The SG: The SG delivered remarks by video at a conference on post-2015 in Timor-Leste entitled ‘Development for All: Stop conflict, build states and eradicate poverty’ yesterday. “Transforming violent conflicts and fragility into peace, justice and shared prosperity” must be at the core of the post-2015 agenda, Mr. Ban said. In Austria today, the SG spoke at the opening of the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations. Mr. Ban, in his remarks to the audience, urged world leaders to promote tolerance and respect, especially in the resolution of conflict such as those in Syria and Mali. The theme for this year’s forum is ‘Responsible Leadership in Diversity and Dialogue’ and is attended by decision-makers, experts, and a variety of stakeholders in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

The SC: OCHA Chief Valerie Amos briefed the Security Council today on the humanitarian situation in Syria. Ms. Amos echoed her remarks from the Syria Humanitarian Forum in Geneva last week that people do not feel safe or secure in the country; since June last year the number of people in need has quadrupled. The SC held consultations on Mali this afternoon.

MDGs: Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, opened the 2013 global conference “Making the MDGs work” in Bogotá, Colombia today. Despite great progress on the goals, Clark noted, “there are also the goals and targets where too little progress has been made – for example on maternal mortality reduction, universal access to reproductive health, and improved sanitation.” The post-2015 development agenda will need to incorporate the lessons from the MDGs, she said, and “needs to address the significant problem of inequality which has stood in the way of reaching the MDG targets.” In order to accelerate progress in the last 1,000 days before the 2015 deadline, 45 countries are now using the MDG Acceleration Framework – designed to identify pragmatic solutions and to reduce disparities to speed up progress on lagging MDGs – developed by UNDP.

DRC: Today near MONUSCO’s base in Kitchanga, north Kivu, heavy fighting took place between Congolese armed forces soldiers and elements of the Alliance des Patriotes pour un Congo Libre et Souverain (APCLS), an armed group. One UN peacekeeper and nine civilians were injured, one killed. The mission reported that it is currently sheltering around 400 civilians at its base.

The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.” He underscored “deepening” the UN’s youth focus in programs related to employment and entrepreneurship, political inclusion and human rights, and education and reproductive health. In his remarks, Mr. Ban noted that the world body’s “top priority” was to work with young people “to enhance your lives, the well-being of your communities, and the state of the world.”

Mali: John Ging, Operations Director of OCHA, briefed the press today on his recent trip to Mali. The people of Mali do not want to be aid dependent but need assistance to help rebuild their lives, especially in the agricultural sector, Ging said. Protection, security, and safety of Malians is the priority, but there is a shortage of medical supplies and an urgent need for food assistance. 37,000 people have fled from north and central Mali since January 11, 2013, bringing the total number of displaced people to 431,000. There is a humanitarian appeal for $373 million for Mali for 2013, but it is poorly underfunded. UNICEF announced today that it is issuing an urgent $45 million appeal to meet the immediate needs of children and women affected by the Malian crisis over the next three months. The appeal will cover emergency programs inside the country, in addition to humanitarian assistance for 170,000 Malian refugees in Niger, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. UNICEF has received less than a million dollars for 2013 thus far.

Middle East: USG for DPA, Jeffrey Feltman, briefed the SC today on the situation in the Middle East. Feltman noted the continued frustration at the failure of negotiations between Israel and Palestine thus far, and said that it is now time for all of us to act decisively if we are to salvage the two-State solution. The UN was deeply troubled by Tuesday’s rocket attack into Israel and, on Syria, he noted that the SG strongly condemns the reported ballistic missile strikes in Aleppo as well as the series of bombings in Damascus.

Palestine:  SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, is in Palestine today, where she met with the Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to discuss Palestinian resilience to disasters. Palestine is highly vulnerable to natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts and desertification. While there, Wahlström presided over the launch of the first national disaster loss database, announced earlier this week.