"SECRETARY-GENERAL"

Opening the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet said “broad participation by people – including young people – and institutions that are transparent and accountable, can advance social harmony, and economic sustainability and innovation.” UNTV CH

“There is no military solution for the Syrian crisis,” said the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and called for an end to “this man-made humanitarian nightmare for the long-suffering Syrian people.” UNIFEED

Deadly attacks on villages in Burkina Faso have forced 150,000 people to flee in the last three weeks alone, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday, warning of a displacement emergency in the wider Sahel region. UNTV CH

Families fleeing violence in north-west Syria have resorted to burning their clothes to protect themselves against freezing winter temperatures, UN humanitarians said on Friday, while also warning of a potential “bloodbath” unless a ceasefire is agreed. UNTV CH

The UN remains "very alarmed about the safety and protection of over three million civilians in Idlib and its surrounding areas in northwestern Syria,” the United Nations spokesperson told reporters in New York on Thursday, as reports of airstrikes and shelling “continue to take a heavy toll on the civilian population.” UNIFEED

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Head of the mission in the country (MINUSCA) stressed, “the inclusive Government that emerged from the Peace Agreement remains in place,” adding that there is “a clear reduction in violence against the civilian population.” UNIFEED

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) “strongly condemned the attack on the Tripoli’s seaport by the Libyan National Army” on the 18 of February, a UN spokesperson said Wednesday in New York. UNIFEED

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen appealed once again for “full respect for international humanitarian law and for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib, ultimately towards a nationwide ceasefire.” UNIFEED

Briefing the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine, the UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo said, “today’s disturbing reports of major ceasefire violations across the contact line near Zolote, including alleged use of heavy weapons, are deeply concerning and a stark reminder that in the absence of sustained political will, there is a very real risk of backsliding and further violence.” UNIFEED

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrapped his three-day visit to Pakistan today, after participating in a polio vaccination campaign and visiting the Kartarpur Corridor, which allows Sikhs to travel between nearby holy sites on either side of the India-Pakistan border. UNIFEED