SG IN POLAND
The Secretary-General arrived in Katowice last night to attend the 24th meeting of the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, following his participation in the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires.
This morning, he delivered his opening address to the Conference of Parties, saying that we are in deep trouble with climate change. Urging greater action and ambition, he delivered four simple messages to the delegates. First: science demands a significantly more ambitious response; second: the Paris Agreement provides the framework for action, so we must operationalize it; third: we have a collective responsibility to invest in averting global climate chaos and to assist the most vulnerable communities and nations; and fourth: climate action offers a compelling path to transform our world for the better.
The Secretary-General told the assembled officials that he was convening a Climate Summit next year in September in New York to raise ambition and mobilize the necessary resources. He said that time is running out and it’s hard to comprehend why we are collectively still moving too slowly – and even in the wrong direction. 
The Secretary-General then had a press conference during which he reiterated some of his key messages to the assembled media. He was joined by the Polish President, Andrez Duda. The Secretary-General said that climate change is still running faster than we are and that this trend needs to be reversed. Katowice is an essential platform for this reversal to take place, he told the press.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will remain at the Conference of Parties for most of the day to attend a series of climate-related events. He will then depart to New York late on Tuesday afternoon and will be at the office on Wednesday.
 
G20
In a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said that the G20 Declaration put out in Argentina reaffirmed support to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, our global blueprint for a fair globalization that leaves no one behind; and pledged to use all policy tools to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
He added that G20 leaders stressed the need to raise ambition in the fight against climate change and expressed their very strong support of countries that are signatories to implement their commitments set out in their nationally determined contributions. Agreement on the Paris Work Programme at COP 24 in Katowice – essentially the rule book for implementation – will significantly advance implementation. 
Third, the Secretary-General said that G20 leaders recognized the importance of a multilateral approach to trade and of the reform of the World Trade Organization and renewed their commitment to a rules-based international order.
On Saturday, the Secretary-General spoke at the climate sustainability session in Buenos Aires, where he called on world leaders to join the ‘race to the top’ and act on climate change.  “We must stop treating economic progress and development as distinct from the climate challenge. It is the same agenda,” he said, adding that ambitious climate action will not only slow temperature rise, it will also be good for economies, for public health and for the environment.
 
SOUTH AFRICA
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, spoke in Johannesburg this morning at a private sector breakfast on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She said that Africa is a continent of massive opportunity, from its vast resource wealth to its vibrant population of young people working to build on the continent’s positive developments in democratic and corporate governance. But, to capitalize on this opportunity and promote the equitable and inclusive progress the 2030 Agenda envisages, business models will have to change, she added. We all need to shift perspective from narrow short-term considerations to strategically focusing on delivering long-term value.
Yesterday, she spoke at a reception for SDG Advocates and said that we are on a journey together as we mark the fourth year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The good news is that SDG momentum is with us, especially in Africa. 102 countries have presented their voluntary national reviews -- another 51 will do so next year. But, the Deputy Secretary-General added, we know progress everywhere needs to be accelerated.
At a breakfast panel discussion on discrimination against women and girls yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General cited the words of the late Kofi Annan, “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”  Ending discrimination against women and girls, is a first, imperative step to true equality, she said.
 
SOUTH SUDAN
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) yesterday condemned a series of brutal sexual attacks on women and girls travelling from their villages to the town of Bentiu in the Unity region of the country.
Approximately 125 women and girls have sought medical treatment after having been raped or sexually assaulted in a ten-day period as they walked along roads near Nhialdu and Guit on their way to Bentiu. They report the attacks as having been carried out by young men in civilian clothing or military uniforms.
The UN Mission has sent patrols to the area and its human rights team has launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators. UNMISS engineers are also clearing foliage from the sides of the road to make it harder for attackers to conceal their presence.
The head of the peacekeeping mission said these attacks were abhorrent and must stop.
 
DRC
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that one peacekeeper from Malawi was found alive on Friday by the Congolese forces in Mayangose forest in North Kivu’s Beni area.
The soldier had been missing since 14 November, following the launch of the joint operation by the Congolese army and the Mission aimed at neutralizing the Allied Democratic Forces.
The peacekeeper is recovering in a hospital in Goma and is reported to be in a stable condition. The Mission continues to undertake efforts to recover the remaining two peacekeepers from Malawi who are still missing.
 
YEMEN
Over the weekend, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, wrapped up his visit to Yemen, warning that the country is on the brink of a major catastrophe.
However, he said that was not too late, noting that he was encouraged to hear strong support for relief operations in his meetings in Aden and in Sana’a.
Mr. Lowcock met families outside Sana’a who fled their homes four years ago and are still living in terrible conditions, while in Lahi, he visited an overcrowded camp hosting hundreds of families uprooted by clashes in Hodeidah.
Throughout his visit, he repeated his call for a cessation of hostilities, especially in and around infrastructure crucial for aid operations and commercial imports. He reiterated the UN’s offer to play a role in the port in Hodeidah so that it can stay open.
The UN-backed humanitarian Inter-Agency Standing Committee issued a statement expressing alarm at the dramatically deteriorating situation in the country in recent months.
 
SYRIA
An estimated 20,000 women, children and men have reportedly been evacuated from areas south of Idleb city in Syria to nearby villages since 30 November, following reported shelling on towns that resulted in civilian casualties.
Many of the newly displaced families are reportedly staying in the open due to a lack of shelter and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations continues to call on all parties, and those with influence over them, to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. It is imperative that all those displaced are allowed to return voluntarily, in safety and in dignity, to their homes as soon as the situation allows it.
 
AUSTRALIA
With too many people – ranging from young children to the elderly – now critically unwell due to Australia’s “offshore processing” arrangements, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is calling on the country’s Parliament to address this continuing medical crisis.
Caring for the sick and wounded without distinction is a fundamental principle of international law, and UNHCR says that Australia’s “offshore processing” policy continues to worsen the health of vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers, which has been reflected in a growing sense of despair among people in both Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
The agency appeals to all parliamentarians to support the draft Migration Amendment Bill, which ensures that fundamental healthcare is the right of every human being.
 
MYANMAR
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, while international attention has focused on the plight of the Rohingya, the situation in Kachin and Shan states is deeply concerning and must not be forgotten.
In Kachin and Shan, 107,000 people remain displaced as a result of the conflict that re-started in 2011.
In Kachin, the United Nations has not been permitted access to travel to areas – both those controlled by the Government and outside Government control – where displaced people are living.
 
WIPO
In Geneva, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today said that filings for patents, trademarks and industrial designs reached new records in 2017, with China driving this growth.
According to the Organization’s latest report, innovators across the globe filed 3.17 million patent applications in 2017, up 5.8 per cent for an eighth straight year. Global trademark filing activity totaled 12.39 million, while that for industrial designs reached 1.24 million.
 
OCHA
Tomorrow in Geneva, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock will launch the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) 2019 and the World Humanitarian Data and Trends (WHDT) 2018.
The Global Humanitarian Overview is a comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of global humanitarian needs and how best to respond to them.
The press conference to present this Overview is at 9 a.m. Geneva time and it will be webcast. There are also resources for the media available online.
 
DISABILITIES
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year’s theme focuses on empowering persons with disabilities for an inclusive, equitable and sustainable development as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
At 1:30 p.m. in Conference Room 1, the UN Department of Management will host a panel discussion on ‘The Art of the Possible’, focused on how opportunities and technology are improving the lives of the disabled.