SG TRAVELS
The Secretary-General announced this morning that the parties at the intra-Yemeni political consultations taking place in Sweden, had reached an agreement on Hodeidah port and city, which will see a mutual re-deployment of forces from the port and the city, and the establishment of a Governorate-wide ceasefire.
He also said that they had reached a mutual understanding to ease the situation in Taizz which he hoped will lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors and the facilitation of demining.
And the parties also agreed to engage in discussions on a Negotiating Framework in the next meeting and agreed to meet again at the end of January during the next round of consultations.
The Secretary-General was speaking at the [closing] of the Intra-Yemeni political consultations in Rimbo, Sweden. He said the parties had the future of Yemen in their hands and a precious opportunity. He said that what the parties have agreed to in Rimbo will mean a lot for the future of Yemen, he stressed. It will mean a lot for the Yemeni people who will see concrete results in their daily lives.
The Secretary-General also said the UN will always be available to continue discussing the issues that are still pending.
The Secretary-General also spoke at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Margot Wallström and his Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
The Secretary-General arrived in Sweden last night and met right away with the two delegations in Rimbo, along with his Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths. As he mentioned in his press conference, the discussions had gone on until two in the morning. The Secretary-general will be leaving Sweden shortly to return to Katowice, Poland for the final day of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 
WEST BANK
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the recent violent incidents in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli and Palestinian security services must work together to restore calm and avoid an escalation.
He condemns all acts of violence and terrorism, in particular against innocent civilians, and he calls on political, religious and community leaders to speak out clearly against such brutal acts and those who glorify them.
 
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Central Africa, Francois Lounceny Fall, briefed Security Council members on developments in the region. He told members of the Council that he remains concerned about the situation in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, as violence has not diminished and allegations of human rights violations by all sides continue to be reported. He appealed to the Government to continue to safeguard access by humanitarian partners to the populations in need and to ensure that all human rights violations are addressed. He also reaffirmed the UN’s readiness to support the Government to seek a lasting solution to the crisis and assist in the fight against Boko Haram.
Mr. Lounceny Fall also highlighted the situation in the Central African Republic, where there has been a recent escalation of violence. He urged the countries in the subregion to support the Peace and Reconciliation Initiative and remain committed during the critical stage of implementation of a possible agreement. He added that the Lord's Resistance Army continues to threaten the CAR and the Democratic Republic of Congo and encouraged the African Union to adopt a cautious approach.
 
MALI
The UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, strongly condemns the attacks by unidentified armed persons that led to the execution of civilians in the localities of Tinabaw and Tabangout-Tissalatatene, in Menaka region, on Tuesday and Wednesday and expresses its sincere condolences to the families affected.
MINUSMA is in contact with the interim authorities of the region to establish the facts and welcomes the joint efforts of Malian armed forces and other partners in their assistance to those affected. The UN calls on the Malian authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice.
In accordance with its mandate, MINUSMA immediately deployed a special human rights investigation team to establish the facts and circumstances of the execution of civilians in those localities and to assist in identifying those responsible.
MINUSMA intends to support the Malian authorities in their efforts to fight against impunity.
 
SOUTH SUDAN
The humanitarian community in South Sudan today launched an appeal for $1.5 billion dollars to provide urgent and life-saving assistance to 5.7 million people affected by conflict, hunger and displacement in the country.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that despite challenges, including with accessing people in need, the humanitarian operation in South Sudan continues to reach millions of people with aid. More than 4.7 million people have been assisted with food, health, water and sanitation, education, livelihoods, nutrition as well as critical protection services since the beginning of the year.
 
NIGER
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said it’s concerned by the ongoing violence in Niger’s border areas with Mali and Burkina Faso, which has forced 52,000 Nigerians to flee their homes this year alone.
Those displaced report fleeing horrific violence. Armed groups are said to be attacking villages, killing and abducting civilians, including community leaders, burning schools and looting homes, businesses and livestock.
UNHCR said the violence is hampering humanitarian relief efforts. Since October, the government in coordination with the humanitarian community has attempted to secure certain zones to ensure distributions of aid, but ongoing security threats have prevented humanitarians from reaching all those in need of help.
UNHCR is leading a coordinated inter-agency protection response to help those fleeing, including through protection monitoring which enables humanitarian actors to provide rapid assistance to those identified as particularly vulnerable and in need.
 
UKRAINE
Following a recent visit to eastern Ukraine on 11 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Osnat Lubrani, has called for urgent political solutions to end the suffering of millions of people in the region.
Ms. Lubrani visited the Entry/Exit Checkpoint (EECP) Stanytsia Luhanska where she joined hundreds of people making the arduous crossing from governmental-controlled areas to non-governmental-controlled areas. The wooden footbridge has been in need of urgent repair for a while and was further damaged by shelling recently.
She commended the Government’s efforts to improve the crossing conditions at Stanytsia Luhanska but she noted that seeing the elderly, as well as people with disabilities continue to move across the rickety bridge is a reminder of how they struggle in their daily lives, even more so with the harsh winter taking hold.
Ms. Lubrani also met with the representatives of the de-facto entities in the non-governmental-controlled areas and discussed the humanitarian situation on the ground, and the need to scale-up humanitarian efforts to reverse the deprivation of millions of people.
 
BABIES
A new report released today by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) says that nearly 30 million babies are born too soon, too small or become sick every year and need specialized care to survive.
The report finds that among the newborn babies most at risk of death and disability are those with complications from prematurity, brain injury during childbirth, severe bacterial infection or jaundice, and those with congenital conditions. Additionally, the financial and psychological toll on their families can have detrimental effects on their cognitive, linguistic and emotional development.