I am pleased to greet the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a close partner of the United Nations.
 
I welcome your focus on promoting peace and development in an age of rapid technological change.
 
Advances in technology have brought wondrous gains and can turbocharge our work for the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Yet we know there are also dangers, coming from the misuse of new technologies.
 
It is our responsibility to nurture a digital future that is safe and beneficial for all.
 

I am pleased to greet the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
 
With 7 million people dying annually due to tobacco, this treaty is central to improving global health. It is also essential for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which calls on us to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
 
Significant achievements have been made in implementing the Convention. The new Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products has also advanced tobacco control globally. 

Special Envoy:   Thank you very much and thank you all for coming. I can imagine it’s been quite a frustrating week for you. And I am sorry that was the case. And I am sorry it has taken so long to get here. Anyway, I will do as you say: give a few opening remarks and take some questions. So, for me the important aspect of these last three days is: we have started consultations. The process of beginning the road back to peace has started. Not quite in the way that we would have wanted, but it has begun.

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen met with the Government of Yemen delegation, headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Khaled al Yamani this morning.
 
They discussed the expectations of these consultations and relevant issues to the peace process, in particular Confidence Building Measures.
 
The Special Envoy thanked the Yemeni Government for their positive engagement with his efforts to relaunch the peace process. He acknowledged the efforts made by the Government of Yemen and the Coalition to facilitate the convening of these consultations.

Special Envoy: Thank you very much for coming, I am sorry I am slightly late, it’s been a busy day.  I’ll make first a short statement and then, as Alessandra said, I am happy to answer some questions. 
 

JE: I think it was very clear today at the humanitarian task force that we are entering a new chapter in this very long, very bloody, very cruel, very bitter war in Syria.  Hopefully we are seeing the beginning of the end to the big war. There are signs that we may now have access to people we were fighting to get access to for a very long time, and that some of the cruel practices of the war may be coming to an end.

Today the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met with the Government of Syria during the Astana-format meeting in Sochi, Russian Federation.   There was a useful exchange of views on the different aspects of the political process in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).
 

Today Special Envoy de Mistura chaired informal consultations with senior representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, during the Astana-format meeting in Sochi, Russian Federation.

The consultations focused on realising further progress on the implementation of the Sochi Final Statement and the establishment of a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned constitutional committee, facilitated by the UN, within the framework of the Geneva process and in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).

Your Royal Highness, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Distinguished participants,
 
I am inspired by your coming together around a shared commitment to human rights and equal citizenship.
 
Religious leaders wield significant influence on the hearts and minds of billions.

Faith-based actors can play a crucial role in enhancing human rights for all.

Diversity is a richness.
 
We must raise our voices in support of our multicultural communities and our shared values.