Ukraine, Democratic Republic of the Congo & other topics - final

SG TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will be heading to Japan, where he will take part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima, held on 6 August every year. The ceremony aims to console the souls of those lost to the atomic bombing, as well as to pray for the realization of lasting world peace. The Secretary-General will honour the victims of the bombings, commemorate all victims of the second world war, and reiterate his call to world leaders to urgently eliminate stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
During his visit, he will meet with several Japanese senior officials, including Prime Minister [Fumio] Kishida. He will also meet a group of surviving victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as the hibakusha; and he will participate in a dialogue with young activists who are leading initiatives on nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other global issues.
The Secretary-General will then go to Mongolia, at the invitation of President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Mongolia is a country that has also shown a commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament by declaring itself a nuclear-weapons-free zone.
During his visit to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, the Secretary-General will also take part in a tree planting ceremony to recognize Mongolia’s One Billion Trees initiative, which was launched in October and aims to plant, as its name implies, one billion trees by 2030, as part of the Mongolia’s efforts to reduce the impact of climate change and fight the increasing desertification which is impacting Mongolia. In addition, he will visit a nomadic family and learn about their way of life.
Following his visit to Mongolia, the Secretary-General will travel to the Republic of Korea from 11-12 August. The details of his visit to Seoul are still being discussed with the Government.

UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ukraine says that civilians are facing tremendous challenges in areas that have experienced a dramatic increase in airstrikes and shelling over the last few days, particularly in the south of the country.
From Kherson, we received the horrifying news that a minibus with civilians trying to flee from a small settlement called Starosillia was hit yesterday, apparently by a missile. According to reports we received from humanitarian organizations, at least three civilians were killed and five injured.
The situation has also continued to deteriorate in Mykolaiv, where daily shelling is taking a heavy toll on civilians. Over the last 48 hours alone, dozens of houses, several health facilities and other critical civilian infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed in the city.
The strikes have caused civilian casualties, according to reports from humanitarian organizations, although we could not verify the actual figures.
Our humanitarian colleagues also tell us that access to health services in Mykolaiv and surrounding areas is extremely limited. We reiterate our calls on the parties to the conflict to respect civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, in accordance with principles of international humanitarian law. People in Ukraine desperately need a respite from the relentless violence.
Also, the M/V Razoni is making its way to the Bosphorous. We expect it to dock in a few hours. It will be inspected, according to protocols, with representatives of the United Nations, Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine, tomorrow.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has an update regarding the incident that occurred at Kasindi, on the border with Uganda, on Sunday.
Based on preliminary information, the incident occurred at the border post where a battalion from the UN Peacekeeping Mission’s Force Intervention Brigade, upon returning from leave, was not immediately granted access to the DRC.
The troops waited overnight in an area between the official exit point from Uganda and the official entry point into the DRC.
The violent incident that occurred the following morning is now the subject of an investigation opened by the mission. The peacekeepers involved have been detained on the Force Commander’s orders.
The Mission has also contacted the Troop-Contributing Country concerned with a view to advancing a national judicial investigation on those events.

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