MONCEF KARTAS
We have been informed that, earlier today, a Tunisian appeals court has reviewed the case against Moncef Kartas and has decided to release him. We are very encouraged by this development. We look forward to confirming his actual release from detention.
We are presently seeking further information from the Government, including with respect to the status of the legal proceedings against Mr. Kartas.
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL – AFRICA
Earlier today, the Secretary-General spoke at the Second Africa Dialogue Series.
He said the United Nations and the African Union are deepening their strategic partnership, including the recent unanimous adoption by the Security Council of a resolution on steps towards ending conflict in Africa.
However, the Secretary-General said that we face headwinds, pointing to the situations in places such as Libya, Sudan, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
The Secretary-General commended African countries for their long record of keeping their borders, doors and hearts open to refugees and internally displaced people.
These remarks have been shared with you.
The Deputy Secretary-General will address the Africa Dialogue Series this afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL – U.N. DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM
This morning, the Secretary-General also briefed Member States on the progress of creating a 21st century UN development system to support countries to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
The Secretary-General said that, since we pivoted to a new era for the UN development system on January 1, the UN is well advanced on a transformative journey.
He said the Resident Coordination system has been reinvigorated, the Development Coordination Office is up and running, and we are moving ahead in establishing a new generation of UN Country Teams, among other developments.
The Secretary-General also noted that there have been significant efforts to bring the system together to make it more efficient.
He said, “Our objective is clear.  It is not to seek savings simply for its own sake.  Our goal is to strengthen our response to the 2030 Agenda. Every dollar saved is a dollar that can be reinvested in development activities.”
Tomorrow, the Deputy Secretary-General will continue briefing Member States on the Secretary-General’s report to the Economic and Social Council and her report on the newly-established Development Coordination Office. Both reports are now on ECOSOC’s website.
 
LIBYA
Back in the Security Council, Ghassan Salamé, the Special Representative for Libya, told the Security Council that the country is on the verge of descending into a civil war which could lead to permanent divisions in Libya. The damage already done will take years to mend, he said, and that’s only if the war ended now.
He added the conditions for migrants and refugees in Libya were already dire prior to the conflict. These conditions have now gone from bad to worse. Nearly 3,400 refugees and migrants are trapped in detention centres exposed to, or in close proximity to, the current fighting. 
The Special Representative noted that the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of many of General Haftar’s troops from the south, coupled with the focus of the western forces on the defense of the capital, is already being exploited by Da’esh and Al-Qaeda.
He requested that the Security Council members urge the silencing of the guns and that the warring parties to engage with the UN Mission to ensure a full and comprehensive cessation of hostilities and a return to an inclusive UN-led political process.
Just an update on the water issue we told you about yesterday, I can tell you that today we welcome the resumption of water supply from Tripoli’s main water distribution facility. The shutdown at the Great Man-Made River Project since 19 May had already contributed to a decrease in water supply to Tripoli and other north-western cities and threatened to completely cut off supply to up to more than 2 million people.
This resumption in distribution does not resolve the ongoing water shortages in Tripoli, which are a key concern, particularly as temperatures rise in the summer months. Due to the ongoing clashes in and around Tripoli, maintenance staff at the water facility were evacuated last month and required maintenance work is not taking place, which has reduced the water supply by 37 per cent since the start of the ongoing cycle of conflict. Water supply to other parts of Libya serviced by the facility has been reduced by 25 per cent.
 
SYRIA
The Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is in Amman, Jordan, today for consultations with the Jordanian Government. He concluded a meeting earlier today with Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi. He appreciates Jordan’s support for the UN efforts to facilitate a political process based on Security Council resolution 2254 and also its hospitality for Syrian refugees.
Yesterday, Mr. Pedersen went to meet with Syrian refugees in the Mafraq and Zaatari camps in Jordan.  He listened to their life stories, speaking with women, men and children about their personal journey throughout this horrific conflict and their aspirations for a dignified future. He recognizes and appreciates the tremendous efforts made by the UN Refugee Agency and other parts of the UN system, and the Jordanian Government for their continued support to the Syrian refugees there.
Meanwhile, the UN remains deeply alarmed by ongoing reports of airstrikes, artillery shelling and clashes in the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria. These clashes resulted in at least 105 deaths since the latest escalation in late April, as well as repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including displacement camps, schools and health facilities. Since 28 April, a total of 23 attacks on healthcare have been confirmed by the World Health Organization, including on 20 health facilities, some having been hit more than once.
 
OSLO CONFERENCE
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, is speaking at the opening of the first-ever international conference on Ending Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Crises, and that will take place on 24 May in Oslo in Norway.
The event is organized by the Governments of Norway, Iraq, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the UN Population Fund, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
The conference will bring together countries, NGOs, civil society organizations and influential individuals, such as the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Denis Mukwege, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The conference seeks to mobilize stronger political commitment to prevent sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, as well as mobilize additional financial resources through UN-coordinated response plans.
 
WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
In Geneva, the World Health Assembly got underway yesterday and will continue until next Tuesday.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said in a video message that we still live in a world where mental health is a taboo and, even when spoken of, too few of us have access to quality services or the necessary support. She noted that mental health illness costs the world about $2.5 trillion every year.
During the Assembly, Queen Letizia of Spain will attend several meetings on issues relating to public health and the environment, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium will participate in meetings on mental health with a focus on young people and women.
Tomorrow, Algeria and Argentina are expected to be fully certified malaria-free at an event on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly. 
 
BURKINA FASO
From Burkina Faso, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that recurrent armed attacks in the Sahel and Centre-Nord regions of the country have forced people to flee their homes.
The number of people displaced has tripled to more than 170,000 since the beginning of the year.
Basic services such as health care and education have been severely affected by violence. More than 1,000 schools remain closed, depriving more than 146,000 children of education.
In recent months, the UN and our partners have scaled up aid operations and responses, with more than 100,000 people having been reached with assistance.
However, only 35 per cent of the $100 million needed to assist some 900,000 people has been received so far.
 
GUATEMALA
Our human rights colleagues have released a report warning of the large number of attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala.
Thirty-nine killings and 884 attacks were recorded during 2017 and 2018.
 
UKRAINE
From the UN Children’s Fund, they say that the number of attacks on schools in the eastern part of Ukraine have increased four-fold during the first four months of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Schools were attacked 12 times between January and April of this year, which UNICEF said is reminiscent of the violence that schoolchildren experienced in 2017, when there 40 such attacks.
 
CONTRIBUTIONS
We are delighted to acknowledge a new Member State that has paid its payments, in full, and that is North Macedonia, paying its budget dues to the 2019 budget, which takes us to 98.