Sudan, Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo other topics - Daily Press Briefing

As of now, the fighting in Sudan, including in Khartoum and in various other locations, is continuing, no sign of real abatement of the fighting. nbsp;We renew our call on the parties to protect civilians and refrain from attacks on schools and medical facilities. nbsp;All the parties need to respect international law, including the obligation to ensure the safety and security of all United Nations and associated personnel, their premises and assets and all humanitarian workers.

Back here, the Special Representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, briefed the Security Council via video link. nbsp;He said he has engaged key Libyan political leaders through shuttle diplomacy to seek common ground and encourage them to make compromises that will clear the path to elections.

Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues in the country are telling us that the security situation in Ituri Province remains extremely concerning due to ongoing attacks against civilians. nbsp;The attacks have left communities in dire need of assistance and protection.nbsp;

Turning to Afghanistan. nbsp;You will have seen the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today issued the Socioeconomic Outlook for Afghanistan. nbsp;The study finds that despite some improvements in economic indicators last year, growth remains below the levels required to break the poverty trap.nbsp;

You will have seen that yesterday, Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, briefed Council members on non-proliferation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. nbsp;That text was shared with you.

Just south of that, in the Republic of Korea, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, just concluded her visit to the North-East Asia.

So, I should have included these two Africa-related notes. nbsp;Turning to West and Central Africa. nbsp;Our colleagues from WFP, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have released a new study showing that by June of this year, food insecurity in the region is on track to reach a 10-year high.nbsp;

And in Tanzania, our team, led by the Resident Coordinator Zlatan Milisic, has been working with the Government to respond to the Marburg virus outbreak, which was declared last month.nbsp;

I want to read something on behalf of our colleagues at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), because there has been a lot of — how to say — malicious misreporting on a recent report on the age of legal consent.

Tomorrow, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) lead demographer, Rachel Snow, will be talking about the State of the World Population report from UNFPA.

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Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General