NUCLEAR WEAPONS 
The Secretary-General spoke today at an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. He warned that, decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we can hear once again the rattling of nuclear sabres.  
The era of nuclear blackmail must end, he said. The idea that any country could fight and win a nuclear war is deranged. Any use of a nuclear weapon would incite a humanitarian Armageddon.  
The Secretary-General urges all States to use every avenue of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to ease tensions, reduce risk and eliminate the nuclear threat. More broadly, he said, we also need a new vision for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. He added that his proposed New Agenda for Peace calls for meaningful disarmament and developing a common understanding of the multiple threats before us.  

MALI/CÔTE D’IVOIRE 
In a note we issued earlier this morning, the Secretariat of the UN expressed its grave concern about the continued detention since 10 July of Ivorian soldiers in Bamako in Mali.  
The United Nations reiterates its profound appreciation for the contribution of Côte d’Ivoire to the UN peace operations, and MINUSMA in particular. The Secretariat of the United Nations calls for the urgent release of the detained Ivorian soldiers in the spirit of the fraternal relations between the peoples of Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.  
In this regard, it strongly supports all efforts to facilitate this release as well as the restoration of confidence and promotion of good neighbourliness between the two countries.  

MALI  
Also on Mali, we can add that the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, conducted the first joint long-range patrol outside of Ménaka with the Malian Armed Forces.  
The aim was to deter a recent escalation of violence by terrorist armed groups in the northern region, which has resulted in significant civilian deaths and displacement.   
The joint operation was carried out between Ménaka and the village of Imach, and a drone was also dispatched to monitor the patrolled perimeter and reassure local communities. The patrol was also an opportunity for peacekeepers to offer medical services, food, mosquito nets and hygiene kits to the population. 

UKRAINE  
Turning to Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, was in Kharkiv today. She says that the United Nations, along with our humanitarian partners, are stepping up efforts to help more than 150,000 people affected by recent hostilities in Kharkivska oblast.  
Aid workers started delivering life-saving items just days after the Government of Ukraine announced it had regained control of the oblast in the middle of this month.  
In the past 10 days, aid workers distributed food to more than 73,000 people, nearly half of the people living in these areas which, until a short while ago, were out of our reach.   
Our colleagues have also delivered hygiene kits to some 12,000 people, as well as kitchen sets, solar lamps, blankets and other critical household items to about 15,000 people.   
Health centres have been stocked with enough medicine, surgical kits and emergency health kits to treat 10,000 patients in the coming weeks.  
The Humanitarian Coordinator met with local organizations and volunteers and noted there is a dire humanitarian situation in the oblast. She visited some cities that are back under Government control and saw the level of destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, and hospitals. 
The humanitarian community is working closely with national and local authorities, as well as with volunteer groups, to expand assistance even further and help people who have endured the horrors of seven months of war without adequate access to vital items. 

PHILIPPINES  
In the Philippines, Tropical Cyclone Noru intensified over the weekend and became a super typhoon. It made landfall yesterday in Quezon Province, east of the capital Manila.  
The Government is leading response efforts and clearing operations have already begun in affected areas. We have expressed our readiness to support the response and, in close consultation with local and national authorities, we have started joint assessments.  
This marks one of the fastest rapid intensifications of a tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Pacific basin. Authorities say that more than 2,400 families were pre-emptively evacuated, and it is estimated that some 16,000 hectares of agricultural areas have been damaged.  
After passing the Philippines, the storm is expected to continue east and make landfall in central Viet Nam in the next 48 hours. We and our partners are already in touch with authorities there to offer support as needed. Heavy rain is expected in Cambodia and northern Thailand. 

SECURITY COUNCIL/HAITI 
This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a meeting on Haiti. Expected briefers are the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, Helen La Lime; World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director, Valerie Guarnieri, and the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Ghada Fathi Waly. 

SYRIA  
Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, said yesterday that it is devastating that dozens died after a boat sank off the Syrian coast - men, women, children and the elderly among the victims. He added his voice to those sending condolences for this tragic loss of life, many Syrians reported among the dead.  
Mr. Pedersen said that these deaths could have been avoided. We must urgently do more to address the root causes of these movements, including the conflict in Syria and the economic crisis in Lebanon, and to protect the most vulnerable so they are not compelled to make such difficult choices, he said.  
And we also have a joint statement from the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Relief and Works Agency, calling on coastal states to increase efforts to build their capacity to provide search and rescue services and to work to ensure predictability in identifying safe places of disembarkation. 
   
CUBA  
I have an update from Cuba, where our UN team on the ground, led by the Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal-Bruce, took part in the consultation process to make reforms to the country’s Family Code.  
Almost 75 per cent of Cubans voted yesterday in a referendum to decide on changes which address the diversity and plurality of the Cuban families, promote affection and solidarity as key social values and strengthen the protection of rights for children, adolescents, victims of violence, the elderly, people with disabilities, LGTBQI +, and other vulnerable groups. The reforms also approve marriage equality, surrogate pregnancies, and tackle gender-based violence, among other issues.   
For our part, the UN Population Fund and the UN’s Children’s Fund  
provided technical expertise on international standards for the protection of children, families, and vulnerable groups’ rights.   
 
VENEZUELA 
And in Venezuela, our UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Gianluca Rampolla del Tindaro, on Friday signed in Caracas a new Cooperation Framework with the Government – that’s a roadmap to guide our work with partners to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in the next four years.   
In particular, it will focus on boosting access to health and education, transforming to an environmentally sustainable economy, and promoting social inclusion, with respect for human rights, gender equality and the prevention of different types of violence.  
Our team has provided support to around 4.5 million people across Venezuela, including with access to health, water and sanitation services and a more diversified diet. Our work has also supported the safe return to schools and improving protection services.