YEMEN
The ceasefire in Hodeidah entered into force today at midnight, local time. The redeployment from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, Ras Isa and critical parts of the city associated with the humanitarian facilities shall be completed within two weeks after the ceasefire’s entry into force. The full mutual redeployment of all forces from the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa shall be completed within a maximum period of 21 days after the ceasefire goes into force. It is the responsibilities of the parties to fulfil the agreement.
Maj. Gen. (ret) Patrick Cammaert, as you know, has been appointed as the UN Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), as outlined in the Agreement, established to oversee the ceasefire and redeployment.
A team led by General Cammaert will leave New York on their way to Yemen later this week. Tomorrow, General Cammaert will convene the first meeting of the Redeployment Coordination Committee. It will include military/security representatives from the two sides, connected via video teleconference.
The UN is on the ground to operationalise support to the Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation that is mentioned in the Hodeidah Agreement.
 
SYRIA
The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, held consultations with the Foreign Ministers of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and the Russian Federation in Geneva today.
The three Foreign Ministers offered the Special Envoy a significant joint input regarding the constitutional committee.
The Special Envoy, in close consultations with the Secretary-General, believes there is an extra mile to go in the marathon effort to ensure the necessary package for a credible, balanced and inclusive constitutional committee – and for including a balanced chairing arrangement and drafting body and voting threshold, to be established under UN auspices in Geneva.
The Special Envoy will further consult with the Secretary-General in New York and he will brief the Security Council on 20 December, which I believe is Thursday. There is a note to correspondents, and, before you ask, yes, he will be doing a stakeout after briefing the Security Council.
Also on the humanitarian front, colleagues tell us that civilians in Syria continue to face a crisis of displacement, with over 1.5 million people displaced in the first 10 months of this year alone.
Many civilians have been displaced multiple times over the seven years of conflict. There are currently 6.1 million internally displaced people throughout the country.
This includes 1.5 million internally displaced people living in Idleb governorate in north-east Syria, many of whom were displaced following local agreements between Government forces and armed groups. They are particularly vulnerable, as the host communities have reached the limit of their ability to support them. Those newly displaced to the area often do not have access to proper shelter and are forced to live in tents and under plastic sheeting despite the colder winter weather.
The UN calls on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
 
HUMAN RIGHTS
Earlier today, the Secretary-General spoke at an event in the General Assembly to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He said that the document’s adoption marked the first time that countries had ever come together to recognize that all people, everywhere, are born free and equal and share fundamental, inalienable rights. 
The Secretary-General stressed that, wherever we live, whatever our circumstances or place in society, our race, colour, gender or sexual orientation, language, religion, opinion, nationality or economic status, we are all equal in human rights and in dignity. 
Yet, seven decades on, there is still a long way to go, he said, noting that today we are seeing a rising tide of authoritarianism, intolerance, xenophobia and racism.  
The Secretary-General said he understands the importance of human rights from his personal experience having grown up under a dictatorship in his home country of Portugal and having seen the bitter results of human rights abuses as High Commissioner for Refugees.
He is also speaking at the award ceremony for the UN prize in the field of human rights which will be given this year to Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania, Asma Jahangir of Pakistan, Joênia Wapichana of Brazil, and Front Line Defenders, which is an organization from Ireland.
Then, at 3pm, he will speak at the General Assembly’s high-level plenary meeting on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
 
MIGRANTS DAY
Today is International Migrants Day, and in a message, the Secretary-General called migration a powerful driver of economic growth, dynamism and understanding.
He stressed that it allows millions of people to seek new opportunities, benefiting communities of origin and destination alike.
But, the Secretary-General said that, when poorly regulated, migration can intensify divisions within and between societies, and expose people to exploitation and abuse, and undermine faith in government.
He said, this month, that the world took a landmark step forward with the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which he said will help us to address the real challenges of migration while reaping the many benefits.
 
WOMEN
As you are all well aware, the Secretary-General has placed great emphasis on achieving gender parity at the United Nations.
And with Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert having taken over as his new Special Representative in Iraq, we are proud to announce that this will be the first time that the senior leadership of a UN special political mission is all women.
The Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance is Alice Walpole and the Deputy Special Representative for humanitarian issues is Marta Ruedas.
We already have a peacekeeping mission in Cyprus where the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, the Force Commander and the Policer Advisor are all women as well.
 
MIDDLE EAST
In the Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, spoke to Council members on the situation in the region, and he warned that over the past days and weeks, there has been an alarming rise in incidents that have led to the tragic deaths of Israeli and Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers. He added that the security measures put in place in the aftermath of these incidents, search operations in Ramallah as well as clashes and protests that turn violent are adding to an already tense atmosphere. He joined the Secretary-General in his call to Israeli and Palestinian security services to work together to restore calm and avoid escalation.
The Special Coordinator said that in terms of violence over the past year, although Gaza has been the most volatile, the risk of an explosion in the West Bank has also grown. And he added that ongoing instances of incitement, provocative steps, and inflammatory rhetoric plague the public rhetoric of the conflict. They are highly dangerous and threaten to push an already volatile situation past the boiling point, he said.
 
MADAGASCAR
On the eve of the second round of the presidential election in Madagascar, the electoral observer missions and the members of the international community issued a statement calling the two candidates to show restraint and to exhort their supporters to avoid any action that could compromise the electoral process.
They also called the candidates to accept the official results of the elections and, in case of dispute, to resort to competent bodies.
Abdoulaye Bathilly is in the country in his mediaton capacity as sent there by the Secretary-General.
 
CAR
Turning to the Central African Republic, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) that enables aid workers to deploy to reach tens of thousands of people in need in the country is at risk of shutting down due to a shortage of funds.
The Humanitarian Air Service, which depends entirely on the support of international donors to finance its operating costs, is in urgent need of $3 million to maintain its service for the next three months and will be grounded after January if there is no immediate injection of funds.
In the month of November alone, the Humanitarian Air service provided transport for over 2,000 aid workers - a record for a single month since it started operations in Central African Republic in 2006.
 
NICARAGUA 
I have been asked in recent days about the situation in Nicaragua, and I can tell you that we are following the situation in Nicaragua closely and we are concerned about recent developments in the country, particularly reports of alleged persecution of respected human rights NGOs and the media. Only an inclusive dialogue, in an environment of tolerance and peace, will provide longstanding solutions.
 
PEASANTS
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has welcomed the General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other people working in rural areas.
Madame Bachelet said that, globally, peasants feed the world, but their own enjoyment of their human rights, including their own right to food, is challenged.
She pointed to an imbalance of power in economic relations, with women being particularly vulnerable due to widespread unlawful discrimination restricting their access to and use of land and unequal payment for their work.
 
KOSOVO
Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council met on the situation in Kosovo.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of peacekeeping, said that several developments have heightened tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.