Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Arab Summit
– Tokyo Conference
– Sudan
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Democratic Republic of the Congo/Humanitarian
– UNISFA
– Uganda
– Briefings
– Financial Contributions
TOKYO CONFERENCE
Also I want to flag the Secretary-General’s video message to the Tokyo Conference, whose theme is “International cooperation and restoration of peace on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.”
In his remarks he said that as we prepare to mark the 80th anniversary of the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we will continue to be guided by the inspiring example and vision of the hibakusha for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Guterres also encouraged participants to advance the objectives of the Pact for the Future and drive multilateralism into the future.
SUDAN
The UN Children’s Fund today warned that millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war.
According to UNICEF, armed men are raping and sexually assaulting children, including infants as young as one, amid the nationwide conflict which is rippling across Sudan. No area of Sudan is immune from these horrendous crimes.
UNICEF said that data compiled by gender-based violence service providers in Sudan shows that 221 rape cases against children were recorded since the beginning of 2024. UNICEF pointed out that these figures represent only a small fraction of total cases.
We of course join Catherine Russell, the Executive Director of UNICEF, in stressing that this is an abhorrent violation of international law and could constitute a war crime, and it must stop.
UNICEF is working in partnerships to establish safe spaces that provide gender-based violence services for survivors, as well as integrating these into health services at health centers and mobile clinics and providing relevant medical supplies to victims.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=04%20March%202025