherson, in Ukraine. The convoy was carrying food, clothing, blankets, medical kits, solar lamps, jerry cans, electric heaters, and hygiene supplies for nearly 6,000 residents, including more than 520 children and as many as 400 people with disabilities.

Joanna Wronecka, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, briefed the Security Council yesterday on the implementation of resolution 1701.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that in Malawi, search and rescue operations continue, following tropical Cyclone Freddy.

In Türkiye, floodwaters have now inundated camps housing people displaced by last month’s earthquakes, and as of yesterday, 2.3 million people are sheltering in temporary settlements – with 1.6 million of them in informal sites. Many camps lack access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and overcrowding is a major concern.  

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported today a tragic incident around Jebel-Melle in South Sudan, in which 11 children lost their lives, and one was injured, in an incident involving unexploded ordnance.

In Afghanistan, due to lack of funds, the World Food Programme (WFP) today said that it has been forced to drastically reduce critical lifesaving assistance in March to millions of vulnerable Afghanis.  In March, at least 4 million people will receive just half of what they need to get by.  

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said that ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, largely as a result of conflict in the region.  

In Peru, Cyclone Yaku has brought heavy rains and flooding to the country. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that 40 per cent of the provinces are under emergency and nearly 30 thousand people have been impacted since January.

In Geneva today, in an event on the margins of the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Representative on Violence against children, Najat Maalla M’jid, made a strong call on the urgent need to ensure a safe, inclusive and empowering digital environment for all children, leaving no one behind.