The Secretary-General met today with the Secretary of State of the United States, John Kerry, on the margins of the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference on Syria, taking place in Kuwait City.

They discussed the situation in Syria and the forthcoming Geneva Conference on Syria next week, together with the need for increasing humanitarian assistance for Syrians. They discussed the participation at the conference and the positive role that countries of the region could play during the process. They agreed on the need for a political solution to the crisis. They also expressed concern about the rising extremism in Syria and its possible dangerous spillover in the region, in particular in Iraq.

The Secretary-General and the Secretary of State also discussed the situation in South Sudan. The Secretary-General stressed the need to support the negotiations led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). He also confirmed that the United Nations was doing all it could to deploy further reinforcements for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as quickly as possible and to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and protection for civilians.

They also exchanged on the situation in the Central African Republic and the urgent need to restore stability and constitutional order.