SECURITY COUNCIL
The Secretary-General spoke to the Security Council members today at the open meeting on women, peace and security, and he noted the many contributions women have made in peace efforts from Guinea-Bissau to Colombia to Mali and Syria.  He said he can personally attest to the critical importance of the work done by the women peacemakers that he has met around the world, from Mali to Bangladesh.
But despite progress in some areas, the Secretary-General said, the facts on the ground show that we still have far to go. The participation of women in formal peace processes remains extremely limited. Between 1990 and 2017, he noted, women constituted just 2 percent of mediators, 8 percent of negotiators and 5 percent of witnesses and signatories in all major peace processes.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General said, conflict continues to have a devastating effect on women and girls.  The United Nations documented more than 800 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2017 – a 56 percent increase since 2016.
The Secretary-General urged Member States to invest in gender equality and women’s empowerment not only as ends in themselves, but as critical means of achieving our overarching aim of preventing and ending conflict and building a secure, peaceful and prosperous world for all.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of UN Women, said the latest report on women, peace and security is a loud alarm bell which demonstrates how women are being excluded from peace processes.
 
IRAQ
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ján Kubiš, today welcomed the formal confirmation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Madhi and the partial formation of the new Council of Ministers.
However, Mr. Kubiš expressed his disappointment at the lack of any women among the ministers announced so far, noting that ignoring the potential of women is to miss important opportunities for Iraq.
He reiterated that the new Government should work hard to meet the aspirations and expectations of the Iraqi people in consolidating security and law and order; in delivering on public services; in rejuvenating the country’s economy to create job opportunities for the increasingly young population; and in providing for the return of internally displaced persons and reconstruction.
 
WHO IRAQ
Also on Iraq, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that it has set up a new emergency healthcare unit and ambulance call center in the western part of Anbar as part of its efforts to help people returning home.
The initiative follows a request from health authorities in Anbar to restore and equip hospitals affected by the 3-year crisis in Iraq.  In 2017, more than half of Anbar’s health infrastructure was either looted or destroyed.
WHO says that this marks a significant step towards the transition from emergency response to early recovery, reconstruction, and resilience-building to allow people to receive regular health care.
 
YEMEN
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, has expressed her condolences to the families of civilians killed in recent attacks in Hodeidah.
Yesterday, at least 21 civilians were killed and 10 injured when strikes hit a vegetable packaging facility in Al-Masoudi in the Bayt Al-Faqih District. In a separate incident on the same day, three more people were killed and six injured when strikes hit three vehicles in the Al Hali District in Hodeidah Governorate.
“Civilians are paying a shocking price because of this conflict,” said Ms. Grande. “This is the third time this month that fighting has caused mass casualties in Hodeidah.”
Humanitarian partners report that more than 170 people have been killed, at least 1,700 have been wounded, and more than 570,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across Hodeidah Governorate since fighting escalated in June.
 
SYRIA
Our humanitarian colleagues report that nearly 2.4 million women, children and men across Syria will struggle to get adequate warmth this winter and require targeted support. This includes tens of thousands of newly-displaced people, including those in displacement sites and open areas; those who have been displaced multiple times and for long periods and now live in sub-standard shelters; as well as returnees and host communities.
As the cold weather season approaches, sleeping bags, winter clothes, plastic sheeting, high thermal blankets, heaters and stoves are urgently required.
Funding has been secured to assist approximately 1.9 million of the 2.4 million people in need of winterization support. An additional $33 million is urgently required to assist the approximately 500,000 additional people.
Meanwhile, the United Nations remains deeply concerned over the safety and protection of civilians following recent reports of airstrikes in Deir Ezzour Governorate. On Tuesday, airstrikes on the city of Hajin reportedly destroyed a mosque, with unconfirmed reports of civilians being killed or injured.
The United Nations condemns attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure and calls for their protection in line with International Humanitarian Law.
 
GUINEA-BISSAU
We just issued a joint communiqué by the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation in Guinea-Bissau.
In it, the three organizations welcome the progress made in the stabilization of the country. They also called for renewed efforts to ensure the holding of legislative elections on 18 November – in a timely fashion and under the conditions required for a fair, transparent and credible vote. The interests of Guinea-Bissau must prevail over all other considerations.
The three organizations also call on African countries as well as the entire international community to mobilize the resources and logistical means needed for the smooth functioning of the electoral process.
 
HEALTH
In Astana, Kazakhstan, Member States today adopted the Declaration of Astana, in which they commit to strengthen their primary healthcare systems as a step toward achieving universal health coverage.
The Declaration was adopted during the Global Conference on Primary Health Care, which is co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Government of Kazakhstan.
UNICEF and WHO will help governments and civil society to act on the Declaration and review its implementation.
 
PHOTO EXHIBIT
You are all invited to the opening this evening at 6 p.m. of a UN photo exhibition in the Visitors’ Lobby.
Entitled People on the Move, the more than 50 stunning images which will be on display have been selected from thousands of archived UN photos, portraying refugees, migrants and internally displaced people over seven decades, going all the way back to the end of World War II.
The exhibit has been organized by the Department of Public Information, as part of this year’s United Nations Day observance.