He said the “active militarization” of the Korean Peninsula due to action by the NATO alliance was making matters worse, and directly threatening Russia’s interests in the region.So far, 23 out of 28 districts are on alert, amounting to around nine million people, or two million rural families.The UN and aid partners are assisting Malawi’s efforts to respond to a severe drought in the African nation which has prompted the Government to declare a state of emergency.The US Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood said that Russia’s veto was nothing more than an attempt “to silence the independent objective investigations into DPRK Security Council violations.”
China abstains
The Republic of Korea’s Ambassador Hwang Joonkook told the Council before the vote that the panel of experts had been faithfully carrying out its duty for 15 years, and their work played a “crucial role” towards better sanctions implementation.
Listen to the full interview below where she describes the predicament of young mothers who are too weak to breastfeed their babies:
More than 40 per cent of the country’s agricultural land has been impacted by the El Niño weather system, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Thursday, “with rains and prolonged dry spells – as well as flooding – severely damaging crops and food production.”“Malawi – like other countries in southern Africa – is grappling with the effects of a severe droughts”, he said, while last month marked one of the driest Februarys in the region in more than 40 years, resulting in widespread crop failures in some areas.Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the sanctions regime adopted with the intention of preventing nuclear weapons proliferation, was losing its relevance and also “to a great extent, detached from reality.”He said that an “unprecedented” Western-led policy was in place to “strangle Pyongyang”, including harsh unilateral sanctions, “aggressive propaganda” and “direct personal threats”.Almost a year since war broke out in Sudan between rival militias, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday that hunger is everywhere and people are resilient but desperate for assistance.A health worker at a camp in southern Malawi, talks to displaced people about cholera prevention measures.This in effect abolishes the monitoring of UN sanctions against the country, more commonly known as North Korea, blocking the extension of the panel for another year.
Sudan’s 24 million children have a right to live in peace: UNICEF
Deputy Permanent Representative Robert A. Wood of the United States addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the mandate of the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts monitoring the sanctions imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.He said faced with DPRK’s continued provocations and sanctions evasion, the role of the panel was all the more essential.UNICEF says that 24 million children in Sudan have been exposed to conflict and a staggering 730,000 are severely acutely malnourished.© UNICEF/Thoko Chikondi
Read a full account here later in the day on our Meetings Coverage pages.He said the veto had been used solely because the panel had in recent months begun reporting on “blatant violations” and persistent sanctions-busting “within Russia’s jurisdiction.”Although humanitarian supplies are available in Port Sudan, the key challenge is securing safe aid access to affected populations, UNICEF said.
UN and partners support Malawi’s battle against severe drought
Jill Lawler, UNICEF Chief of Field Operations in Sudan, said that millions have been affected and displaced across the country. The vote in the 15-member Council was 13 in favour, Russia against and China abstaining.
He said humanitarians are scaling up emergency assistance – including food and nutrition supplies, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene support. They are also providing health, protection, education and livelihood assistance, despite limited funding.
The alert from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, follows a recent mission to the city of Omdurman near Khartoum, where one hospital performed 300 amputations in a month, and where two to three patients share a bed.
Scaling up
UN Photo/Evan SchneiderThe resolution does not alter the sanctions in place and they remain in force.
