10 October 2017 – The United Nations Security Council has called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to investigate into, and bring to justice those behind Monday’s attack on a peacekeeping mission base in North Kivu that resulted in the deaths of two “blue helmets.”

In a press statement today, the 15-member Council strongly condemned the attack, carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in which 18 peacekeepers were also injured.

“The members […] condemned in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [known by its French acronym, MONUSCO] by armed groups,” added the statement.

They also urged all armed groups in the country to lay down their weapons and underscored that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

Further in the statement, Security Council members also expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the peacekeepers killed, as well as to the Government of Tanzania – where the peacekeepers were from – and wished the injured peacekeepers a speedy recovery.

The members also reiterated their full support for MONUSCO and expressed their deep appreciation to MONUSCO’s troop- and police-contributing countries.

10 October 2017 – The Security Council today endorsed the United Nations’ action plan to resume an inclusive political process in Libya.

In a Presidential Statement, the 15-member body strongly urged all Libyans to work together in a spirit of compromise and to engage constructively in the inclusive political process set out in the UN action plan, which was presented at a high-level event in New York on 20 September 2017.

Regarding the measures set out in the action plan, the statement said that the Council “looks forward to further sequential implementation” of the plan, ahead of the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections within a year.

The Council also reaffirmed that the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), which was signed in December 2015, “remains the only viable framework” to end the Libyan political crisis, and that any attempt by Libyan parties to undermine the Libyan-led, UN-facilitated political process is unacceptable.

Welcoming recent efforts to strengthen an inclusive political dialogue among all Libyans, including important efforts by Libya’s neighbours, international partners and regional organizations, the Council stressed that “all such initiatives should be consolidated under the leadership of the UN.

In that regard, the Council emphasised the imperative for all Member States to support the primacy of the UN mediation in Libya.

10 October 2017 – Three weeks since category 5 Hurricane Maria ripped through Dominica, the scope of the damage remains daunting, with islanders in dire need of water, electricity, food and supplies, the United Nations migration agency reported on Tuesday as it continued to carry out an array of activities as part of the response.

Noting that an estimated 23 per cent of the small Caribbean nation’s homes have been flattened, Jean Philippe Antolin, head of response operations in the Caribbean for the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said: “Those houses do not exist anymore. They have either been blown into the sea or totally scattered in pieces across the island.”

In addition, some 39 per cent of the houses have sustained severe damage, and a further 28 per cent have been affected to some degree said IOM, underscoring that the numbers reflect the painful human situations in the shelters where more than 2,000 Dominicans are still living, while the rest are staying with relatives and friends.

A mother and her children took cover in a local school just before the hurricane hit, and are still living in one of the classrooms with another family. “My home just vanished into thin air. Nothing, nothing left to remember from it. Everything is gone,” she told IOM.

The agency has responded through promoting an array of activities, including supply delivery, coordination of shelter management, and pipelining international donations. IOM has released $100,000 to scale up shelter response, and an additional $350,000 has been secured from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Many Dominicans are still returning to their homes to salvage their belongings and clear debris during the day, but sleep in shelters or with host families.

10 October 2017 – People spend a large proportion of time at work, where experiences there factor into their overall wellbeing, the United Nations said on World Mental Health Day, noting that depression and anxiety disorders are common mental disorders that have an impact on our ability to work, and to work productively.

“Employers and managers who put in place workplace initiatives to promote mental health and to support employees who have mental disorders see gains not only in the health of their employees but also in their productivity at work,” said the World Health Organization (WHO), placing mental health in the workplace as the theme of World Mental Health Day 2017.

On the other hand, WHO added that “a negative working environment, may lead to physical and mental health problems, harmful use of substances or alcohol, absenteeism and lost productivity.”

On Twitter, Secretary-General António Guterres said we can and must eliminate the stigma that prevents people from speaking freely and seeking treatment for mental illness.”

“Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, the leading cause of disability. More than 260 million are living with anxiety disorders. Many of these people live with both” points out WHO.

A recent WHO-led study estimates that depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy one trillion dollars each year in lost productivity.

The UN health agency cited as risks to mental health inadequate health and safety policies; poor communication and management practices; limited participation in decision-making or low control over one’s area of work; low levels of support for employees; inflexible working hours; and unclear tasks or organizational objectives.

To create a healthy workspace, WHO suggests, among other things, the importance of understanding the opportunities and needs of individual employees; interventions and good practices that protect and promote mental health in the workplace; and becoming aware of how the workplace environment can adapt to promote better mental health for employees and support sources where people can find help.

“Mental health interventions should be delivered as part of an integrated health and well-being strategy that covers prevention, early identification, support and rehabilitation,” stresses WHO.

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of better mental health.

10 October 2017 – Parties to the conflict in Yemen are eroding the path to peace while the country’s people suffer amid a man-made humanitarian catastrophe, said today a senior United Nations official, urging Security Council member countries to use their political and economic powers to pressure warring sides to commit to a path of peace.

“In Yemen, there are no winners on the battlefield. The losers are the Yemeni people who suffer by this war,” stated Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, briefing the Security Council.

“The people [of Yemen] are getting poorer while influential leaders get richer. They are not interested in finding solutions, as they will lose their power and control in a settlement,” he warned.

Noting that an agreement on securing humanitarian access remains essential, it cannot replace a solution which is a part of a larger comprehensive peace deal, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed explained that he has had meetings with both Yemeni and international officials and that he is discussing a proposal that includes humanitarian initiatives to rebuild trust as well as bringing the parties back to the negotiations table.

“We hope this commitment will translate into action and deepen their engagement with me on the basis of these initiatives in order to reach a peaceful political solution,” he said, noting that the UN will continue to utilize all its political, logistical, administrative, and advisory facilities to support the country but only the warring parties could bring peace.

“They are accountable for a failure. I reiterate that the only viable path for the future of Yemen is a negotiated settlement,” he added.

Also briefing the Security Council today, John Ging, the Director of Operations at the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the relief plan for the country continues is still short of funds.

The $2.3 billion Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan to reach 12 million people in need of humanitarian support and protection this year has received only 55 per cent of the resources needed.

“Despite the complexity of the response, this year, humanitarians have already reached seven million people with direct assistance. We therefore encourage [UN] Member States to directly support our efforts and to do more through the response plan,” said the UN relief official.

In his briefing, Mr. Ging also called for an urgent resumption commercial flights at Sana’a airport as well as imports into the country.

“Any significant decline in imports due to bureaucratic delays risks making the threat of famine a reality,” he warned.

The conflict in the country, now into its third year, has rendered 17 million Yemenis food insecure and over a third of the country’s district in severe danger of famine.

Furthermore, destruction of infrastructure and breakdown of public services, especially water and sanitation systems, has resulted in a devastating cholera outbreak, which has already killed more than 2,100 individuals and continues to infect thousands each week.